are they getting enough?

Correct feeding amounts depend on what you are feeding and the weight, age, and activity level of the cat.

Is it half a can of 5oz, 3oz and what brand? Also would need to know what kibble and the other details. That doesn't sound like a lot of food though.

You should feed 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. of wet food per pound of body weight. Since you supplement with dry, you could probably get away with the 1/2 oz per pound of body weight. I would encourage you to feed more wet and cut down on the dry since dry can bring on so many health problems.

According to the Pro Plan feeding directions, if you were feeding the dry food only your 8# cat should get about 1/2 cup and your 10# cat should get about 2/3 cup a day. If you were feeding wet food only, they would need about 1.5 and 2 cans per day. You're not exactly starving them, but I would guess that they really are hungry when they start meowing at you.

It shouldn't take much to make them happier. You could either increase the dry food to 1/3 cup or increase the wet food to 3/4 can each and see how that works.

It's good that you're concerned about your cats' weights, but you don't want to go overboard. Underweight is just as dangerous as overweight. Have you decided where you might increase their food?

I do a measured free feed for my cats, about half of the dry food in the morning, their wet meal in the evening, and the other half of the dry food before I go to bed (or go to work). If there's food left in the bowls either morning or evening I just top it up instead of adding the full amount.

Of course, with six cats I can't tell exactly how much each one is getting, but it seems to work for us. If anybody starts getting chubby I just increase the playtime/exercise but don't cut back the total amount of food.

Let us know how it goes.

I can't leave food out for my five. I have three that would eat all day long. I feed wellness core dry. Each gets a quarter cup twice a day with one half canned (3oz) twice a day. Then a small snack of dry and canned before bed. If I am home during the day I will split that into three meals and they seem so happy and satisfied to get these smaller meals instead of two big meals. They are all in good weight and feeding this way I know what each cat is getting and adjust accordingly. This might not work for picky eaters though. Some cats don't want to eat their meals all at once. But if you start with smaller more frequent meals they learn to eat it all up. Four of mine eat like little piggies. Magilla still eats in her safe room alone and does leave some. But I leave food down for her in her own room for now. When I open up her room, I just take the food away or it will get devoured on the spot

I find that on the manufacturers bag they usually recommend too much food. I did that once and everyone got loose poops but every cat is different and will need to be watched for weight gain or loss and adjust food. Interactive play sessions are great exercise for our cats and it helps with stress too

It sounds like a reasonable amount total. The best you can do is try it and see if it makes them happy.

What I do with my two cats (12 lbs adult, and 7 lbs kitten) is feed them 1/4 can wet food each in the morning, and fill up their dry food 1/3 cup each as well. Then at night I feed them 1/4 can wet food each, and I'll add a little bit of dry if I don't think theirs will last them through the night.

I also don't like saving cans, but sometimes I have to if I know the cats won't finish the same tasting can at night as they did in the morning (i.e. they picked at their morning meal, they probably won't eat that same food in the evening). I don't know if you've tried them, but Petco and Petsmart have can topprs for $1 each that fit perfectly over wet food cans and keeps them fresh. They work amazingly, and I had the same 'ew, gross' thoughts about saving cans overnight originally.

It's worth noting that the feeding directions on pet food labels often overestimate the amount of food required per day.

How much they actually need will depend on their individual metabolism, the type of food being feed (how much filler there is vs. quality bio-available nutrients), and their activity level.

A good way to judge their weight is too look at them from above and to feel their ribs. If their sides, around their stomach, bulge out a lot and you can't feel their ribs very well (or at all), they're probably overweight. If their sides taper slightly towards their hind legs and you can feel their ribs but there's a layer of fat padding over the ribs, they're probably just fine. If their sides taper a lot (making the shape of their rib cage very obvious) and their ribs are very easily felt without fat padding over them, then they're too thin.

Also, tricks to feed cats without food-stealing are: watch them while they eat, sit between them while they eat, or feed them in separate rooms. I have this problem with my cats. I keep an eye on them while they eat to make sure they each get enough and no one steals the other's food.

