are they getting enough?

So my two kitties get fed twice a day, a 1/4 cup dry food in the morning, and half a can of wet food at night. They are 8 lbs and 10 lbs, respectively. Neither one feels bony, but they will start meowing for dinner a good 2 hours before I usually give it to them. Are they getting enough to eat, or just trying to get me to give them dinner early?

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.

They are both between 1 and 3 years old, not postive since they were shelter kitties. The bigger one is pretty lazy, but zooms around in the morning for a little bit. The little one is more active, attacking clothing strings and such. For dry food They eat the purina proplan for hairball control, since so far it keeps the little one from having hairballs. Wet food is just friskies, the bits with the gravy, not the pate' stuff. And its a 5 oz can.

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.

sweet, thanks! I just always worry about overfeeding, since that's such a common thing with pets. I just wish they had something they could munch on throughout the day like my rabbits get unlimited hay. I feel so bad when I only give them a certain amount of food!

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

yeah, if i used to leave food out as a free for all, and my bigger cat started getting the pudgy belly, so we switched to fixed amounts.

I'm thinking I might increase the amount of wet food they get, so the following: a litte less than 1/4 cup of dry in the morning, 1/2 of a 5 oz can when I get home from work (4:30-ish), and then the other half of the 5 oz can right before bed, so that everyone is nice and sleepy from full tummies. is that too little in the morning? i sort of have a thing about not storing wet food after the can has been opened, so if i have to feed less dry and more wet (1 full can a day), then I would rather that, then to give them each 3/4 can, and have left-overs sitting in the fridge.

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.

genius! if i give them a whole can of wet food per day, i will do what you do Rad, and give 1/2 the can in the AM, put their dry food out for nibbling during the day, and the the other 1/2 in the evening before bed!

one more question: how do i keep my bigger cat from eating the little one's food? they both nibble on their dry stuff throughout the morning, until it's gone, but my big one will eat out of the little one's bowl as well as her own. I used to have the opposite problem, because the little one is a bit food aggressive, so the big one eats on a window sill that the little one isn't inclined to get up onto. so how do i keep the little one's food safe? I don't want to have to lock her up all day with her food while i'm at work, and they are so close in size that any enclosure I make to put the little one's food in wouldn't keep the big one out, so what can I do?

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.

I wish I could sit with them and monitor them when they eat their dry food, but they will eat some, then go for hours before finishing the rest of it. I work full time, and no one is home with them until I get home from work, so there really isn't any way to keep the big one from eating the little one's food. the little one hasn't lost weight because of it, but I'm pretty sure that the big one is keeping a tiny bit plump because of it. the big one is going to the vet this month for a standard check up, so I will ask the vet if she seems to be a good weight or not. maybe by giving the wet food in the morning, she won't feel the urge to eat the little one's portion of dry food.... I have a feeling I'm going to have a similar feeding problem with my rabbits once they are bonded.....sigh....

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

their dry food isn't free feed though. I give them their specific amounts before I go to work, and they eat some then, but then they will stop and do other things (like nap, since eating is just soooo much work I suppose). then the big one sneaks over to the little one's plate and steals a couple mouthfuls here and there when the little one's not paying attention.

Originally Posted by saitenyo

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.

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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

Originally Posted by twobananaz

their dry food isn't free feed though. I give them their specific amounts before I go to work, and they eat some then, but then they will stop and do other things (like nap, since eating is just soooo much work I suppose). then the big one sneaks over to the little one's plate and steals a couple mouthfuls here and there when the little one's not paying attention.

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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.

Originally Posted by saitenyo

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.

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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.