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Cooking With Keisha #GetHealthyHappy

Photo design © Glogirly

Welcome to another edition of Cooking With Keisha, sponsored by Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight. Today I’m gonna discuss three ways to feed a cat, how to transition cat foods and making sure your cat’s food is balanced. First a word from our sponsor.

All cats are different and Hill’s makes food specially for those differences. One food isn’t right for every cat. Did you know by feeding specially formulated foods you can help manage specific health conditions? Hill’s Science Diet offers food for adult perfect weight, hairball control, oral care, sensitive stomach and skin and even grain-free. You can get most of them in dry or wet formulas from Hill’s Science Diet.

Getting the ingredients ready.

Three Ways to Feed a Cat

When Gramma brought the first cat into their house, she’d open a can of stinky goodness in the early morning and leave it there for Faith to nosh on all day. She’d also have kibble. Around 6 pm, the uneaten food would be taken away and replaced by another 6 oz can which would stay all night. They fed Chizzy and Autumn the same way. While Faith was always petite—never more than 7 lbs—Chizzy and Autumn got plump quickly. Around that time TW became friends with Randy, a vet tech, who told her this was indeed the wrong way to feed a cat.

Chizzy waiting for some table scraps.
Nicky was fed in a completely different manner. He was fed strictly. Both wet food and kibble was picked up after 20 minutes. Once Autumn became part of the peeps household, she was fed in the same manner and she quickly lost those extra pounds.

There are three ways to feed a cat and I’ve described two. Free choice feeding allows your cat to eat multiple small meals per day on her own schedule. This way makes it difficult to monitor how much your cat is eating in a multicat household and it often leads to obesity as it did in Chizzy’s case.

With meal feeding, you provide food at specific meal times but don’t leave it out between meals. This gives you a good idea if your cat has a bad appetite but we, as cats, can’t control when we eat.

The peeps use the combination feeding method with me. They provide wet food at mealtime and leave a small amount of kibble out all the time. TW can monitor what I eat but I can pick. This can lead to obesity in some cats but it works fine for me since I get kibble with an eyedropper.

Your veterinarian can help you decide which way to feed your fur children depending on the number of cats in your home and the age and health of each cat.

How to Transition Cat Foods

Transiting cat foods should be done slowly over a seven day period but could take longer. This is done to avoid digestive problems and let your cat get used to the new tastes. If your cat has an acute gastrointestinal issue, your vet may want you to start feeding the new diet immediately if not sooner.

Wet food makes my furs shiny.
It’s a good idea to feed your cat mostly wet food since it contains more moisture and truer animal proteins that every cat needs. Cats in the wild eat food that contains at least 75% water. Compare that with kibble’s 7-10% moisture and you’ll see where I’m heading. I don’t drink water on a regular basis so it’s important that I get a lot of moist food. Your vet can tell what’s best for you. You can transition from dry to wet food in much the same way you transition new cat food. Gradual is better.

At the shelter I was only fed kibble. When I moved in here and got my first can of stinky goodness, I was elated and gobbled it all up. Some cats are more picky and need to be slowly transitioned. Hill’s Science Diet offers both kibble and canned food. This video from Hill’s shows the best way to transition your pet to new food.

Making Sure Your Cat’s Food is Balanced

Good nutrition isn’t just about the ingredients. It’s about the right balance of nutrients and you’ll find that Hill’s Science Diet offers a purrfect balance to keep cats healthy and happy. Feeding your cat food that has an improper nutritional balance can either lead to or worsen a wide range of health issues. Always discuss new foods and proper diet with your vet. If you don’t believe me—and those are fighting words—Dr.Ashley Gallagher, vet at the Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, D.C., explains more about choosing the right food for your pet.

Another word from our sponsor. You Are What You Eat—so that would make me a fish. MOL! I’m happily swimming in an ocean of Hill’s fishy foods. If you don’t like fish, they also have chicken, turkey and beef stinky goodness in many formulas for adult cats, kittens and senior cats.


In this economy, everybuddy is looking to save money. If you’d like to transition your cat (or dog) to Hill’s Science Diet® Life Care Products, I’ve got a deal for you. Click the link or the photo below and choose from two money-saving deals. You can still enter to win $100 toward your next vet checkup or have a coupon mailed to you for $10 off on Science Diet Life Care products.


The best way to keep your pet both happy and healthy is to go to your veterinarian for regular examinations and routinely discuss dietary needs with them. A sudden mood change in your cat may indicate an underlying nutritional, behavioral, or health issue that your vet can address.

Remember, don’t just get happy. #GetHealthyHappy with Hill’s ScienceDiet.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Hill’s and the Blogpaws Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight Food, but Stunning Keisha only shares information I feel is relevant to my readers. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Would you like to comment?

