How much wet food to feed?

xcourtney3 · Apr 20, 2014

I've posted before about my overweight cats (16lbs and 20lbs). I FINALLY got my boy (20lbs) to eat pate friskies after he denied all other canned food. He was on 4health dry for 1+years and ate 161 calories each day and lost no weight. How much canned food to feed per day if the canned food has 178 calories per can?

molldee · Apr 21, 2014

I feed my big boy one can per day, split into three meals. He's lost weight slowly and is now 16 lbs from 18 lbs three months ago.

xcourtney3 · Apr 21, 2014

Can someone tell me if cats poop less on canned food?

mrsgreenjeens · Apr 21, 2014

xcourtney3 said:
I've posted before about my overweight cats (16lbs and 20lbs). I FINALLY got my boy (20lbs) to eat pate friskies after he denied all other canned food. He was on 4health dry for 1+years and ate 161 calories each day and lost no weight. How much canned food to feed per day if the canned food has 178 calories per can?

Are you sure he wasn't eating any other food, maybe stealing from your other cat's bowl? 161 calories per day for a 20 lb cat doesn't seem like very much

Anyway, even though the canned food has less calories, I think since the Friskies pate has a totally different makeup, I would feed him at least one full can per day and take careful notice of his weight. I suspect he will lose some. But you don't want him to lose too much too quickly, so one can might not even be enough.

I see you just posted another question while I was typing. Yes, cats poop less on canned

oneandahalfcats · Apr 21, 2014

Yes, 161 calories is definitely not enough calories for a 20 pound cat. He must have been getting more than this, or he would have developed serious health issues such as fatty liver disease.

Depending on the build and activity level of cats, the daily caloric intake is between 15-20 calories per pound. So, at 20 pounds your cat would need minimum 260 calories per day to be safe.

There are two ways to calculate daily calories based on weight. One is to calculate for 15-20 calories per pound. The other method is to use Dr. Pierson's formula which is 13.6 x 20 pounds + 70 = 342, which is overly generous, but this takes into account, cats who are reasonably active with a higher rate of metabolism. Obviously this is not the caloric intake that you will use, but just to give you an idea of what your cat's requirements at 20 pounds.

In order to start the process of weight loss, you would take 80% of the current daily amount of calories based on 20 pounds. So, if using 15 calories, this would be 15 x 20 pounds = 300 calories x 80% = 240. If the calories for a can of Friskies is 178, then your cat needs a little better than 1 and a half cans of food. This is your starting point. From here, you would gradually reduce the amount of calories until your kitty reaches his ideal weight

Keep in mind that during the weight loss process, your cat will reach a plateau and the amount of weight loss will decrease. A safe weekly weight loss is 6 ounces or 1-2% of your cat's body weight.

Below are a couple of links that may help to guide and inspire you at this point. One is to a thread of a member here who documented the weight loss of a shelter or rescue cat that she was asked to take in. The other is to a page at Dr. Pierson's site regarding feline obesity which discusses safe weight loss.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245236/mickey-my-27-lbs-foster-and-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity

xcourtney3 · Apr 21, 2014

mrsgreenjeens said:
Are you sure he wasn't eating any other food, maybe stealing from your other cat's bowl? 161 calories per day for a 20 lb cat doesn't seem like very much

Anyway, even though the canned food has less calories, I think since the Friskies pate has a totally different makeup, I would feed him at least one full can per day and take careful notice of his weight. I suspect he will lose some. But you don't want him to lose too much too quickly, so one can might not even be enough.

I see you just posted another question while I was typing. Yes, cats poop less on canned

They have been eating canned only yesterday and today, and there's only been one bowel movement in the box so far.. is that normal? I'm feeling a bit paranoid!

xcourtney3 · Apr 21, 2014

oneandahalfcats said:
Yes, 161 calories is definitely not enough calories for a 20 pound cat. He must have been getting more than this, or he would have developed serious health issues such as fatty liver disease.

