Feeding indoor cats just once a day could improve health

I need to try this.  My cat has started putting on weight now that she's older, and I have been reducing her meals a little, to avoid the ill effects of overweight, like diabetes.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/uog-fic092320.php

News Release 23-Sep-2020
University of Guelph

Got a cat that always seems hungry? New University of Guelph research suggests you might want to reduce -- not increase -- how often you feed them.

Animal nutrition specialists in U of G's Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) have found that feeding cats one large meal a day may help control hunger better than feeding them several times a day.

The research, published in the journal PLOS One, revealed that cats that ate one meal a day were more satisfied, which could result in less food-begging behaviour.

The results also suggest cutting back feeding frequency could help reduce the risk of obesity by controlling cats' appetite and potentially making them eat less - an important discovery given that obesity is the most common nutritional problem affecting cats.

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Even big cats in the wild engage in a form of intermittent fasting, the authors note, feasting when they make a kill and fasting before the next one.

While their data suggest feeding once a day may be a good way to promote satiation and lean body mass, the researchers would like to do longer studies.

"This approach is really yet another tool in a veterinarian or a cat owner's toolbox for managing a cat's weight and keeping their animals healthy and happy," said Verbrugghe. "But we always have to look at each individual animal and account for the cat's and owner's lifestyle. So although this approach might be helpful to promote satiety in some cats, it might not help another."