Unfortunately I don't know of any good way to do this with free-feeding. :/ That's one of the reasons I don't free-feed. Controlled, scheduled mealtimes make it easier to both make sure your cats are getting enough/not too much to eat, and making sure they each eat their own food.

Why not just feed them wet food only then? Or at least feed their dry at scheduled mealtimes instead of free-feeding them?

that to the highlight... More than one vet has told me to use the low end as the guideline on a commercial food( this includes raw too)

http://www.placervillevet.com/feline...0condition.htm is a good guide for a adult cat

If you are worried about wt consult your vet who is the best judge of that

That's what free-feeding is. Free-feeding doesn't necessarily mean you give them endless food. It means you let them eat their food over the course of the day, rather than setting specific meal times.

If you remove their food after they walk away, instead of leaving it down, eventually they should learn that they need to eat at set times, because they see the food is not always available.

Do this slowly of course, you don't want to starve your cats obviously. It's important that they not entirely skip meals.

Do they eat wet food all in one sitting? If so, that may solve your problems right there. When I stopped free-feeding my cats, I just started by slowly increasing the amount of wet food I was giving them and slowly decreasing the amount of kibble. In time, I was able to remove kibble entirel and they adjusted to just eating when their food is put down, and not wandering away after only a few nibbles.

Most who free feed are going back to the principle that most cats with prey in the wild ( which no our s are not ) eat roughly 22 small meals a day....

Typically on here at least free feeding is the keep a full bowl principle...

I am a measured free feeder and shockingly( slight sarcasm) my cats eat and do have empty bowl as they have made their version of scheduled meal times...

Honestly I have had it all three ways : feed feed ( auto feeder) , measured and meal times ... I say use what works for you... I do not have time for four different schedules of 3-4 meals a day..... Oh and at least two of my cats do not finish the wet in one sitting( I pick it up)

The only time I had a overweight cat which is not the normal, was the cat on the scheduled plan with no free feeding...

Yeah, I think free-feeding works in some cases, if the cats are good at self-regulating and/or eating their own food.

The problem here is the OP says one cat keeps stealing the other's food, so there's no way of knowing for sure if both cats are getting the right amounts to eat. I have the same issue with my cats and ultimately had to move away from free-feeding because of it. One cat would just always yield her food to the other when left unsupervised.

Some of us have no choice but to free feed. My schedule is so irregular that I'm rarely home at the same time two days in a row. That makes it extremely hard to give the kitties meals at set times. I do a measured free feed, but the times I put the food out can vary by as much as 3 hours.

My cats range in weight from 6# to 11.5# and none of them are overweight, so I assume that they are regulating themselves on the amount each one eats. I also suspect that my aby eats at least as much as the largest cat, but he is also the most active.

Yeah, that might work. Just be sure not to leave dry mixed with wet out for long periods of time, as getting dry food wet can promote bacteria growth. But if the idea is to get them to eat it in one sitting anyway, then that's not an issue.

May I ask why you're determined to keep dry food in their diets though? It seems like it's causing an inconvenience for you, and they like the wet better, so since wet is better for them, why keep dry in their diets at all?

In some cats wet only will help with hair balls but usually this means using one with a form of oats( oats, oat bran , oatmeal)


Other methods if doing grain free wets for hairballs, butter and oil added to food or as a treat

My kitties take the olive oil on wet foods

Olive oil is a mild lubricant laxative, and in humans it has long been advised that laxatives should not be taken for long-term use. Considering average 150lb humans are suggested to take around a tablespoon of oilive oil as a natural remedy to treat constipation, a teaspoon (1/3rd of a tablespoon) seems a lot for a creature 1/10th or less the weight, especially if consumed daily.

Personally, I just use a furminator (medium size is good and just $18) on Wesley religiously (Buttercup just doesn't shed, not sure why as they are siblings) to prevent a hairball issue and keep hair off my furniture, his food has enough fiber in it, and in the rare case I notice a hairball like symptom I just give him a dab of a lubricant laxative that is specifically made to help pass a hairball and is like a malt flavored petroleum jelly.