Depending on the build and activity level of cats, the daily caloric intake is between 15-20 calories per pound. So, at 20 pounds your cat would need minimum 260 calories per day to be safe.

There are two ways to calculate daily calories based on weight. One is to calculate for 15-20 calories per pound. The other method is to use Dr. Pierson's formula which is 13.6 x 20 pounds + 70 = 342, which is overly generous, but this takes into account, cats who are reasonably active with a higher rate of metabolism. Obviously this is not the caloric intake that you will use, but just to give you an idea of what your cat's requirements at 20 pounds.

In order to start the process of weight loss, you would take 80% of the current daily amount of calories based on 20 pounds. So, if using 15 calories, this would be 15 x 20 pounds = 300 calories x 80% = 240. If the calories for a can of Friskies is 178, then your cat needs a little better than 1 and a half cans of food. This is your starting point. From here, you would gradually reduce the amount of calories until your kitty reaches his ideal weight

Keep in mind that during the weight loss process, your cat will reach a plateau and the amount of weight loss will decrease. A safe weekly weight loss is 6 ounces or 1-2% of your cat's body weight.

Below are a couple of links that may help to guide and inspire you at this point. One is to a thread of a member here who documented the weight loss of a shelter or rescue cat that she was asked to take in. The other is to a page at Dr. Pierson's site regarding feline obesity which discusses safe weight loss.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245236/mickey-my-27-lbs-foster-and-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity

I read Dr. Pierson's page about Molly and Bennie. Molly was 20lbs and started on 180cals/day. Bennie was 26lbs started on 180cals/day... that is confusing!

oneandahalfcats · Apr 21, 2014

xcourtney3 said:
I read Dr. Pierson's page about Molly and Bennie. Molly was 20lbs and started on 180cals/day. Bennie was 26lbs started on 180cals/day... that is confusing!

Yes, those examples do seem to contradict what is said earlier in the article. I would stick with the formulas. So if your cat's ideal weight is 14 pounds for instance, using Dr. Pierson's formula, the total calories would be 13.6 x 14 + 70 = 260, which is generous. If calculating using 15 calories per pound, the total calories would be 15 x 14 = 210, which would be more realistic.

So, back to the can of whiskas .. You will want to feed a bit more than a can to feed at least 210 calories. The reason why your kitty wasn't losing weight, may have been due to the carb content of the dry. Wet canned does not contain the same amount or type of carbs that dry food does.

xcourtney3 · Apr 21, 2014

oneandahalfcats said:
Yes, those examples do seem to contradict what is said earlier in the article. I would stick with the formulas. So if your cat's ideal weight is 14 pounds for instance, using Dr. Pierson's formula, the total calories would be 13.6 x 14 + 70 = 260, which is generous. If calculating using 15 calories per pound, the total calories would be 15 x 14 = 210, which would be more realistic.

So, back to the can of whiskas .. You will want to feed a bit more than a can to feed at least 210 calories. The reason why your kitty wasn't losing weight, may have been due to the carb content of the dry. Wet canned does not contain the same amount or type of carbs that dry food does.

Thank you! I will feed him more. Do you think 1 can is enough for my 16lb girl? She does not seem to be hungry for more now that she knows her meals are wet. (Yesterday she ate it all and looked for more, I'm guessing it is because their normal food was dry and she thought she was getting a treat. Today she isn't looking for more) I'm feeding them 4x/day. We're very excited our boy is finally eating wet. He had 2 episodes of stress induced cystitis before the age of 1 so I've always been concerned about his water intake. (They are 4 now)

oneandahalfcats · Apr 21, 2014

xcourtney3 said:
Thank you! I will feed him more. Do you think 1 can is enough for my 16lb girl? She does not seem to be hungry for more now that she knows her meals are wet. (Yesterday she ate it all and looked for more, I'm guessing it is because their normal food was dry and she thought she was getting a treat. Today she isn't looking for more) I'm feeding them 4x/day. We're very excited our boy is finally eating wet. He had 2 episodes of stress induced cystitis before the age of 1 so I've always been concerned about his water intake. (They are 4 now)

Feeding 4 x per day is very smart as they will feel more satisfied with smaller but more frequent meals. The one can should be enough for your girl. Female kitties usually average between 10-11 pounds for an ideal weight of average frame.

