A guide to healthy feeding behaviours for your cat

If you want to ensure that your beloved fluffy family member is kept as happy, healthy and purringly content as possible, you may want to brush up on your feline feeding knowledge!

Understanding natural feline hunting behaviours can help you tailor your cat’s diet, meal patterns, and feeding methods to not only meet their essential nutritional requirements, but also satisfy their natural instincts and support their long-term mental and physical health too.

Understanding natural cat feeding behaviour and biology

With domestic cats having undergone relatively little selective breeding (compared to dogs), they still retain a lot of the natural hunting and feeding instincts of their small wildcat ancestors, not to mention similar dietary requirements.

Smaller species of wildcats are solitary hunters, so they target small prey such as rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. This means they can spend up to 12 hours out of every 24-hour period hunting and eating multiple small meals, often during the night when nocturnal prey species are out and about. They generally prefer to take their kills somewhere quiet and private to eat, where they feel safe from other predatory animals.

Unlike dogs, cats are obligate carnivores. This means that they have certain nutritional requirements for protein content (including particular amino acids), essential fatty acids and vitamins that can only be obtained from a meat-based diet. If they don’t receive a complete diet containing the appropriate balances of these nutrients, they can become seriously unwell.

Problems caused by traditional feeding routines

While domestic cats enjoy a pleasant cushy lifestyle with their human family members, the downside is that our human routines and preferences may not always be compatible with the ideal feline health requirements.

Most cat owners feed their pet once or twice daily, as this is what has been traditionally done, and it’s understandably convenient for working owners who are out of the house for long hours during the day.

Cats are usually fed a highly palatable, nutrient-dense diet from a bowl, which is quickly and easily consumed and offers little in the way of mental stimulation, physical exercise, or the satisfaction of their natural hunting instincts.

Unfortunately, these traditional feeding practices can put cats at risk of:

• Overeating due to boredom, which can lead to obesity-related health problems
• Developing anxious or aggressive behavioural issues due to frustration
• Consuming less water (if they are on a majority/all dry food diet), which can predispose them to urinary or kidney health problems

Additionally, in busy or multi-cat households, the lack of privacy that results if bowls are grouped together or placed in a noisy area of the home can trigger anxiety in highly-strung cats and may also result in them eating or drinking less frequently.

How to use puzzle feeders and enrichment to mimic hunting

The good news is that there are some easy day-to-day adjustments you can make to help support your cat’s healthiest feeding behaviours!

The overall goals are to:

• Offer your cat more mentally stimulating mealtimes
• Split your cat’s daily food ration into multiple smaller meals over a 24-hour period – ideally around five small meals per day

To spice up your cat’s mealtimes, get them to “hunt” for their food out of a variety of puzzle feeders, which you ideally would place in different locations around the house each day (so that your pet has to search for them). Try to select suitably quiet locations, so your cat feels safe to eat, and ensure you support your pet initially in learning to use the feeder.

Puzzle feeders can also help you to achieve the second goal, which is splitting your cat’s daily food allowance into five smaller portions offered throughout the day and night. You can also sprinkle dry food around for your cat to find (such as up staircases or on platforms of “cat tree” furniture), and for meals overnight or during your work hours, by setting up automatic feeders or Lick Mats.

Feeding multiple cats: avoiding stress and overeating

Due to the behavioural influences of their relatively solitary ancestors, some cats in multi-cat households may feel anxious if they have to eat and drink in close proximity to other pets, particularly if there is any inter-cat tension (which can be subtle and tricky to recognise). This may result in nervous cats eating or drinking less in terms of amount or frequency, or conversely, gobbling down food as quickly as possible and overeating.

For this reason, it’s recommended that in multi-pet households, there should be multiple feeding stations and water bowls located all around the house – ideally one per cat, plus one extra. Most cats prefer for their water bowls to be placed away from their food (rather than in conjoined bowls), and many also prefer wide, shallow bowls (so they can monitor the room whilst eating/drinking) that are made of ceramic or glass for cleanliness.

Balanced diet and portion control for healthy weight

Unless your veterinarian has advised otherwise based on any particular health issues your cat may have (such as a dietary sensitivity, kidney disease or urinary issues), many cats benefit from a mix of high quality wet and dry food that is complete and balanced in essential nutrients for their life stage (kitten, adult or senior). This helps to strike a balance between convenience, dental health and weight maintenance, and ensuring adequate hydration and nutrition.

Most commercial foods provide guidelines on how much your cat is likely to require per day. However, given each pet’s energy requirements will vary based on their individual metabolism and level of activity, you may need to adjust up or down from this amount based on regular rechecks of your cat’s weight and body condition score. If you’re unsure about your cat’s ideal body condition, consult your veterinarian.

With a few simple dietary tweaks, you can boost your cat’s mental and physical wellbeing at every meal. Make sure they’re covered for life’s surprises too, consider Buddy Pet Insurance today.

23 Jan 2026