A woman shared a humorous story about her cat's "food baby" that it developed after breaking into the automated feeder, only to spark a debate on the correct way to feed a pet.
Alixandra Cassidy, 30, lives in Houston with her pair of rescue cats, Jack and Sparrow, who she has had since they were kittens.
Like many pet owners, she opts for an automated feeder to give them their meals in order to stick to their routine if she's ever out overnight, and recalled to Newsweek: "I noticed some food insecurity in the beginning, where they would aggressively overeat their wet and dry food and try to eat table scraps -- almost like a dog! I used an automated feeder to help with portion control."
Now 4 years old, the automated feeder has worked well for Cassidy and her cats, though she admits they "love food," and have "both broken into their automated feeders before."
"This time I was able to catch a video of her food baby. I thought people may find it cute," she said. "I didn't realize it would spark such a debate."
In a clip to her TikTok account, @alixandracass, on August 22, Cassid showed Sparrow wrapped in a blanket, looking full and cozy, and wrote: "My cat broke into her automated feeder and ate approximately one to two weeks' worth of food overnight. Here are some photos of her food baby."
The video then changed to show Sparrow being lifted up -- and her stomach is rounded out in a way that perfectly illustrates what had just happened.
The video proved popular, racking up more than 7 million views and 1 million likes, but the comments quickly became a debate on whether there was a right -- or wrong -- way to feed pet cats.
One commenter wrote that she has always "free fed" her cats -- meaning there is always food in the bowl and the cats can eat as much as they please. She explained: "I didn't want them to be food motivated -- and it's worked like a charm. They eat when they want because they know food is always available, they're all healthy weights AND they don't care for any human food."
Another agreed: "All cats should be free fed as they are predators, they don't overfeed naturally. Having food available when they are hungry goes with its natural instincts and would not overfeed."
But one hit back: "Everyone saying cats should free feed have never experienced the sickening greed of a cat that truly knows no boundaries and will inhale their food without chewing despite being fed four times a day."
According to pet food company Purina, there are benefits to free feeding: cats on different schedules can eat at different times; it allows the owner more freedom with their own schedule; and allows a nervous cat to come and eat when there aren't any people or cats around.
However, there are drawbacks. It's difficult to keep track of the amount of food the cat is eating, unlimited access can lead to obesity, and it can be hard to tell if your cat's eating habits have changed, which can be an early warning sign of illness.
Newsweek spoke to Dr. Maggie Placer, DVM, of EveryCat Health Foundation, who said cats "naturally prefer to eat multiple small meals throughout the day, and are wired to hunt for their food."
By having food out and available all day, or even just feeding them in the same place several times a day, they can become bored, or overeat, leading to obesity. She recommends mimicking "natural feline feeding behaviors," by using puzzle feeders where the cat has to work to get the food, and placing food portions "in different or new locations" so they have to forage for their meals.
In a house with multiple cats, each should have their own food and water bowl, away from the litter box, and separate from the other cats' bowls, and should be fed in a location where they feel safe.
"The goal of a feeding program should be to mimic the cat's natural feeding behavior. The cat's daily food allowance should be split into multiple small meals and fed throughout the 24-hour period," Placer said.
"Simulating normal feeding behavior in cats diminishes begging for food, feline frustration and inter-cat conflict."
Cassidy told Newsweek she "never gave much thought" about how she fed her cats, and "thought most people used automated feeders."
"Since the video went off, I've tried hand-feeding Sparrow to avoid her breaking into the feeder and maybe reduce some anxiety, like some have pointed out. I put her food in a slow feeder and in a puzzle to encourage playfulness and curiosity. I don't know if we will ever get to a free feeding level, but I think this is working for now."