Feeding wet and dry how much

I'm new to the forums and chose to join because I have a kitten who is 18 weeks old. I have had him since he was seven weeks. I know that he probably should have stayed with his mom for a few more weeks but I feel like I probably saved his life from fleas, bad nutrition, parasites etc. The environment he was in was just bad so I opted taking him home the day I met him. Anyways, my question is that I feed him wet and dry for the fact that he likes to nibble on the dry. I feed him about 1/4 cup of dry in his bowl about twice a day. In the morning, afternoon and evening he gets about 1/2 of a 3oz can of wet. How do I know the proper amount to feed both wet AND dry especially when he starts getting bigger? I've seen through googling this question it is very controversial and I don't seem to get the exact answer because people more so often like to argue about the topic of what you should and should not feed a cat. So if someone could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Thanks everyone.

Generally, a kitten should be able to eat as much as he wants. Don't limit his intake until he's around a year old. After that, well, it depends on his activity level, size, metabolism, etc. It also depends on how many calories his food has. It takes a little experimentation before you find the right amount. But, as a ggeneral rule, if eating all canned food, most adult cats will eat about 6 ounces a day of most brands (of course it depends on the calorie content of the food, though). Dry food is so variable in calorie content that it's hard to even guess on the amount. I believe normal daily intake for an adult indoor cat is about 20-25 calories per pound.

But for now at least, let him have as much as he wants.

That answer works for me. Thanks so much. When I first got him I transitioned him over to higher quality food (he was eating meow mix prior to this) he would gorge himself, plus having so many other kittens in the household before mine I can understand that. The gorging would make him regurgitate it all back up because he didn't comprehend that drinking water afterward would cause the food in there to swell. Now that he has understood that he has food he doesn't have to fight over anymore or eat a bunch extra to feel satisfied I am able to leave out dry food for him. So I appreciate the answer very much!
 

Different rules for kittens as they are still growing and need all the good food they can get.

My father's one cat is a chow hound and is on a diet. Next time I am down his way have to ask how that is going.

My female has always been small (yearling sized). I have a gravity fed dry food thingy for her. She comes and goes and eats the dry when she wants. I give her half a can of wet food about every other day.

Also watch with on dry food. I have heard about exclusively using dry food makes a cat more prone to urinary tact problems and dehydration problems. Not sure what they do to the dry food but most of it is cereal based. A cat's digestive system wasn't evolved to deal with eating plants. They get the veggies from the partially digested stomachs of prey.

I'm not saying to stay away from dry food like it is poison but you have to balance the cat's diet just like your own (pizza may be good but eating only pizza is not good for you).

Try not to free feed dry food, and cut down the amount of dry you are feeding. I fed my kitten around that age two 5.5oz cans daily.