I neglected to say congrats on the transition to wet food .. Well done!

xcourtney3 · Apr 24, 2014

So this is day 5 of wet food only and so far there has only been 1 poop per day... for two cats? Is that normal?

oneandahalfcats · Apr 25, 2014

xcourtney3 said:
So this is day 5 of wet food only and so far there has only been 1 poop per day... for two cats? Is that normal?

Have both cats been pooping each day or just one? While some cats may go more, once a day is pretty average for most cats. As you have changed their diet, this will create a change in turn have an effect on their bowel habits. The output may be less as they are retaining more of the nutrients from the wet food.

xcourtney3 · Apr 25, 2014

I don't think so. All week there's only been 1 bowel movement total per day. I know my female went earlier and it was somewhat hard, I have not seen my male go today (They are peeing normally and eating well and otherwise fine)

oneandahalfcats · Apr 26, 2014

xcourtney3 said:
I don't think so. All week there's only been 1 bowel movement total per day. I know my female went earlier and it was somewhat hard, I have not seen my male go today (They are peeing normally and eating well and otherwise fine)

Hi there .. Any new signs of BMs since your last post?

If your cats go outside, is it possible that one of them is doing their business outside? The other consideration is that the one who isn't pooping, may have been getting some fiber from the dry, and now that you have stopped the dry, its causing some slow down. Wet canned is not be as bulk-forming as the dry and so it can take some time for the digestion to get used to the different type and amount of food.

xcourtney3 · Apr 26, 2014

Nope, no more BMs and they are inside only cats

xcourtney3 · Apr 26, 2014

Ok, my male just went and it was totally normal according to the chart on Little Big Cat. So they must be every-other-day cats on canned food. Thanks for your help!

molldee · Apr 26, 2014

I have a 16 lb cat and he gets 1/3 of a 5.5 oz can three times a day, so pretty much a can a day, and he is losing weight very slowly. He was 18 lbs but lost 2 lbs over a six month period (that's actually reaaaally slow). And I've only been feeding him one can a day! The thing is you have to weigh them to keep track and then adjust portions accordingly.

oneandahalfcats · Apr 27, 2014

xcourtney3 said:
Ok, my male just went and it was totally normal according to the chart on Little Big Cat. So they must be every-other-day cats on canned food. Thanks for your help!

Glad to read that he finally went ..

You must have been relieved! .. I know how it feels to worry about change in bowel habits. I have a big male cat, Max, who had been dealing with constipation on and off for two years. But through trial and error, we have figured things out, and the problems with constipation appear to be a thing of the past. A switch to majority wet was the most significant benefit. You should start to see a more consistent pattern of elimination. Hang in there.

maiaelizabeth · Apr 27, 2014

Maia who weighed over 7 pounds last month and Foley is is a big boy over 13 pounds eat one can on fancy feast a day divided in two meals, breakfast and lunch. They only like the grilled ones or bits not the pate and I also keep dry food all day long. Maia seems significantly bigger after her spaying last February she's always been petite and slim in a healthy way but after I came back from a two week vacation I did find her particularly bigger. She eats more now and she used to have a limited appetite before. My Foley is always been a big boy. :clap:

This is Foley

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maiaelizabeth
Apr 27, 2014

And my baby girl Maia

tmp_20140418_155738-1454613863.jpg

maiaelizabeth
Apr 27, 2014

42cattier · Apr 28, 2014

Using baby scales to monitor progress may be helpful. At Dr. Pierson website (catinfo.org) at least 5 oz can daily was necessary. Watch for uneaten food, deduct from total amount.

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