You should probably check with your vet. Most vets recommend dry food only. My 3 each get 1/2 cup of a premium cat food in the morning and again at night. When I feed my dog in late afternoon, the kitties each get just a smidge of dry food again.

Our two old cats have water and dry food available all of the time. They get one large can divided on two plates for breakfast, and two small cans of Fancy Feast for supper.

My two 13 year old cats, about 10 lbs each, have dry food available at all times, and they split two cans of Fancy Feast per day. This seems to be plenty for them. I've tried more wet food per day but they rarely ate it all.

Your cats' behaviors seems quite normal. They sleep more and more as they age.

My four cats range in age from 7 -? , two are around 12. They have four bowls of dry food all the time, four dishes of water and are fed a breakfast of wet food in the morning. The obese one hates wet food so the other three eat it. Since you have one , you can modify your food as you see fit. I can't. I have two dogs who would eat their food if it were floor level. I have an obese cat, 25 pounds, down to a petite one at 9 pounds. Each has the opportunity to free feed as they're all indoors. Unfortunately Henry has taken advantage of this.

I leave dry food out all the time and give 2 small spoons of wet food once a day or once every other day. Too much gives my cat the runs. One large can of wet food lasts me at least a week! Do what you think is right but be on the watch for rapid weight gain or tummy troubles and you should be fine.

We have eight. One is diabetic and gets a half of a small can every 12 hours just before her shot. The rest of the time she has dry and water available at all times. She likes morsels of mozzerella cheese so that is her night time treat. The other 7 do not get canned food but have a verrry large bowl of dry food available at all times and the same with the water. On Saturday or Sunday they all get a treat of tuna fish or salmon.
Ours are all about 8 - 10 years old, none of them are obese and stay inside. They were all ferals when we took them in but haven't seen the outside since 12/2005.

Just a warning with male cats, especially if you dry feed - they can come down with urinary blockages, which can be deadly if not caught and very expensive to treat.

One of my cats is prone to them and I've spent thousands to treat him. As long as I keep him on wet food he's fine but if he switches to dry food he gets blocked. I seem to do ok with dry food soaked in water until it becomes mushy, and the cats love it. I alternate with wet food.

The key to preventing it is plenty of water, and most cats don't drink enough on their own. I would either add water to the dry food or add some to the wet food. Males are much more susceptible than females due to the urinary structure.

I have waterbowls throughout the house including one right by their littler box and one on the front deck where they like to sit and view the neighbourhood.

They have dry food out all the time and I split a small can of fancy feast between two cats once in the morning and once in the evening.

Cats are nocturnal which is why he is chatting with you during the night. He'll figure out your routine and then put you on his.

Any pics of your new guy?

Our 3 cats and have dry food and water available 24/7. Jed our toddler gets half a can of wet food in the mornings and the other half at dinner time. He is like a toddler he will do things with us watching knowing he is going to get swatted for, but about 11 pm he calls bedtime. he will come and get us meowing all the way then he will sit at our bedroom door meowing his head off. Like the door is going to magically open for him to get up on the bed and let him go to sleep for the night...btw he has his own blanket and must be covered completely for him to go to sleep. The other 2, one will eat Jed's wet food if we don't stop her, she sleeps with DD and the 3rd is a crazy witch cat that only eats dry food..

I would talk to the vet also. if you are feeding him wet food 4-5 times a day he may not need any dry food..

My 8 1/2 year old cat Maggie eats only dry food, 1/4 cup twice a day, and at 14 pounds that seems to be plenty. Of course, there's the less than a TBSP of minced chicken with a little oil added that she gets when DH and I eat lunch. We've always been concerned about her water intake, and fresh water in a bowl and a 'kitty' fountain are always available. However, she still like the dripping water from the kitchen sink, best, and has trained me to turn it on and lift her to the counter, almost whenever she wants! The only time I won't do it is if I'm fixing food for us!!

It sounds like you are new to being owned by a feline. All cats get hairballs from grooming and they love to present them to you at perfect times. Like 3 a.m.

On the next trip to the drug store, buy a bottle of mineral oil. Once a week add 1/2 teaspoon to the food. It will coat the internal hair and make passing them in the litter box easier.

I agree with what Chi said: Just a warning with male cats, especially if you dry feed - they can come down with urinary blockages, which can be deadly if not caught and very expensive to treat. My older male has had a couple blockages which I treated right away with a mix of 3/4 water and 1/4 natural ACV squeezed into his mouth with a syringe. Some people add a little ACV to the water bowl or wet food.. but he wouldn't take it that way. I think the ACV dissolves the crystals.

