how much do you feed your cats on a diet?

Miko is about 6 years old and perfectly healthy except for being about 2-4 pounds overweight. It's been that way for years. She was a stray when I found her, so when she gets around kibble she tends to overeat to the point of throwing up.
So about a year ago we started really limiting her intake - she was splitting a small bowl of kibble with Samson in the morning and then spiltting a can of wet food with Samson at night. Samson, who's a big Maine Coon, who never seems to get overweight, was allowed to snack during the day by himself.
But Miko is still overweight! So our new thing this week is no more kibble for Miko!
She's just splitting the can of wet food with Samson at night.
It's too soon to really tell, but it may actually be working.
Is this enough food for her though? Compared to what she used to eat, it seems like so little, but obviously what she used to eat was way too much for her sedentary lifestyle.
Maybe we should do this until she loses a few pounds then let her have small amounts of kibble to maintain her weight?
I'd heard it's bad for cats to lose weigtht too quickly and I don't want to hurt her!
But being overweight for years isn't good for her either....

Please consult your vet for a weight control plan

I agree with Sharky on checking with your vet. You never what other issues may need to be addressed with an overweight kitty. If there isn't anything else going on health wise read the packaging of the food you choose. There is a feeding guideline usually on most foods. But remember to adjust to your cats activity level, treats, etc. My Chester is a chubby boy and he is eating the Nutro Max Cat Indoor Weight Control right now. He doesn't get what the package recommends though because he isn't moderately active. His non-activity has brought the amount fed down. I believe the package recommends for him to get 1 - 1 1/4 cup daily and he doesn't even get a cup. Maybe a 1/2 - 2/3 cup daily. Then his canned now & then.

Increasing Miko's activity if possible can help too, which I am sure you know. I have Chester chase around his favorite laser pointer. He loves that thing! When he hears me getting it out of my office desk he comes running! Plus our newly adopted dog is keeping him on his toes too. They play together more and more every day.

I know it can be harder when you have two in the house and one has a special need. Maybe after talking to your vet you can get a good feeding regimen lined out and start to see some weight loss.

Good luck to you!

It really depends on the cat and how much they should ideally wiegh. It is best IMO though to try feed all wet - preferably grain free. I wouldn't use anything "wieght control" either as they tend to just add carbs - the opposite of what you want...

I agree - check with the vet. My boy was overweight when I got him, and as a newbie owner, I religiously followed kibble instructions - it didn't help that after a stint in the shelter he was very food oriented. Anyway, vet helped figure out portion sizes of wet and dry (my boy doesn't care for wet that much, go figure). Portions were WAY smaller than I would be comfortable feeding on my own. But, it worked out pretty darn well. The funny part is my petite female eats about the same amount, yet is a perfect weight per the vet. My boy could still lose a tiny bit - but he did lose about four pounds over a safe period of time.

I would take the above advice about checking with the vet. I had to do the same and Tessie has dropped weight. She gets 1/4 cup Blue Buffalo in the morning and 3oz of wet at night (about 230 calories a day if she eats it all, which she doesn't).

I saw you only feed a half can now, how big is the can? I believe your suppose to feed 5.5oz of wet a day if that's all your feeding.

Good Luck