Feeding schedules for cats and dogs: building a routine that sticks
How often should you feed a cat or a dog?
How often to feed depends on the pet’s age, size, health and food, so the right answer comes from your vet and the food’s guidance. Many households feed adult cats and dogs at set meal times each day, while young animals and some pets with health needs are fed more often or on a special plan.
This guide does not tell you what or how much to feed. It shows how to take the plan you already have and make it happen at the same times every day, whoever is home.
Why does a fixed feeding routine help?
A fixed routine helps because it makes each meal a clear event: it happens at a known time, someone does it, and it gets written down. That makes three things easier.
- Spotting changes. When meals are at set times, a skipped or unfinished meal stands out. That is worth noting for your vet.
- Sharing the job. A named meal at a named time can be handed to someone else without a long explanation.
- Avoiding extra meals. When everyone can see the meal was logged, nobody feeds again “just in case”.
What does a typical routine look like?
A typical routine sets meals around the household’s day, not the other way round. These are examples of how households arrange the times their vet recommends.
| Household | Morning | Midday | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyone out at work | Before the first person leaves | Not needed, or a sitter or feeder | When the first person is home |
| Someone home in the day | Breakfast time | As the plan says | Dinner time |
| Shift workers | First meal after waking, on a fixed clock time | Whoever is awake | The handover between shifts |
Pick clock times you can keep on weekdays and weekends alike. A pet does not know it is Saturday.
How do you set up the feeding routine step by step?
Allow about ten minutes, with your vet’s plan in front of you.
- Write down the plan. Note the food, the number of meals a day and any special instructions, exactly as your vet or the food’s guidance gives them.
- Choose fixed clock times. Fit them around the household’s day, and keep them the same at weekends.
- Name the owner of each meal. One person per meal slot. If two people are home, the owner still does it, and the other checks the log.
- Set a reminder for each meal. In Paw Crew, a reminder can fire at set times each day. Onboarding suggests 7:00 and 18:00 as a starting point, and you change them to your own times.
- Log every meal as it happens. Tap Fed on the Now line, or Mark done on the reminder. The entry records the time and who fed.
- Note anything unusual. If a meal is left or eaten unusually fast, add a short note to that entry so you can tell your vet the date.
How do you handle treats, water and extra snacks?
Treat the extras the same way as meals: if they matter to your vet’s plan, log them. Many households log treats only when a pet is on a special diet, and log water when they refill the bowl so changes in drinking are easy to spot.
In Paw Crew, Water has its own log button. Free-text notes on a log entry cover the rest, such as “chew stick” or “left half”.
What about travel, sitters and time zones?
Keep the clock times and hand over the routine. Before you leave, invite the sitter to the shared pets, so they see the same reminders and log the same meals. When you come home, you can read exactly what happened while you were away.
If you travel across time zones with your pet, ask your vet how to move meal times, then adjust the reminders. Paw Crew keeps reminders correct when the time zone or daylight saving changes and offers to adjust them when your time zone changes.
Frequently asked questions
Can Paw Crew tell me how much to feed my pet?
No. Paw Crew logs and reminds; it does not recommend foods, amounts or schedules. Use the plan your vet gives you. Paw Crew doesn’t provide veterinary advice. Always consult your vet.
What feeding times does Paw Crew suggest?
During setup Paw Crew offers 7:00 and 18:00 as editable starting points for feeding reminders. Change them to whatever your vet’s plan and your household’s day need.
How do I stop two people feeding the same meal?
Give each meal one owner, and agree to check the log before feeding. Each Fed entry in Paw Crew shows who fed and when.
Should I log treats?
Log them if your vet’s plan cares about them, for example on a weight plan. Otherwise logging meals is usually enough.
Can I feed different pets at different times?
Yes. Each pet has its own reminders and its own page in the Day Ledger, so a cat and a dog can keep separate routines.
Where to go next
- Reminder schedules, Snooze and Mark done, in Reminders.
- How a day reads on the ledger, in How Paw Crew works.
- Sharing the routine, in How to share pet care in a household without double feeding.
Paw Crew doesn't provide veterinary advice. Always consult your vet.