Hunger issues

So anyone who has read recently, I have finally gotten both kittiies transitioned to wet.

Feeding Schedule:

Cans are 5.6 OZ - the   amount per day, listed on the can is 4 OZ based on weight (Purina Friskies) I know its not the best brand, but it is what we can afford- living on a fixed income and disability. I would love to give them the world, but it isn't possible.

Morning (about 7 AM) - 1/3 can wet food

Afternoon (About 1 pm) - 1/3 can wet food (

Evening (About 6) - the remaining 1/3 a can per cat

Night Snack about 11 PM before bed etc- 1/8 cup kibble

the problem is, bandit seems to be crying & hungry all night - I know they are getting plenty of food

So what can I do, or is he just griping? I dont want to starve my cat.

I would increase the amount of wet.... By the qtys you put in there, it might not be enough for them.... I would read the labels and see the recommended amounts....

Carolina said:

I would increase the amount of wet.... By the qtys you put in there, it might not be enough for them.... I would read the label and see the recommended amounts....

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Its actually above the reccommended amount for the weight..

Nebula said:

Its actually above the reccommended amount for the weight..

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4.5 oz a day? How much do they weigh?

Friskies says (I'm looking at a can right now) 3/4 ounce to 1 ounce per pound per day. So unless your cats weigh 5 pounds, I don't think 4 oz is quite right :dk:.

I do think the recommendation on the can is too high. Most older cats of average size (10 pounds-ish) I've known need around 5-6 ounces a day, but young active cats, or those who are naturally larger, may need more. But they are getting some kibble, too. Maybe Bandit needs a tiny bit extra? He might have a faster metabolism.

ETA: I read it again, and they're getting a full can a day each? (Unless I'm still not reading it right :lol3 That plus the kibble should be enough. But maybe a bit extra for Bandit, just try it for a while and see if he needs an adjustment anyway.

Willowy said:

Friskies says (I'm looking at a can right now) 3/4 ounce to 1 ounce per pound per day. So unless your cats weigh 5 pounds, I don't think that's quite right :dk:.
I do think the recommendation on the can is too high. Most older cats of average size (10 pounds-ish) I've known need around 5-6 ounces a day, but young active cats, or those who are naturally larger, may need more. But they are getting some kibble, too. Maybe Bandit needs a tiny bit extra? He might have a faster metabolism.

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Well... they are getting 1/8 cup of kibbles, and depending on the kibbles, that is not much... Unless we are talking about a high protein, grain free.... sure.... But otherwise sometimes that doesn't account to a lot....
Depending on the canned, too, you feed more or less.... So... I agree with Willowy 4.5oz doesn't sound quite right IMHO....
I would just increase the amount of wet....

What kind of kibble? Carb laden kibble will just make a cat feel hungrier. I would replace that kibble meal with another canned meal, or use a grain free kibble such as EVO.

The Kibble is Purina One, I am going to increase the wet food, instead of giving them each a can spread out through 3 meals, i will do a can and half spread out between 4 meals and then the 1/8 cup kibble just as a treat/snack at night.

Nebula said:

The Kibble is Purina One, I am going to increase the wet food, instead of giving them each a can spread out through 3 meals, i will do a can and half spread out between 4 meals and then the 1/8 cup kibble just as a treat/snack at night.

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That sounds about right.  Do they eat the kibble right away or do you free feed it at night?   If you are feeding it as a treat, you might want to just free feed the kibble at night and let them snack on it at will.  Problem is, when it's gone he might pester you again

OoooooooooooooooMy elderly foster, Halo, is still eating mostly Friskies shreds and Fancy Feast. He eats, each day, one 5.5oz. can of the Friskies, one 3oz. can of the Fancy Feast, and one 3oz. can of some better food like Wellness sliced or Soulistic in pouch.

Halo is maintaining his 11 lbs. 10 oz. weight with this diet.

I am trying to slowly transition him to all better food. But his weight must remain stable because he is in the early stages of crf. So the process is slow - slower than I'd like.

So, probably your cats aren't getting enough of the Friskies each day. What do they weigh? Do you check their weight every month or so?

When I was contemplating fostering Halo, they told me how many ounces of canned food he eats per day -11-12 oz. I was amazed and dismayed by this, because at about $1.50 per can (average cost of most of the better canned food I buy), his food would add about $90 per month to my cat food budget. I was amazed at the amount he eats because my other cats only eat 1-3oz. of canned food a day, though it is only one meal per day. Even so, with their kibble, none of them eat nearly as much volume as Halo. They range in weight from 7 to 16 pounds.

But after thinking about it, and talking to some others about it, I surmised that the cheaper, low cost food had a lot of waste and empty volume. And that once I get Halo transitioned to high quality canned food, the volume in ounces he wants will decrease significantly.

So, I doubt that your cats are getting enough to eat of the low cost canned food. And maybe switching to one of the better foods, one of the better low cost foods (like Authority from Petsmart, which is not great, but better than Friskies) would be an improvement for your cats, and your pocketbook (because they would probably eat less volume), at the same time. Type of kibble can also affect how satisfied the cats are.

It's something to consider anyway. And better food can keep cats healthier, so be more cost effective that way, also.

Robin

I don't know. . .my cats eat Friskies canned, and only get dry food on Sundays. So all week, they only get canned. Every day I put out 3 13.2-ounce cans 3 times a day, so 9 cans. Plus I split one 5.5-ounce can among the older cats, plus about 8 ounces of raw. There are always some leftovers, after all 21 cats have eaten as much as they want. And none are losing weight :tongue2:, even though some of them are quite heavy (which is why I went to all canned food. . .sigh). This averages to a bit less than 6 ounces of canned food each if they eat it all, and if the raw food were evenly distributed (it's not; only maybe half of them will eat raw) it would come to less than half an ounce each. So I don't think that it's the cheap food making the difference.

I will say that my mom's elderly CRF cat (who died last year at the age of 21) was eating 3 3-ounce cans of Fancy Feast every day (and had kibble available but I don't think she ate much) and still couldn't keep weight on, and she wasn't a large cat. I think CRF affects how well they absorb nutrients and calories.

I can't find anything I read on crf that the cats eat more. Everything says that they often lose their appetite and suggestions are offered on how to keep them eating or eating more.

So I don't know.


Robin