For cats, what is your feeding regimen? Large meal in morning or at night. Leave a bowl always filled or not, just at specific times of day?

I leave bowls of dry food available for my cats 24/7. I have a multiple cat household and I've always done this.

I give my cat half a can of wet food in the morning and half a can at dinner time. Also, a bowl of dry food for throughout the day. He doesn't usually eat much of the dry food, because he's a cat and cats are jerks.

The feeding regiment for my two cats is scheduled meals only. My male cat is always hungry and looking for food. The only time he felt satisfied is when he tipped over the container and gorged himself. I have worked at several different clinics and have seen far too many cats that are overweight with health problems. I am determined that he will never get that way. He begs for food but does not win. He also eats faster than his sister and will push her out of the way to eat her portion if I do not supervise. Meals are several times daily - small amounts each time. I also feed mostly dry food that has a protein first. Water is always available and both drink adequate amounts. No health problems.

I put a small bowl of dry food out in the morning and they get a small amount of wet food in the afternoon/evening (used to be evening, but they ask for it earlier).

First off, use a grain free food like blue buffalo or taste of the wild. You can pick it up at any pet store. It may seem expensive now, but it's worth it in the long run when your cat is and doesn't have to go to the vet as often (outside of yearly checkups of course) dry food is fine, it honestly just depends on your cat's preference. But make sure it is grain free. Wet food can still have additives, so read the food labels to make sure it says 100% grain free.

With that being said, I feed my cat three times daily and I give 1/8th of a cup each time. Leaving food around all the time can lead to an obese cat and ultimately a cat with diabetes. Also with an established schedule this will lead to less accidents.

My cats get canned food only. Most of them get about 1/2 of a 5.5 oz. can twice a day (or one can of Fancy Feast twice a day). I have a couple of super seniors that have to be fed smaller meals three times a day though.

Leaving food accessible all the time almost always leads to fat cats. Not only that, dry food is truly not good for cats. Most importantly, they depend on moisture from their food but also because their bodies are designed to utilize animal proteins. They do not effectively use the carbs that dry foods are loaded with. Cats do not need grains, fruits or veggies in their diets at all. Scroll down far enough on this page to read the info.

http://www.catinfo.org/