How much canned food per cat per day?

xcourtney3

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How much should I feed my 13 lb cat of the frishies  5.50z canned food 2 x a day ?
I feed my 13.6lb cats one 5.5oz can per day

If your cat is really active you may want to feed ~1.5 cans maybe
 
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elecat

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I clicked on this site because I had the same question. Looks like I'm right along with the majority. My 3 (2 males and 1 female) are fed 2 oz each raw for breakfast (2 medallions each), 1 can FF Classic (either chicken or beef) split between them for a lunch break, and 2 cans FF (once again Classic only, chicken or beef) split between them for dinner. That works out to 5 oz each per day. Of course, if Oscar walks away, Kitty will finish his. She's the oldest at 9, and inherited when my mom passed away 3 months ago. So she can do whatever she wants. xoxo

And although I detest dry food for cats, I give them all a teeny-tiny bit around 8pm, instead of Temptations or some other treat. It actually costs less to buy high quality, grain free dry, and ration it out as treats, than buying the packaged "Treats". And it's healthier for them.
 

2bcat

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Many cans are probably similar in calorie density, but it is important to note the extremes.  Something like Weruva which is on the very low end, compared to some on the high calorie end, the same weight cans (5.5-6oz) might have twice as many or half as many calories (from around 100 or so to over 200 in a can), so if you're trying out a lot of foods it is important to know those differences.  Many cans print the calories per can on the label or you can find the info on the web site.  Not sure if it's a requirement though so not all of them may do.

There has been some calculations done that going by manufacturers' rough recommendations can result in wildly varying feeding amounts.  Some manufacturers estimate high (presumably so they sell more food).  Can be a bigger problem with dry though vs canned.  The absolute safest way is to feed measured amounts (weight for canned food) and know the calories.

Of course then you have to know how many calories, and the charts I find vary widely so that can be an issue as well.  

I can tell you what I've done with my two.  They were about 6 pounds and 7 pounds when arriving home.  I looked at some charts and info and guesstimated in round numbers they should eat about 150 calories a day.  What ultimately became handy was that I found good foods that had about 150 calories per can give or take a few, and split them in half each meal.  Two meals a day.  No mess!  No leftovers!  Occasional treat foods like Tiki Cat chicken had a few more, 170-180 calories in a can, but that was ok from time to time.  Then I started adding in freeze dried raw.  That was easy, just weigh it out.  Primal turkey was 150 calories per ounce so each bowl got half an ounce.  Stella & Chewys chicken is a bit less, so they got 0.6 oz.

Unfortunately what happened for us is that petite little 6 pound kitty weighs maybe 6.4 pounds now, which is perfectly fine for her, she's still very lean.  But 7 pound kitty, who might have been a bit under 7 when she came home, now weighs more like 8.5 pounds though and that is too much for her.  We have all their history from the shelter, and they were in there 7 months.  She's weighed that much before, right when she got there, before losing well over a pound while in the shelter all that time.  What was happening at home though was the little cat didn't really need or want to eat 150 calories per day.  She maybe eats 120 or maybe less.  And in leaving the bowls out 12 hours it was mainly the larger cat who was cleaning up and getting at least 180 and possibly a little more.  They're both bowl swappers and at least a little bit grazers so I'm starting to time their meals and trying to get them not to swap bowls, at least so I can limit the intake of the larger kitty.  Sigh.  It was so easy for a while!
 
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2bcat

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And although I detest dry food for cats, I give them all a teeny-tiny bit around 8pm, instead of Temptations or some other treat. It actually costs less to buy high quality, grain free dry, and ration it out as treats, than buying the packaged "Treats". And it's healthier for them.
We've been doing that a bit too.  We buy a little bag of Orijen, which only costs $4 or maybe less, and figure that is okay as treats.  Contains a lot of treats!  Yeah Orijen has fish but as a treat it's not that much.
 

elecat

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My cats do love fish. Maybe once a month (if I remember) I'll divide one can between them of FF Classic Tuna & Whitefish (I think that's what it's called). Tuna is like a drug - they love it, but it isn't good for them!
 

elecat

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Oh my. Mine need to go on diets. They're all over 14lbs.
 

tamij31

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I know it does, but can't lie about what my vet said. She was the lady who recommended Fancy Feast Classic, not me.

