Why does it seem like my cats are eating more now?

I have 9 adult cats and 3 foster kittens at the moment. I have always fed Chicken Soup Adult, but recently have switched over to TOTW. I do not feed wet because I simply can't afford it. I know that's optimal, and I have priced it, and it just simply does not fit in the budget no matter which way I look at it. So, I have 12 bowls, each bowl gets 1/2 cup in it at night, and that lasts until the next night. When they were on Chicken Soup, the 1/2 cup really did last 24 hours. Now that I've switched them to TOTW, it seems like they have eaten all the food and are begging for more by late morning. I can't afford to be filling their bowl with TOTW twice a day, when TOTW is grain free and they should technically eat less. Is is because they just like the taste better and eventually will adjust themselves? Help.

It might be that they're eating more because of the change in weather.

weather.. or they could be just really liking the new food ( example when I went raw with two of mine they ate double what they should for a good few months)... or they might have been lacking in something and this food has it

Do you think they'll eventually regulate themselves? And even if they're totally indoor and the temp is usually the same year round in my house, does weather still affect it?

have you turned off the air and the heat on?? then yes to them it is a change

most cats do regulate after a time period

Ooohhhh.. I have noticed a change with my foster boys!!! They are definitely eating more and WANTING more food. I also think it's the change in season. They get a mix of wet and dry. Concerned about their stepped-up appetites, I have been migrating them to MORE wet and LESS dry b/c of calories.

I did turn on the heat recently, so that's probably it.

The shorter daylight hours also seem to trigger gorging - my barn cats are inhaling food at a phenomenal rate compared to summer or even winter (one bag of dry food lasts about 2/3 the time as normal). Winter solstice brings the eating back under control although the daylight is still short. The fall fattening ritual applies to not only cats but horses, cows, and humans - think about your own eating patterns at this time of year; bet you will find you are slightly hungrier and that will increase until days start getting longer. Oh and if it is cold where you live, you will find yourself craving fats, and the cats will be having that same craving.

I had to switch my all my cats onto a dry kitten food due to the new kitten in the house. The adult cats didn't seem to like nutro kitten as much as the adult food. They ate less. All of a sudden the last 2 days they have been eating more with a 2 degree temp drop in the house.

Sounds like it's a combination of the new food they like a lot and weather change for you.

Your cats, just like my wild cats (bobcats and cougar) will eat more during the colder months, if you live in an area with a cold climate during the winter. My bobcats are eating like crazy. I feed all raw and have been going through almost double the amount of meat, that I use in the summer. My cougar well, he had almost half a deer the other day and had no problem eating it all.