I'm only suggesting this if your male cat has just started to have issues with urinating.. small amounts, frequent trips to the litterbox, perhaps bloody urine and seems to be in pain. If the ACV and water mix doesn't help after several doses given over the course of maybe 6 to 8 hours, get your cat to the vet! If your cat is not urinating at all, his time is limited and he needs emergency treatment.

I have 2 male cats now and both eat a 'urinary tract health dry food' and also a spoonful of 'urinary tract wet food' twice a day and a cheaper wet food with gravy once a day. Cats get most of their water from the foods they eat so I think the wet food is important.

Here is a link that might be useful: ACV fror cat cystitis

I have a female cat who is 31/2 years old. She does not eat table food,sometimes yogurt off a spoon. She only eats dry food and I keep her bowl full at all times. She drinks a lot of water.

I heard somewhere to put a little butter on a cat's front paws.The cat will lick it off and it will help with hair balls.It works and I found something disgusting on my kitchen floor.

Good question Nicole.

And, timely. I'd just googled this same thing because Bat seems to eat and drink A LOT!

He was eating two cups of dry food a day...I thought that seemed like a lot for a young cat. He also drinks a lot of water. I fill his water bowl at least twice a day, and it holds about a cup also.

After reading, I got some canned food, and have started giving him half in the morning and half at night, and then one cup of dry during the day for him to munch on as he pleases. He eats it ALL. He's not a huge cat by any means. Slim and sleek and sassy.

He was such a tiny thing when we got him at the end of October, and just two months later, he looks like a smallish CAT. Not even a Catten any more. I have a feeling he's going to be brute sized when he grows up which isn't going to be fun when he jumps off the bedroom windowsill onto my stomach like he does now!

Sometimes I wish we had another cat for him to play with, but in this tiny apartment, there's barely room for his one litter box.

Peppi, I wish my guys would like the mineral oil.
My 3 get a can of food divided among them in the morning and I mix some mineral oil in periodically. They eat some, then turn their nose up at it.

2 long-haired (1 is a Maine Coon) = fur-balls regularly.
1 short-haired with a cast-iron constitution. He has Never horked a furball.

My Vet says cats should eat some canned food daily for the moisture. , because they don't drink enough on their own. I feed my two cats, a ten year old female and 2 YO male ( both indoor, neutered) canned food twice a day, with dry food and a bowl of water available 24 hours a day.

Ditto what Chi and Lydia said about dry food - especially for male cats.

We have some dry food down, but only put 1/2 cup of EVO in the bowl twice a day and when it's gone, it's gone. We have 5 male cats and 2 dry food bowls. I never allow the bowls to be filled all the time. We mostly feed canned food twice a day. Not only for the moisture, but also because canned food doesn't typically contain as many carbohydrates.

Dry food tends to be higher in carbs because of all the grain fillers they use. However, it's more convenient for the owner and if full bowls get left out all the time, it can contribute to overweight cats, and some think may also eventually contribute to Diabetes. Cats will also consume more dry food than a premium canned food because the ratio of protein to grains is lower. They need to eat more to get enough protein.

Excerpted from the link below from webmd:

"Canned vs. dry cat food: Which one is better?

The experts haven't reached complete consensus. But most agree on some of the pros and cons of dry and wet adult cat food.

Dry adult cat food:
- Is more economical
- Is convenient because you can leave it out and it doesnâÂÂt spoil as easily
- Is energy dense, meaning a cat can consume lots of - Has about 10% moisture content
- Tends to have more carbohydrates and less protein than wet food
- May be only slightly better than canned food at preventing dental disease

Canned adult cat food:
- Is more expensive
- Can spoil more easily and requires refrigeration after opening
- Is less energy dense than dry food
- Has up to 78% moisture content
- Tends to have more fat and protein - especially animal protein - and fewer carbohydrates than dry food"

Here is a link that might be useful: Canned versus Dry

Our older, overweight cats get 1/2 cup of dry food per day and this is reduced calorie food. 1/4 cup measured out in the morning and again at night. Our newer 9 month old "kitten" gets 1/4 cup about four times per day.

We don't leave food out at all times due to the weight problem.

What is ACV?

Tally....olive oil?

Jasdip....doesn't mineral oil give him the runs?

lydia_1959....what are you feeding that's urinary tract healthy? Brand?

gabriell.....butter helps the fur balls come up?

blfenton....:0) Here's his pic....I did post a whole "story" thread on Peeka, you missed it.

This post was edited by nicole__ on Tue, Dec 31, 13 at 12:13

ACV - apple cider vinegar

I use 'Purina Pro Plan Adult Urinary Tract Health Formula' in both the dry and wet versions. I find mine at Petsmart.

Here is a link that might be useful: some online reviews of the Proplan UT formula

My vet only advocates wet food for cats. The entire office is against using dry. They explained to me that dry food is an outdated way of feeding. Wet provides more moisture and less digestive issues.