Actually, it is true FFC is not as bad as Science Diet. SD is loaded with grains no matter what type you get.
I feed my Saydie and Elvie FFC. I love them as much as any other living being I have encountered on this planet as I'm sure does everone else here[emoji]128522[/emoji]. I have done some research on what to feed them. Most of the articles I have read boast on wet instead of dry. I do feed them Blue Wilderness dry as well as their FFC. This is soley for my lack of time to commit to feeding them twice daily with canned food. I am trying to work my schedule around their feeding (which should be my FIRST priority but I do need to earn money to pay for their food[emoji]128522[/emoji]) I do not have a lot of money and I felt guilty for feeding my babies a cheaper canned food (I tried to compensate by spending some extra money on their dry food) but after reading this article I am going to discontinue their dry food once it's gone. It is a long article but I highly recommend it is read in full by loving cat owners. If I could give you a couple things to take away from this it would be the following: As a child I have had several of my feline family die from urinary tract issues. In fact that is how all of them died.[emoji]128546[/emoji] One had a blockage of urinary crystals the size of a softball (quoted by our family Vet). I was DEVISTATED with every loss. All of our cats were fed strictly dry food and had a water bowl. I have tried to get my babies to drink more water by having a pet drinking fountain and several other CLEAN water bowls throughout my house. I also add warm water to their wet food. As far as 'meat by products': this is animal protien deemed innappropriate for human consumption. Human food is regulated MUCH more than animal food. While this may be the scraps of a slaughterhouse scraped off the floor I would rather see my cat eating protien from a company that could be facing a lawsuit for contamination of pet food vs seeing them eating things the pet food companies like to deem healthy for cats: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc. Yes YOU should eat those but not your beloved feline companion.Think of a lion or tiger... they do not kill their prey and soley eat the prime cuts. They do not eat bannanas, berries, grains, etc. in the wild unless it is in the stomach of their prey. Yes we humans eat hot dogs and bologna but cats thrive on muscle meat, organ meat, eyeballs, bones, feathers, fur, etc,. They eat what they have killed. www.catinfo.org
 

sweetpea24

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Blue Buffalo just found out their suppliers put poultry by-product meal in their foods. Purina bas filed a lawsuit against them citing false advertising. Bb is now filing a suit against the suppliers. I am not a fan of BB because of their stupid marketing and the idea that the first main ingredient is meat (which turned out to be poultry by-product). This misleads consumers. Purina isn't much better - they make claims and use studies to back their claims but the studies' results have no relation to their claims.

I am not hugely against by-products if they are the organs and offal. If the ingredients list specifies what animal the by-products are from then I have no problem. The only thing is I wish they would just list what is in the by-products. And I don't feed foods that use by-products as their main source of protein. Well no I do feed my one cat some of the renal diets but not on a consistent basis and only because I rotate about 10 different foods due to his extreme pickiness.
 

elecat

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I feed my Saydie and Elvie FFC. I love them as much as any other living being I have encountered on this planet as I'm sure does everone else here[emoji]128522[/emoji]. I have done some research on what to feed them. Most of the articles I have read boast on wet instead of dry. I do feed them Blue Wilderness dry as well as their FFC. This is soley for my lack of time to commit to feeding them twice daily with canned food. I am trying to work my schedule around their feeding (which should be my FIRST priority but I do need to earn money to pay for their food[emoji]128522[/emoji]) I do not have a lot of money and I felt guilty for feeding my babies a cheaper canned food (I tried to compensate by spending some extra money on their dry food) but after reading this article I am going to discontinue their dry food once it's gone. It is a long article but I highly recommend it is read in full by loving cat owners. If I could give you a couple things to take away from this it would be the following: As a child I have had several of my feline family die from urinary tract issues. In fact that is how all of them died.[emoji]128546[/emoji] One had a blockage of urinary crystals the size of a softball (quoted by our family Vet). I was DEVISTATED with every loss. All of our cats were fed strictly dry food and had a water bowl. I have tried to get my babies to drink more water by having a pet drinking fountain and several other CLEAN water bowls throughout my house. I also add warm water to their wet food. As far as 'meat by products': this is animal protien deemed innappropriate for human consumption. Human food is regulated MUCH more than animal food. While this may be the scraps of a slaughterhouse scraped off the floor I would rather see my cat eating protien from a company that could be facing a lawsuit for contamination of pet food vs seeing them eating things the pet food companies like to deem healthy for cats: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc. Yes YOU should eat those but not your beloved feline companion.Think of a lion or tiger... they do not kill their prey and soley eat the prime cuts. They do not eat bannanas, berries, grains, etc. in the wild unless it is in the stomach of their prey. Yes we humans eat hot dogs and bologna but cats thrive on muscle meat, organ meat, eyeballs, bones, feathers, fur, etc,. They eat what they have killed. www.catinfo.org
I love www.catinfo.org. After spending several hours (days) on the website in 2013, I decided no more dry food for my cats. I do give them 10-15 pieces of Nature's Variety Instinct as a "treat" at night (when I'm eating my frozen yogurt). Per ounce, it's actually less expensive than Temptations, and it's healthier. It's not enough to cause crystals, which was an issue with a previous cat. She's now with my ex, and he promised me he wouldn't feed her dry food ever again. My 3 get Nature's Variety Raw for breakfast, which they love. They're such carnivores! lol Then FF Classic for dinner, either Beef or Chicken. Of all the flavors/choices, those 2 seem to have the highest pure meat content. The chicken, for sure. So far, everyone seems healthy and happy! :)
 

jaymesmom

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Jayme's been on prescription dry food for 7 years and she gets constipated. The enemas and fluids are awful  Yesterday I got some Science wet food and for the 1st time she's eating wet food and not walking away.  She also pooped - thank you God.  I gave her a 1/2 can each meal for a total of 5.5 oz.  The can indicates 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cans per day!  I don't want to starve Jayme but she seems satisfied.  Jayme weighs 20 pounds, despite being on the prescription diet for 7 years!  Comments? 
 

