Question for those that feed higher grade foods...confused

ping

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Ok I am still not fully sure if Ping likes this food. So let me ask you a question. For those who feed a higher grade food...Does your kittys eat less of that in a sitting? Do they get fuller fast on the higher grade dry foods?

Here is why I ask. When Ping was on lower grade foods he would eat almost all of what was in the bowl. Especially over night. But on this new food he goes in there and has just a few bites of the food. Then it could be several hours before he goes back for more.

So is it because its a higher grade food and just does not need as much or is it him telling me he does not like this food?
 

sharky

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Some will tell you they eat less .. IMHO they eat slightly less ... ie 1 cup before 5/8cup after
 

jenny82

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I've noticed that mine definitely eat less of higher quality food.
 

gingersmom

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I've noticed that the better foods last longer. Less filler in them is my guess - cat gets full on the GOOD stuff, therefore goes back to eat less often.

I'm definitely not giving as much dry food on a daily basis as I used to, even with the Nutro. I like the grain free foods.
 
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ping

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Hmmm sometimes I just wish they could talk and say "I don't like this try something else". I am so confused whether or not he likes this food or if he is just being stubborn and holding out for the old stuff.
 

strange_wings

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I don't free feed but I do serve very small portions at a time. Sometimes they leave some in the bowl, usually Tomas finishes his and Sho's.
So yes, Sho eats less on better foods. Tomas has only had high quality food since I found him and is a little pig, no noticeable difference for him.
 

cloud_shade

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I would give him some time. Willow is a nibbler. She eats a little, runs off, plays or naps, and comes back later when she's hungry. She's always done this, and she's almost always been on high quality food. I would wait to see if Ping is maintaining his weight and coat condition. If he seems to be losing weight, that would be a sign that he is not eating enough and may really dislike the food. How much are you feeding him? If you're feeding the same amount as you did with the low quality food, it may very well be that he just needs less of the good stuff to get the right amount of nutrition.
 
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ping

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Well what I have decided to do is make an intake chart. At 5pm yesterday I measured a certain amount in his bowl and 5pm today I will remeasure and see how much he eats in a 24hr period. I'll do that for a bit and see how much his intake of dry actually is.
 

wmarcello

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Also, check the bags of both the old and the new food for the feeding guidelines. For my 8-9lb cats, the premium stuff usually calls for about 1/2 cup per cat. I seem to remember the Whiskas I used to feed them called for more.
 

jellybella

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They do eat less of the premium, but I that sounds more extreme. I also notice that my cats eat less when it's warm out. In the winter I would come home to clean bowls, now that it has been in the 70s 80s outside, I am coming home to half full bowls.

Did you mix in a little of the familiar food with the new? I find that when I switch they spend the first couple of days picking around the new food, and if they like it within a few days they're picking around the old food.
 
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ping

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No I did not mix. Usually I do but he was on real low quality stuff that I wanted him off of like right then. Good think is we have had no stomach upset with the switch. I switched him to Timber Wolf Organics. And if I remember correctly that recommeded guideline is 2/3 - 1 1/4 cup a day roughly. But the encourage you to free feed which is what I do any ways.

So at 7:30am I measured to see how much he has eaten since 5pm yesterday and he has eaten roughly 1/8 of a cup. Plus his 2 servings of wet food.
 

luxum

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My cats used to eat about a cup a piece of lower quality food - on higher quality food they usually eat about 1/2 cup each, split into 2 feedings, but sometimes they don't even finish that much. (They are both seniors though, and not terribly active.)

I personally think a better way to monitor if he's eating enough is to get a baby scale and weigh him. If he's maintaining his weight, it's all good. It's a lot harder to determine when you are trying to compare his intake levels on two very different foods.
 

cloud_shade

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How much wet food is he getting? If most of his calories are coming from the canned food, he won't need as much dry. That's a good thing, as the water in the canned food is beneficial, and it may play a role in why he's not eating much dry.
 

norman's mom

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I know that with dog food, we commonly say that you feed less of a higher quality food, so I imagine that is also true of cat food. You need to feed more of the lower quality food because there is so much filler in it.
My cats eat moist Innova Lite in the morning, and they eat less than 1/4 cup of Innova Reduced Fat dry in the evening.
Whatever the bag says is usually more than what they need. The manufacturers tend to overstate the amount needed.
 

beandip

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2/3 to 1 1/4 seems like a lot of that food. I would think 1/2c would be about right for an average cat, if the TO was the sole food. Along with wet, he probably doesn't need much of the dry.
 
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ping

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Ok wet food I am now giving him about 1.4 oz two times a day. And the wet is Eagle Pack. AS for the dry he has ate 3/8 of a cup in 24 hours. Is this good or bad.
 

lionessrampant

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My 15 pounder, for example, eats about 6-8 oz. of wet food...a little over a can...per day. Usually we give him a can+ 1/4 of another can.

When he was on high grade dry (EVO or Nature's Variety), he ate about 1/3-1/2 a cup per day.

When he was on lower-grade food, he ate as much as 3/4 of a cup per day.

I noticed the biggest difference in his health when going from high grade dry to high grade wet
 

beandip

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Originally Posted by Ping

Ok wet food I am now giving him about 1.4 oz two times a day. And the wet is Eagle Pack. AS for the dry he has ate 3/8 of a cup in 24 hours. Is this good or bad.
How much does Ping weigh? Is it a good weight for him?

For an average cat, the 1/2 of a 5.5oz can plus 3/8c dry sounds good.
 
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ping

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At last weigh in (March) he was 10 lbs. The vet and I feel that for him that was a good weight. Now he maybe 1-2 lbs over that. But still looks good IMO.
 
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