Amount of canned food??

We're on day 2 of pulling the dry and feeding canned during the day (dry at night). I'm wondering how much they should get per feeding, as in how many tbsp etc they *should* consume. Today it'll work out that they get 4 feedings. It seems, on average, they each eat about a tablespoon at each mini meal (sometimes more, sometimes less). Is this good?

They're all females, as of yesterday they weighed 9 lbs, 9lbs,and 12lbs.

I'm kind of wondering if I should pare down to 3 meals to let them feel hungrier.

Also... If one won't eat one flavor/brand, do I automatically just give her what she will eat right then?


Thanks!

It depends on how many calories are in the canned food.  Daily cats should get about 15 calories per pound as their daily total.

Every cat eats differently but, if they complain that they want more then they may not be getting enough, and if they leave food behind then they're probably getting too much, assuming they like the flavor.  you can let them tell you at first what is a reasonable amount.  Some cats might need as little as 1/2 a 5.5oz can per day, but most probably want more and an entire can per cat per day wouldn't be unreasonable.

Yes you should find a flavor they like, but introducing too much wet food too suddenly, or changing a wet food they are used to, too quickly, can lead to temporary diarrhea.

Ideally you would start them on a quality food that doesn't have by products and has real meat as its first ingredients.  Pet stores sell many good foods, grocery stores do not as a rule.

Many people do 2 wet feedings a day, some including me do 3, because our cats want it. :-)

Stephen

In terms of feeding till satisfied, it depends on the cat... Some cats will eat till they burst or throw up afterward. I know if I let my cats eat all they want when they want, they'd be morbidly obese.

I feed all three of my cats three times a day, one 5.5 oz can of wet food split between the three of them per meal. One is on a diet, so I have to monitor his weight and portion size and one is losing a little weight so I give him more.

You just have to try different things. Different feeding times, different brands of food, to see what they like. I would recommend buying a baby scale to monitor their weight so then you can adjust their portion sizes if needed.

molldee said:

In terms of feeding till satisfied, it depends on the cat... Some cats will eat till they burst or throw up afterward. I know if I let my cats eat all they want when they want, they'd be morbidly obese.

I feed all three of my cats three times a day, one 5.5 oz can of wet food split between the three of them per meal. One is on a diet, so I have to monitor his weight and portion size and one is losing a little weight so I give him more.

You just have to try different things. Different feeding times, different brands of food, to see what they like. I would recommend buying a baby scale to monitor their weight so then you can adjust their portion sizes if needed.

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Yes well that's why I said every cat is different and that a bit of experimentation at the beginning is called for in order to get it right. :-)

stephenq said:

but, if they complain that they want more then they may not be getting enough

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Haha, sorry I was only referring to this. I get what you were saying though.

Hey Mollldee

No worries its all fine!  One of my cats is a glutton too, and the other is a delicate eater!

Most cats eat 4-6 ounces of canned food a day.

Assumptions:

--Amount is for a 10 pound kitty.

--The calories in the food is average, around 165 calories/can.

Thanks everyone! My feral-now-indoor cat is who I'm "worried" about, eats probably a tbsp at a time IF she likes it (if it's gravy based, she likes it, pate so far, not so much). My other two share a can and a half over the course of the day, and they're still getting dry at night, so I'd say they're definitely getting their calories. Rubie even cleans up the other two bowls. I have my eye on her, but as of now she can afford it.
Can I assume Katniss, my feral, eats small amounts because that's how she'd eat outside?
Thanks!

Tcbemis said:

Can I assume Katniss, my feral, eats small amounts because that's how she'd eat outside?
Thanks!

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Love that name .  And, yes, i would think she is probably used to eating smaller meals, so is maintaining status quo.  But since you are leaving out dry at night, I would think everyone will be ok, calorie wise, since they can nibble if they are hungry. 

Thanks Mrsgreenjeens!! She started coming around as I was reading The Hunger Games, hence her name. That's just the reassurance I needed, thank you.
(I can't figure out how to make the quote feature work???)

Tcbemis said:

Thanks Mrsgreenjeens!! She started coming around as I was reading The Hunger Games, hence her name. That's just the reassurance I needed, thank you.
(I can't figure out how to make the quote feature work???)

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Click on the "quote" box on the lower right hand corner of anyone's post and it should put their post into a reply box

Giving it a try..... That's what I thought, but it didn't seem to work... Thanks!

Nothing..... Odd.

Tcbemis said:

Nothing..... Odd.

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It could be that you don't have enough posts under your belt yet.  Once you reach a certain number, then you will be able to do more things.

mrsgreenjeens said:

It could be that you don't have enough posts under your belt yet.  Once you reach a certain number, then you will be able to do more things.

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Whatever it was, it's working now lol! Thanks!