booper5

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I just rescued three barn cats (all aged). they are now living indoors and enjoying every minute of it. I don't think they miss catching their meals. They soon learned the sound of the Fancy Feast can opening. I am having some "cat wars" with my two residents but things are working out slowly.
 

goldengrain

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I don't know your cat, but your vet should know if this is normal or if your cat has a thyroid or other problem. 
 

joefredkat

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So how many darn cans a day? I feed Katt two. One for breakfast and one for dinner. That's 11 ounces a day and he's not gaining much weight. He's 2.5 years old, active. Not fixed. Goes outside. (Yes shoot me) my apartment is serendipoutsly set up as a cat excercise yard. He jumps from place to place, doesn't walk anywhere. Runs jumps or stalks. AND HE ALWAYS ACTS LIKE HES STARVING! Am I feeding him enough? His sister (at my girlfriends house) is a girl, pure inside, on free pour dry food, won't eat wet, but is getting fat, must weigh 11 pounds. If Katt is up to 8 I'd be surprised...
 

suzannef

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@joefredcat, that sounds like kind of a lot of food for an 8 lb. cat, but if he gets a lot of exercise it might be the right amount. How does he rate on a feline body condition chart?

http://humanealliance.org/elearning/Body_Condition_Scale.pdf

What kind of canned food do you feed him? How many calories does the can say it contains? Is there any chance he has worms that might be stealing some of the nutrition he consumes?

Yes, cats tend to gain weight when free-fed dry food vs. eating canned twice a day, so it's not surprising that Katt is thinner than his sister. And canned food is healthier than dry, so he's got that going for him. What he does *not* have going for him is being unneutered and going outside - not healthy for him or the kittens he's likely fathered. Why haven't you had him neutered?
 
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joefredkat

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Close to zero chance on worms. No symptoms and vet agrees. 5 I guess. Friskies, with some newmans thrown in. Katt is strong and appears healthy. Been his friend since before his eyes were open. Had to use an eye dropper. Cats have been going outside (he got his shots) for thousands of years. I grew up on a farm, and all cats were outside. I am philosophically against it though I know why I have to cut. Also budget. But he fights to defend his space (or he's an aggressive a hole I dunno). And I want him big and strong enough to defend his space. He's only come home bloody once. I have a feeling you are going to demolish me even if you are a bot :-(
 

suzannef

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I'm pretty sure I'm not a bot, and I don't want demolish anything. I just don't understand. You clearly love this cat and take good care of him, with a couple of (big) exceptions. At 2.5 years, Katt is probably not going to get much bigger or stronger, with or without his little nuggets. I'm not opposed to cats going outside, if he has a relatively safe space, away from busy streets and bigger predators. But an unneutered tomcat is driven to roam and sow his seed, and is always in danger of roaming too far, getting killed or badly injured by a car/truck/coyote/alligator/other tomcat/etc. Not to mention his offspring, born into a very harsh world where no one wants them.

If budget is the biggest problem, let me know. There are probably some low-cost clinics in your area, and I bet I could help you find some options.
 

mani

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MOD NOTE:

Just a reminder about the TCS Cat Care Policies, Guidelines and Stances in our Forum Rules.

especially where it relates to spaying and neutering:

3. This is a pro-spay-and-neuter website. Please make sure to spay and neuter your cats. Unless you are a professional breeder and your cat is part of a professional breeding program, please educate yourself to the importance of spaying and neutering by the time your cat is 4-6 months old. If you take care of a feral colony, please make sure to do so responsibly by practicing TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) protocols within the colony. Read More Here.

If our members offer help regarding neutering or spaying they are doing it because they care about the welfare of all cats.
 

Ladewyn

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I agree, if you're not going to keep him indoors, at least neuter him. One unneutered male can father hundreds of kitten in a year. That's a lot of homeless kittens. Even if he just fathers a few, his kittens will all go uncared for and homeless. Him having testicles will not improve his chances of defending his territory. At most, it will make him less likely to care about territory, making him less aggressive and less likely to get in fights in the the first place. As for indoor/outdoor; cats don't NEED to be outdoors. Just because they've been doing it as a species for a long time, doesn't always mean it's necessary, or even good. Humans and human ancestors ate raw meat for a very long time, had no food safety practices, and treated themselves with plants. It doesn't mean we shouldn't cook our food or take medication. Mind you, at this point you'd be hard pressed to keep him inside, so at the very least get him neutered.

As for food, it sounds like it's good for him. If he's rating at 5 in body condition, then whatever you're feeding works for him. You only need to change it if he's becoming over or underweight.
 
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goldengrain

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Our two cats were litter mates who were born feral.  They are now indoor cats, love looking out the window, but show no signs of wanted to be out there.  All it seemed to take was opening the door after it snowed.  They dashed out, looked very startled, and came running back in. 

We think it should be a law that cats not owned by licensed breeders should be neutered. 
 
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