We feed our 4 cats Science Diet Optimal Care dry food, the 3 bowls have food in them all the time. Water is scattered around the house. Every AM, we split a can of Fancy Feast between them. (The vet calls FF "cat crack"). We call that "cat inventory" because they all show up for it.

I wouldn't feed your guy canned 4-5 times a day unless you want him to turn his nose up at dry forever!

This post was edited by FlamingO_in_AR on Tue, Dec 31, 13 at 15:02

I have three cats. Amy, the 16 yr old has been eating Hills Prescription Diet T/D Dental Health for most of her life. You buy it from the vet but the good thing is the last time her teeth needed to be cleaned was when she was two.They are in great shape. The two siblings who are now one and a half, do eat some of the older cats food and their dry food is Royal Canin Indoor Adult Cat. I tried Wellness dried cat food but they didnt like it. To be honest, since I got the younger ones, I think they all are eating both kinds.Which isnt a bad thing. We keep bowls of it out so they can nibble whenever they want. Also bowls of water. The three share one can of Wellness tinned food in the morning.

The older cat is extremely fussy, she was a rescue cat from the SPCA and very loving but only to members of this family. She will hop on your lap for a quick cuddle but doesnt stay long and prefers to rest by your head (on the back of the couch) or by your side. It is a serious chore and fight to try to clip her nails, and even brushing her is hard though I can tell she likes it. She spooks easily and if strangers come to the house, she hides. She licks the gravy only from the wet food, leaving the rest. I have tried everything because she needs thyroid medication and it would be a lot easier to slip it into her wet food. I had to give her brother heart medication pills for years (he has since died) and he would practically open his mouth to pop the pill in. No way you can do that with her. We have been giving it to her using a gel on her inner ear because she tolerates that.

The point I want to make is to give your cats both dry and wet food. They get stuck in their eating habits and trying to change them can be hard later on. If it ever comes time to give them medication, it would be easy to give it to them in the wet food, which they usually gobble up right away. Plus the extra moisture in the wet food is great for them. If you want to go away for a day or two, you know that they wont starve since they have lots of dry food.

All of these cats are at a healthy weight and aren't gluttons. They eat when they are hungry. Check the ingredients of your cat food. I think it is better to pay a bit more for decent cat food because you will save vet bills in the end.

Oh pretty cat!

We bought a case of the Optimal Care and wound up giving all but one can to the animal shelter. Now I know why, our cats have an addiction to "Cat Crack".

Nicole - I did see your story and even commented! I'm sorry. Blame it on getting old and the busyness of Christmas.

This post was edited by blfenton on Tue, Dec 31, 13 at 14:53

Be very careful administering an acidic supplement to a cat with a normal urinary ph.

Urinary tract crystals and stones are of two kinds: oxalate and struvite. Struvite is dissolved in acidic ph, and oxalate is dissolved in alkaline ph. If you overdo a normal ph level in either direction you can encourage formation of the opposite kind of crystals.

Vets are finding oxalate crystals to be more and more common now as owners are feeding their cats food marketed for urinary tract health that is over acidifying the normal ph balance, and creating ideal environments for oxalate crystals and stones to form.

This is an important article on understanding the potential dangers of over acidifying a normal urinary ph balance.

Here is a link that might be useful: Calcium Oxalate Stones Becoming More Common

To answer the mineral oil questions, no, your cat will not get the runs. The oil coats the hairball and helps the cat pass it in the litter box. If you find it on the floor as vomit, the hairball was already to large to pass out the back end. Olive oil can cause loose stool.

If the critters don't like it in the food, dab it on the paws with a cotton ball. Cats have messy feet, so they will lick it up. Butter and Vaseline will also work.

You can also give mineral oil to your dog if they ate something they shouldn't have. Several years ago I fostered 2 pups. The goofy boy got hold of a Flexi leash and ate the 1 inch canvas buckle end, 6 long inches with buckle. Three long days of dosing and the leash re-appeared on a potty walk. One long strand. We both did a happy dance.

I've learned a LOT! THANK YOU ALL!!!!

I also changed his water bowl today from a metal one to a ceramic one and he's drinking more water now. I wonder if the stainless steel metal one had a metalic taste only a cat can taste?

He's started scratching inside his right ear. Got out a flashlight, he's fine. I looked it up online....looks like dry skin. I am NOT going to try putting mineral oil in his ear.

I'm certain he would not put up with it. :0) Oh well, not everything is a problem....

This post was edited by nicole__ on Wed, Jan 1, 14 at 18:10

Could be dry skin. Could also be ear mites. If it continues to bother him you should have the vet take a look.