Watch the video here! https://youtu.be/wiQR0Sl0hOQ
It's not just about WHAT you feed your cat. HOW you feed them can make a big difference to their behaviour.
Being a cat behaviourist means I see lots and lots of cats showing behaviour problems and in my experience, feeding two large meals a day - breakfast and dinner - can lead to the development of behaviour problems, or make existing problems worse.
The big one - if the first thing you do in the morning is give your cat breakfast, it will be the only thing on their mind when the morning comes round. They can become super preoccupied with waking you up and starting that morning routine. Once breakfast arrives, this behaviour is reinforced and in the following days and weeks your cat will probably try and wake you up earlier every time. And you will end up being woken up by your cat in the middle of the night - running down to feed them and coming back up to bed just to keep them quiet. I have see this so many times! And stopping your cat waking you up in the night is very hard once it is well established.
I have also noticed on tons of occasions that the hour or so leading up to breakfast or dinner becomes a prime time for cat fights or urine marking. This is because the cats are hungry! So they're tetchy! And their frustrated! They have lower tolerance and higher reactivity. So with cats that already have tense relationships with each other, this hangry feeling only makes things worse. And no doubt they will both be in the same place at the same time (round your ankles!) waiting for you to finally put their food down. If you're not quick enough - your cat might urine mark to vent their frustration. And urine spraying is another problem that is very hard to crack!
Cats naturally eat little and often (think when they are hunting, they are eating small mammals regularly throughout the day and night), so going 12 hours or so without food is not what their body is adapted to (evolutionarily speaking!). Some cats adjust to this without any problems, but other cats may need you to make some changes to how often they can check in for a snack. Feed small frequent meals throughout the day and night where you can - and see how this changes your cats behaviour.
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