  1. Because I am an only cat (well, officially!) I get wet food (a small amount) two or three times a day and dry food pretty much when I want! If Tigger was around all the time the peep wouldn't be able to do that as he would eat everything in about two seconds flat! I am a good weight so the vet says so everyone is happy. Oh and I have Hills Science plan dry food and Purina wet! Good post, CK :)

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  2. Faith got two 6 oz cans a day PLUS kibble? Ashton wants to know how to get in on that food plan!

    We are fed in meals twice a day so that the head peep knows if one of us goes off our meals.

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  3. That is good info CK. Since I started to lose weight mum has changed the way she feeds me. Mum says I am a fussy eater, I say I have a discerning palate. I get a small sachet (just under 2 ounces)of food for breakfast which I eat most of. Anything that is left gets thrown away. Every time I come looking for food I get another one. That is the only way mum can get me to eat a reasonable amount of food. I get a bigger sachet (3 ounces) at night which I can pick at throughout the night. Sometimes I eat all of it, sometimes I don't touch it. I also get my favourite chewy sticks after I have my pill.

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  4. Good points there and I have wet food in the morning and dry in the afternoon to keep my teeth clean. Have a marvellous Monday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  5. Thanks for all that great info CK. I have kibble down to munch on all the time and get wet stuff in the morning. Mom picks it up at noon if I don't eat it - ALWAYS have two water bowls to slurp from in the house - and ALWAYS fresh water. At my age it pays to keep the kidneys in good working order!

    Hugs, Sammy

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  6. Super info. We have dry kibble we can graze on during the day and get one small can of wet that we share at night. Mom HAS caught us nomming the woofie food once in a while.

    The Florida Furkids

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  7. CK, your posts are always so unique and creative!

    Truffles is a little different...she grazes with her wet food all day, but I don't leave it out in her bowl. When she wants to eat I put just a spoonful in her dish. She seems to prefer small amounts through the day and isn't an overeater at all so it works for us :)

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  8. I will tell Sister Gracie to come read this CK. Of course I will tell her from across the room!

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  9. I like this Cooking With Keisha Show! Why hasn't the Food Network or something picked it up yet? I LOVE your advice CK, it's purrfect.

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  10. Great, Keisha!!!
    You´re a cat-chef!!!! =)

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  11. Since Thunder is an only cat and never has a weight issue, his food is left out all the time. He loves it when I throw Hills kibbles for him to chase. Not only do they taste good, they roll well on the hardwood floor. The dog tends to ruin the game, though.

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  12. Mum feed us mainly with wet food, we only get kibbles at night. Before she was advisor for ANiFiT food and feed us with it, she fed her kitties with Hills for many years. You feature very good points ! Purrs

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  13. Excellent info, Chef CK! We're meal fed. But then again, we eat everything we're given pretty much all at once...and the mom won't leave kibble out for us because Wally would eat it all and get fat..ter. Hehehe.
    ~Ernie

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  14. Sounds like yous got da bestest of boff worlds. Weez eat on a schedule and a little of boff. Sis Lexi eats mowe wet than me cuz her older, dusn't hav many teefies and cuz hers likes it better. Meez also a gwazer (which mommy hates)

    Luv ya'

    Dezi

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  15. Thanks for the good information, CK. Our food is carefully measured out, so Mom and Dad know how much we're eating. They started doing that when Sammy was still alive.

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  16. You do the very best ever product reviews BFGF! Seriously, you truly do...unfortunately, I personally, am pretty stuck on my Fancy Feast pate with chik or beef both with liver...but TKS...eats ANYTHING!

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  17. CK - Yous is just too smart! Wes gets a combo feeing too!
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  18. Well, before the Great Tutoring, I barely ate anything at all--I was a super-skinny boy! Since then, I have filled out some, but am still pretty svelte (hey! it's all floof!) I get a can in the a.m. plus some kibbles and I nibble all day. By evening, the Human dumps any uneaten wet food and just leaves the kibble. Then, before she goes to bed she gives me more wet food (I like to eat mostly late at night--go figure). Since I am an okay size, this works pretty well. Overall, she tends to beg me TO eat rather than try to get me to STOP eating! (The opposite of her problem!) XOXOXO

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  19. This was some great info! Thank you for sharing!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  20. All the shelter cats get Science Diet foods. They have been extremely generous to PAWS.
    Now that our Tommie has lost so much weight because of renal failure, he can have as much food as I can encourage him to eat- especially wet food. Fortunately Mickey Mouser isn't a big eater. With all that food available he could be enormous!

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  21. Thanks for all the excellent info C.K. You make an adorable fishy! XO Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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