How much food?

After two years of trying, my male cat will FINALLY eat canned food. Both my cats are at least 3 pounds overweight. (I don't know their exact weight now but this past March they were 13.2 (female) and 15.4 (male). At that time the vet wanted them to lose 2 pounds each, and I'm pretty certain they've gained a pound since then. So, if they were to get canned and dry, how much of each would they need? If getting all canned, how much would they need? I haven't decided if we can afford doing all canned yet.

If you want them to lose weight, your best option is to stop feeding any kibble at all.

Cats vary a bit on the quantity of canned foods they require, however, the average that works for most is one 5.5 or 6 ounce can of food per cat, per day. At three pounds over what they should be, however, you're going to want to step your kitties down slowly, so as not to cause them any health issues. I would start at one and a half cans per cat per day, fed over no less than three meals per day. Watch their weight carefully - if after a few weeks, they haven't lost any, start reducing the amount you feed. If they do start losing weight (and they should), make sure it's not more than an ounce or two a week. At some point, they'll probably plateau (and stop losing the weight); if they haven't lost the full three pounds by then, drop them down to just the one can per cat per day.

Good luck!!!!

AC

Do drop down slowly as Auntie suggests :nod:. Usually for a cat to lose weight - you should feed about 15 - 20 calories per pound. Start to gradually decrease the amount of calories they are getting and - feed three or four small meals a day (if you can). Good luck