With my cat I had as a kitten we had a policy of cat biscuits and water in her bowls 24/7 so she could snack whenever. Because she was brought up with that setup, she was really casual about it and never overate. It was only at mealtimes she miaowed for wet food.

Come to think of it I did the same for my old rescue after a while but when she got super old she wanted soft/wet snacks a lot. With old cats the challenge is keeping the weight on them.

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

but then they’ll ask more and more frequently and get fat

My cat's eating habits seem to keep changing (how fast and how much she eats, and when), but I think I've finally figured out a good way to keep us both happy - weigh out the daily portion in the morning, then split that over morning, afternoon, and evening (or just morning and evening if I forget). That way she's not getting any extra but doesn't eat it all at once then whine at me all day for more, and usually has a little food left in the morning (my "evening" actually being late at night), so she doesn't wake me up as early lol