Questions about feeding

tofu

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Feeding canned isn't really and option for me at the moment because I am in Grad school and on a very tight budget but hopefully in a year I will have a job and can expand my budget. I got Tofu a little over 3 months ago. Her previous owner was feeding her Science Diet. Georgi, I adopted 2 weeks ago and was being fed by her previous owners, and I quote, "Whatever the cheapest food was at the store." Over the last 2 weeks I have been slowly switching them over to Evo and the switch has gone really well. They had some loose stool in the beginning because I think I was moving to fast but I slowed the transition down and their stool has firmed back up.

They are each getting a 1/2 a cup a day, split into 2 feedings. Both were originally on a tower feeder. Georgi has been eating all of it but Tofu isn't. I can't leave the food out because Georgi is overweight and we are slowly bringing her down to a proper weight.

Do you think Tofu is getting enough food? She doesn't bother me in between feedings for food and I feel like she's been more active since we started feeding her the Evo. (ie. running around like a kitten
) But, she has lost a half a pound since we took her to the vet a month ago.


So is Evo considered a good food? Is there a better dry food out there? Can I add some water to the dry food or is that a bad idea? I have been thinking about feeding them wet food a couple times a week (at least as often as my budget allows). I figured some is better then none but I am confused how much is considered enough for a meal. Georgie is 20lbs and Tofu is 11.5lbs. Thanks!
 

snake_lady

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Originally Posted by Tofu

Do you think Tofu is getting enough food? She doesn't bother me in between feedings for food and I feel like she's been more active since we started feeding her the Evo. (ie. running around like a kitten
) But, she has lost a half a pound since we took her to the vet a month ago.
If she's losing weight, then she's not eating enough to sustain her weight. Because she's become more active, she may need some more food. What did the vet say about her weight? Was she on target, or overweight as well?

So is Evo considered a good food? Is there a better dry food out there? Can I add some water to the dry food or is that a bad idea? I have been thinking about feeding them wet food a couple times a week (at least as often as my budget allows). I figured some is better then none but I am confused how much is considered enough for a meal. Georgie is 20lbs and Tofu is 11.5lbs. Thanks!
From what I've read, yes Evo is a good food.

The cans of wet usually have recommended feedings on it... ex. 1/2cn per 7lbs weight.


Feeding wet as often as you can is great for your cats. Watch for the larger cans of wet food (13oz)... they work out cheaper than the smaller cans. I get 3days worth of feed out of one can. You can freeze it as well. If you won't use all of the can within 2-3days, freeze it in portion sizes (I freeze in a muffin pan, then bag the 'muffins') and simply thaw and feed. (just don't refreeze frozen.)

hope that helps a little
 
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tofu

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Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

If she's losing weight, then she's not eating enough to sustain her weight. Because she's become more active, she may need some more food. What did the vet say about her weight? Was she on target, or overweight as well?
The vet wants us to maintain her weight. Any tips on getting her to eat more? She eats the majority of it but then is disinterested with the rest.

Thanks on the tips for feeding wet. I picked up one of those large cans and I'm going to see if they will eat it tonight. Should I start out slowly, like when switching dry foods?
 

snake_lady

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Originally Posted by Tofu

The vet wants us to maintain her weight. Any tips on getting her to eat more? She eats the majority of it but then is disinterested with the rest.
I understand you can't leave it out because of Tofu, which makes it difficult. Kitties have small tummys, so they eat frequent small meals as opposed to larger meals. Only thing I could think of is seperating the kitties to offer Tofu another meal and see if she'll eat it.

Thanks on the tips for feeding wet. I picked up one of those large cans and I'm going to see if they will eat it tonight. Should I start out slowly, like when switching dry foods?
Personally, I just put it out without worrying the same as with dry foods. I started off putting a small amount out, untill I found out how much Kizzy would eat within a couple hours.

Kizzy gets different brands of wet, no set schedule really. One of the brands did cause loose stool. I generally feed the wet for 3days ( which is how long the large cans last me) as well as his dry, wait a couple days, then do it again (might be a different brand, might not).

That's just what works for us
 
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tofu

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I like the idea of giving Tofu another feeding of the food she doesn't eat right away.

They just got their first taste of wet food. I bought one of the large cans of Evo. If I'm doing the math correctly, I should be giving them about half a can per meal. Does this seem right because when I spooned it out, half a can was a lot of food?! Neither of them finished it.

Tofu didn't know what to do with it at first! She kinda looked at it and eventually she ate a couple bites. I think it actually grossed her out because she has now been sitting here, grooming herself like I've never seen. I think part of the problem is, she likes to eat out of her paw, selecting one piece at a time. Harder to do with wet, but I will keep trying.

Georgi seems to really like it but, like I said, she didn't finish her half of a can. Should I just go by what they choose to eat? Maybe I should just be doing 4 feedings a day rather then 2.
 

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Half a can each? That seems like a lot to me, maybe try feed 1/3 can each then save the last part in the fridge? It took my cat a while to get used to eating wet too but now she loves it. Good luck
 

snake_lady

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Originally Posted by Tofu

I like the idea of giving Tofu another feeding of the food she doesn't eat right away.

They just got their first taste of wet food. I bought one of the large cans of Evo. If I'm doing the math correctly, I should be giving them about half a can per meal. Does this seem right because when I spooned it out, half a can was a lot of food?! Neither of them finished it.

Tofu didn't know what to do with it at first! She kinda looked at it and eventually she ate a couple bites. I think it actually grossed her out because she has now been sitting here, grooming herself like I've never seen. I think part of the problem is, she likes to eat out of her paw, selecting one piece at a time. Harder to do with wet, but I will keep trying.

Georgi seems to really like it but, like I said, she didn't finish her half of a can. Should I just go by what they choose to eat? Maybe I should just be doing 4 feedings a day rather then 2.
You have to find what works best for your kitties and your schedule. If you can give them 4 feeds a day, go for it. Maybe Tofu will eat more that way. But just watch with Georgi, if you increase to 4 feeds a day, you don't want to increase the amount of food/calories since you are trying to help her lose weight.

My cans of wet say 1/2cn per 7lbs. Kizzy might eat 1/2 can if I fed it to him 2x a day. But no way would he eat it all at once. He gets 1/3 of a can, and that usually takes him 1-2hrs to eat.

So you're not having to throw out the food, you may want to try a smaller amount, untill you find out how much they will eat. I started off feeding Kizzy by the tablespoon till I found out how much he would eat... I'm cheap, and don't want to waste the food.
 
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