VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

Feeding behaviour of cat

FEEDING BEHAVIOUR OF CATS

• The ancestor of cat is the African wild cats which primarily prey on small rodents that are similar in size to field mice.
• Therefore the immediate ancestor of the cat is not an intermittent feeder like the larger wild cats; rather, it is an animal that feeds frequently throughout the day by catching and consuming a large number of small rodents. 
• Like the majority of wild felids, the African wild cat is a solitary animal, living and hunting alone for much of its life and interacting with others of its species only during mating season.

   

• This solitary nature has resulted in an animal that tends to eat slowly and is generally uninhibited by the presence of other animals.
• Most domestic cats living in homes consume their food slowly and do not respond to other cats by either increasing the rate of eating or consuming a higher volume of food. 
• In multiple cat homes, cats often eat peaceably from the same bowls either together or at different times of the day. 
• When problems do occur, they are often very subtle, with one or more cats intimidating a less assertive cat and not allowing access to the food bowl or supplanting the cat if he or she was already eating.

      

• To prevent this type of feeding problem, several feeding stations located in different areas of the home should always be provided in multiple-cat homes.
• If fed free-choice, most cats will nibble at their food throughout the day, as opposed to consuming a large amount of food at one time.
• Several studies of eating behavior in domestic cats have shown that if food is available free-choice, cats eat frequently and randomly throughout a 24-hour period.
• It is not unusual for a cat to eat between 9 and 16 meals per day, with each meal having a caloric content of only about 23 kilo calories (kcal). (Interestingly, the caloric value of a small field mouse is approximately 30 kcal.)
• It has been suggested that the eating behaviors observed in domestic cats are similar to those of feral domestic cats eating rodents or other small animals. However, just like the dog, the cat is capable of adapting to several types of feeding schedules.