How much should I feed my cat?

My cat is a big, white tom-cat who is big-boned, and seriously huge. He can stretch to 1 metre when he wants to - I'm not kidding! He isn't neutered and used to fight a lot in his heyday, but now spends most of his day sleeping. He is nearly 6 years old, and pretty inactive. We've been feeding him about 5 whiskas sachets (100 grams each) every day, because he won't leave us alone until he's full. He's been pretty happy with that amount, but I don't think he's obese as he is so big-boned. It may be that he has worms. Anyway, recently I read that seniors (He is counted as a senior as non-neutered, outdoor-going tomcats' life expectancy is about 5 years) should only get about 2 and a half sachets a day. So how much should I feed my massive puss? We've tried giving him less but he gets really unhappy and starts pining away in the kitchen. And then he goes out and hunts, bringing back dead pigeons and rats until we give him more cat food. So...what should I do? How much should I give him, and if less than 4-5 a day, how do I train him to not ask for more? We're worried that if he has worms, less food would leave him under-weight.

YOUR VET is the best one to ask this... I know many packet foods here in theUS recommend one pouch for every 2-4 lb s of wt

You shouldn't just assume he has worms and let it go. I think a trip to the vet is in order.

Yes, if he could have worms he needs to be seen by a vet. If he has a parasite, he's having a hard time getting all the nutrition he needs as it is... if you feed him less, it will make things worse.

It's also best to consult the vet before putting a cat on a diet... particularly since you say he is large boned and thus may not be overweight.

I've never heard that the neutered/non-neutered status affects whether a cat is senior or not. Cats are considered senior once they turn 7, not before.

Any reason why he's not neutered? I don't know the equivalant of the meals - but I agree a trip to the vet to be checked out (stool sample) and get him scheduled to be neutered too

An unneutered male not only produces more kittens but is prone to cancer.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Any reason why he's not neutered? I don't know the equivalant of the meals - but I agree a trip to the vet to be checked out (stool sample) and get him scheduled to be neutered too

An unneutered male not only produces more kittens but is prone to cancer.

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OFF topic .... But do you have anything proving that?? I am asking cause I want to read up

I think its the hormones, that make a cat get cancer, but I'm not sure.

Your food choice is very bad,you should go to www.Naturapet.com. Your cat is probably overweight. Cats need real meat, not meat,by products( whiskas has those) whch can contain things like hair,hooves and bones( cats cannot degest bones/hair and hooves),you need to switch to a better food IMO

Neutering a cat is a MUST, Why havn't you done so?, just the SMELL of tomcat urine alone would drive you crazy. Its so strong it can even start fires!!!

Here's a few answers to the spay/neuter question

http://members.petfinder.org/~NPM07/...ay_neuter.html

http://www.cchspet.org/spay_neuter.htm

Originally Posted by Panther pride

I think its the hormones, that make a cat get cancer, but I'm not sure.

Your food choice is very bad,you should go to www.Naturapet.com. Your cat is probably overweight. Cats need real meat, not meat,by products( whiskas has those) whch can contain things like hair,hooves and bones( cats cannot degest bones/hair and hooves),you need to switch to a better food IMO

Neutering a cat is a MUST, Why havn't you done so?, just the SMELL of tomcat urine alone would drive you crazy. Its so strong it can even start fires!!!

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NOTE the OP is NOT in the US and some products are unavailable ...

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Here's a few answers to the spay/neuter question

http://members.petfinder.org/~NPM07/...ay_neuter.html

http://www.cchspet.org/spay_neuter.htm

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Thank you ... very informative


To the OP ....

You do need a vet visit ...

Please do make an appointment for a vet visit. Worms are easy to treat and the meds aren't expensive.

Neutering is a wonderful gift to give your cat. It decreases the amount of unwanted kittens, keeps him from fighting over females, getting infections and diseases from those fights and will live longer and overall be healthier. It does not change their personalities.

My guy Seb (14lbs) is big boned too. He eats one packet of wet food per day and free feeds on dry food. A vet would be able to advise on feeding as well.

Please let us know how it goes. Would love to see photos

Your vet is the best person to tell you whether he is overweight or not. Can you feel his ribs easily when you feel him around his middle? Jaffa has 3 pouches of wet food per day and he is a largish cat (ie big for a moggy but not huge like a maine coon and fairly small boned, but tall and long). He's a slim cat and maintains his weight on that. What you feed will influence how much he eats too. Premium wet foods tend to be more calorific than poorer quality foods so you need to feed less. Maybe the whiskas just isn't satisfying him. Jaffa eats natures menu, hi life, applaws, bozita and animonda carny (the latter 2 bought online from zooplus) and has 3 meals per day. He doesn't ask for food between meals because he's always been feed at those times and knows when food is coming. 5 pouches of whiskas isn't excessive for a very large cat. You might find it more cost effective to fedd something like natures menu as he'll need less. Un-neutered cats will eat more too.

