She's eating too much! Help!:)

Hi folks. So I changed my Lucky's food from some cheap Purina/kitten food she had been given (previous owner) to Iams furball/weight management food for adults. Lucky is not that active as I live in a studio and there is only SO much she can run back and forth (though I try to give her a workout!) --but anyway...my problem is that the bag says to give about 3/4 cup of food for the full day and since I have changed her food...she's STARVING if I don't give her at least 1 1/2 cups it seems! I tried the leaving it all out at once option but she just eats it all before noon. I also tried spreading out the amount through the day. Any advice? I don't want to starve her but I'm really worried about her becoming overweight.
Thanks!

What was wrong with spreading her meals out throughout the day? That is really the best you can do. You could offer her some wet which is healthier. You might want to continue the search for a good quality food, Iams really isn't all that much better then Purina, still had by-products and fillers and all the stuff, still leaves the cat hungry and wanting mroe

Thanks for the reply. I tried the feeding throughout the day but she just eats all the food in the bowl immediately and wants more in about 30 min. That's good to hear that perhaps Iams is just not filling her up as other foods. I'll look into some better ones. Suggestions?
Thanks folks!

What I meant by feeding her throughout the day is a bunch of smaller meals. Like if 3/4 cup of food a day is the serving then just divide that up into maybe 3 or 4 smaller meals if you are home throughout the day. If not then two, she will just have to deal with it. It is a lot easier to have a cat who wants more and you only give them the serving then a cat who refuses to eat.

You could also try dividing it in half and inbetween feeding her wet food. Wet diet is healthier anyways.

Wellness
Solid Gold (great wet food)
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul (From Pet Supplies Plus, great and inexpensive)
Premium Edge (from Pet Supplies Plus, great and inexpensive)
EVO
Innova
Natural Balance
Natura
California Natural
Felidae
Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care

The one's I commented on are the one's I feed, some get really expensive like Solid Gold but it is great and their wet food is like people tuna, your cat will love it.

Oh how I remember those days!! First of all, remember that you are the "parent" and your kitty is the "child". You are in control of the food and feeding less will eventually lead to weight loss and a healthier, more active cat.

Don't feel bad letting her sit where her food goes or her crying and whining/meowing. When she's wanting food, and it's not time for her to eat, DON'T feed her! Try to distract her with a toy or just ignore her. (Cats are very manipulative you know!! LOL) Ignoring is very, very difficult! Eventually, your kitty will learn that when it's time for her to eat, you'll feed her.

Give it time, like 3 months. Remember, you're retraining your kitty as well as yourself. You know that what you're feeding is sufficient, so don't feel bad.

I am frequently heard saying to my kitties, "Just because I'm going near your food, doesn't mean it's time for you to eat." and "You're not going to starve if you don't eat right now."

It will get better!! Stand firm and don't give in to the meow!

Stephanie

I definitely recommend a canned food with low carbs (less than 10%). The dry foods have too many fillers like corn, wheat gluton, etc, and leave kitty feeling hungry as they need meat protien and they do not get enough in the dry foods. If you feed your kitty canned foods with lots of protien, she will be satisfied longer and also better hydrated and healthy.

Thanks! Yeah you are right...I need to stop be afraid that somehow I'm starving her if I'm giving her what the bag suggests. So wet food hunh? I never had success with wet food with my last cat...he just ate part of it and then it would get stale in a few hrs and he wouldn't touch it again till new food was put out so I've been very wary of getting her used to wet. I cannot always get home at lunch to keep it fresh for her!