Calories Calculation - Is This Right?

scubacat

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Hi!

We recently adopted Jackie. She turns 3 in January and is currently unspayed (we see vet next week!). She is currently in heat too which is new for me as I usually always had my pets spayed before that happened!

I am working on added high quality grain free wet food as well as raw. I am pretty sure she may have caught a bird or two in her past so her going for raw has not been too bad, though I am doing it slowly to watch for issues, though she is finicky about the wet (Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken seems acceptable so far). She still gets a bit of kibble for one meal (Orijen Cat & Kitten). She was free fed before.

I am trying to figure out her caloric needs since I am now scheduling her meals. She weighs just over 5lbs. She is thin, but not overly bony or anything. I have never had an adult cat this small so am at loss! I am looking at maintenance or a very slight gain, not loss (I do not want her to disappear).

I took the following calculation from a post by Dr. Becker on Mercola.com:

Weight in Pounds/2.2 = 2.27 weight in kg x 30 = 68.1 +70 = 138.1 x 0.8 = 110.48

Is that right? I also see calculations of 20-35 cals/lb which puts her between 100-175.

She is pretty active right now (and is well, in heat) but she will be fixed soon.

I have been worried about her not eating enough since we got her, but if those calculations are right I actually need not worry and should give her less! I calculated that she got about 160 cals today split over 3 meals (guess as she did not eat all of last wet meal), which is obviously too much according to those calculations (and may explain why she was not that interested in her last meal).
 
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scubacat

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I may have answered my own question. Going by feeding guidelines for the foods I am feeding and figuring out calorie breakdown of those, it appears she needs 200 cals (as an intact, active 5 lb cat). This did not make much sense at first as guidelines seemed to indicate a 10 lb (inactive?) cat needed the same, but then I found further info about cals/lb going down as weight goes up due to surface area vs fat, etc. and she devoured another 1/2 medallion of NI Raw Chicken last night whichdjd bring her to 200 cals for day. Once she is fixed, she needs about 25% less.

I see vet this week and will check but this gives me something to go by!
 

dianamc

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I can't help you with the calorie calculation, but do note that the Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken is a very low calorie food for the can size. My cat is still in the kitten period and I wondered why she was so hungy after eating this.  Now the Wellness foods have a lot more calories.

I have seen 20 cals. per lb. for an adult cat so if a cats ideal weight was 8 lb. that would be 160  and my cat would be screaming bloody murder.
 

vball91

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I think your calculations and thinking are fairly spot on. :) The 20 calories per pound applies to adult neutered indoor cats, so I would definitely feed her more than that, especially if you want a little weight gain.
 
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scubacat

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I can't help you with the calorie calculation, but do note that the Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken is a very low calorie food for the can size. My cat is still in the kitten period and I wondered why she was so hungy after eating this.  Now the Wellness foods have a lot more calories.

I have seen 20 cals. per lb. for an adult cat so if a cats ideal weight was 8 lb. that would be 160  and my cat would be screaming bloody murder.
Yes, don't worry - I make sure to look up the calorie counts of everything! The Weruva varities of that nature (the Paw Licking' Chicken and similar ones) are all around 95-115 calories per 5.5 oz can. Not very much compared to other varieties which can be 200-250 per 5.5/6 oz can! So I do account for this. For example, she has had 130 calories today (about 1/3 cup of Nature's Instinct Raw Duck Pellets). I have just a little over 1/2 can of Paw Lickin' Chicken left that I will feed her when I get home from work, for another 50ish calories

Feeding a variety does require a bit more thought about how each meal stacks up calorie wise, that is for sure! 
 
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scubacat

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I think your calculations and thinking are fairly spot on.
The 20 calories per pound applies to adult neutered indoor cats, so I would definitely feed her more than that, especially if you want a little weight gain.
Thanks vball. She should be getting spayed soon so I will have to figure it out again (I found another easy to use calculation on LittleBigCat that puts her at 194 or so for maintenace as an intact adult, and 165 for a neutered adult) but it is good to know I am at least going in the right direction. 
 
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