Originally Posted by Panther pride

I think its the hormones, that make a cat get cancer, but I'm not sure.

Your food choice is very bad,you should go to www.Naturapet.com. Your cat is probably overweight. Cats need real meat, not meat,by products( whiskas has those) whch can contain things like hair,hooves and bones( cats cannot degest bones/hair and hooves),you need to switch to a better food IMO

Neutering a cat is a MUST, Why havn't you done so?, just the SMELL of tomcat urine alone would drive you crazy. Its so strong it can even start fires!!!

Click to expand...

The reason we have never neutered Tom is because he has NEVER marked his territory indoors, he's extremely friendly, has never been aggressive to anyone, and there are only a few cats on our road, which all venture out rarely (probably because of Tom).

The food we give him has always kept him happy, and we don't see any real reason to which we should upset his balance and give him some other, more expensive, food. And he goes through so much of it that we'd have to buy about three tons of it to last a weel *shrug*

Also, in reference to the neutering, my mother and my father both think that as he's already had a taste of the outdoors, it would be cruel to neuter him now, as he barely goes outside nowadays, hasn't fought for weeks, hasn't fathered for weeks, and generally is becoming more like an indoor cat.

In addition, his mother Sarah was going to get neutered before she had him, but apparently she was 'unsuitable' for neutering, I'm not sure exactly why, I think perhaps an allergy to anaesthetics? Anyway, it just seems silly to risk the life of such a happy, content cat.

I must stress that there is nothing directly wrong with him at the moment, I was just curious whether we are feeding him the right amount. We have bought some worm treatment from a pet shop, using it now. Perhaps his appetite might go down if he gets rid of the worms.

Thank you for all your help. Oh, and here's a link to a picture of Tommy which really shows just how happy he is:
http://i18.tinypic.com/4qdpnhx.jpg

He's lovely But please do neuter him. It's never too late and is a very simple operation for a male cat. There is minimal risk. He may be staying at home more, but as long as he has access to the outdoors he will be fathering kittens and there are so many homeless cats as it is. He's also at great risk of contracting FIV through fighting with other cats or getting abscesses from fighting. Neutering eliminates the possiblity of testicular cancer too.

If he's acting like he's hungry all the time, it's very possible he's got worms. Has he been wormed recently? If he hasn't been to the vet recently a bit of an MOT would be useful. Whiskas is a popular food over here, as you know, but it does only contain 4% meat and it may just not be satisfying for him. Something with a high meat content might do the trick, and if he eats less it won't cost you more. Pets at home are selling natures menu at £12.59 for 48 pouches at the moment which isn't much more than the whiskas. And it contains 70% meat.

OP did you take the time to read the articles regarding spaying/neutering that I posted - if not, please do so.

While you are VERY lucky he has not sprayed inside, that's not to say he never will. If you get him done, you lower the risk of cancer. He will be healthier and happier neutered.

BTW neutering and being outside has nothing to do with each other - as far as being happy. He can still go outside, but won't be contributing to the population of unwanted kittens.

I just want to say that it is my parents who think neutering him is a bad decision, and I don't exactly have the means to over-power them
Thanks I did read the links. But you really need to have met Tom to understand that nowadays he is not the sort of cat to go out and father kittens and fight. Neutering does work for most cats, but in this situation, it isn't going to make any difference. So thank you, but we have decided what is best for our cat, and considering his maternal problems with anaesthestics, the vet has said that while he does recommend neutering Tom, there probably isn't much point, as he is getting to be quite old for an outdoor non-neutered cat, and there may be some health problems involved.

We're going to get some of that 70% meat stuff from P@H.

Originally Posted by bigfatwhitecat

But you really need to have met Tom to understand that nowadays he is not the sort of cat to go out and father kittens and fight.

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I don't understand this sentence. Any unneutered male cat who is allowed to go outside will father kittens. It's that simple — they're animals, and they have a basic biological drive. It's not a personality trait.

I think you said he last fathered kittens a few weeks ago?

If you're saying he will be kept inside 100 percent of the time, and there are no other unneutered cats in the house, that's a different story. Then he won't be fathering kittens.

We don't know what problem the vet encountered when trying to neuter the mother, but since she was female and he is male, the operations are completely different. That has nothing to do with him. Even if she had some problem with anesthesia, there's no reason to assume he does also.

If you suspect worms, a vet should examine the cat. Not all commercial wormers work, and some can be dangerous. Also, there are several different types of worms, and you have to get the right one for the specific kind of worm.

Just wanted to say he is gorgeous What a handsome guy

Whiskas in the UK is cheap food and has more animal parts than fish or meat, so i would definitely change it.

If he still carries on eating more when you do get him a better quality food i would really take him to get a check up as well as booking him in to be neutered. He may seem ok with not spraying etc..., but theres people out there who don't spay their female cats, and this is how theres so many unwanted kittens, so if one persons sensible in getting their cats spayed or neutered it helps a lot.