Which vet is right?

losna

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Poor Sinbad has been struggling with respiratory infections since we adopted him, so we've had to take him to the vet several times. We've now seen two different vets, and while I like this one we went to today the best of the ones we've checked out, today's visit has me not sure what to do. One of the things I ask about whenever we go is feeding and nutrition.

Sinbad weighs around 9 1/2 pounds.

The first vet told us that at Sinbad's weight, we should be feeding him 5 ounces of food a day. Today, this second vet told us that we should be feeding him as though he were a 10 pound cat, 1 ounce per pound, so 10 ounces of food a day. She looked absolutely shocked when we told her the previous vet had told us 5 oz and spent a not inconsiderable length of time trying to figure out why we'd have been told such a small amount of food.

Both vets were looking at the nutritional stats on the food we use, I always give them a full report on how we're feeding him.

So now I am very concerned. If I go by the first vet, and the second is right, wouldn't I be starving him? But if the first was right, then the second one is telling us to overfeed him, isn't she? Which one should I listen to? I can't just go with Sinbad's inclinations as he is a piggy and will overeat if allowed. I know this because when we first got him I let him eat as much as he wanted until he was full, and he gained a ridiculous amount of weight in under a week. 

Normally I'd trust the vet, but those numbers seem so substantially different, I'm not sure how to proceed right now and which one to trust. :(
 

raintyger

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The average 10 pound cat eats about one to one-and- a-half 5.5 oz. cans of food a day, about 20-25 calories per pound.

HOWEVER, there are canned foods that are about half the calories of your average 165 calories/can. And it depends on your cat's metabolism, if they're active, etc. The second vet could be right, but that would be if feeding a very low calorie food like Weruva. More likely that the first vet is more knowledgeable.
 
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mrsgreenjeens

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The average 10 pound cat eats about one to one-and- a-half 5.5 oz. cans of food a day, about 20-25 calories per pound.

HOWEVER, there are canned foods that are about half the calories of your average 165 calories/can. And it depends on your cat's metabolism, if they're active, etc
Yes, I agree that it really depends on WHAT you are feeding your cat.  I feed the same brand (Nutro Natural Choice), and one can has 60ish calories, and another has about 95 calories (these are 3 oz cans).  So you can see the difference there.   ( also sometimes feed them Simple Nourish stews, and THOSE cans only have around 45 calories for a 3 oz can
.  That's literally less than half the calories of one of the Nutro cans.  So....the 2nd Vet could be right , but I would say ONLY if you told her what you were feeding him and she knows it's a very low cal food.  As a general practice I would say 1 oz per pound of cat is way too much. 
 
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losna

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We're feeding them a mix of canned and raw meat. Each cat is getting a 5.5 oz can with 275 cal a day, plus supplements of chicken hearts, chicken necks and chicken livers. Though today the lucky kitties got some sirloin, sliced off before I cooked it up for our dinner since the vet said Sinbad should have a bit of beef added to his diet.

Both vets reacted very positively to what we're feeding, the only disagreement was the odd difference in how much to feed them.
 

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Poor Sinbad has been struggling with respiratory infections since we adopted him, so we've had to take him to the vet several times. We've now seen two different vets, and while I like this one we went to today the best of the ones we've checked out, today's visit has me not sure what to do. One of the things I ask about whenever we go is feeding and nutrition.

Sinbad weighs around 9 1/2 pounds.

The first vet told us that at Sinbad's weight, we should be feeding him 5 ounces of food a day. Today, this second vet told us that we should be feeding him as though he were a 10 pound cat, 1 ounce per pound, so 10 ounces of food a day. She looked absolutely shocked when we told her the previous vet had told us 5 oz and spent a not inconsiderable length of time trying to figure out why we'd have been told such a small amount of food.

Both vets were looking at the nutritional stats on the food we use, I always give them a full report on how we're feeding him.

So now I am very concerned. If I go by the first vet, and the second is right, wouldn't I be starving him? But if the first was right, then the second one is telling us to overfeed him, isn't she? Which one should I listen to? I can't just go with Sinbad's inclinations as he is a piggy and will overeat if allowed. I know this because when we first got him I let him eat as much as he wanted until he was full, and he gained a ridiculous amount of weight in under a week. My small female gets 6 oz. My big male gets same 6 0z wet and 1/4 cup dry to supplement. I do feed grain free expensive canned food high in protein. If you feed less expensive stuff with fillers you might have to feed more.

Normally I'd trust the vet, but those numbers seem so substantially different, I'm not sure how to proceed right now and which one to trust. :(
 

bonepicker

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Poor Sinbad has been struggling with respiratory infections since we adopted him, so we've had to take him to the vet several times. We've now seen two different vets, and while I like this one we went to today the best of the ones we've checked out, today's visit has me not sure what to do. One of the things I ask about whenever we go is feeding and nutrition.

Sinbad weighs around 9 1/2 pounds.

The first vet told us that at Sinbad's weight, we should be feeding him 5 ounces of food a day. Today, this second vet told us that we should be feeding him as though he were a 10 pound cat, 1 ounce per pound, so 10 ounces of food a day. She looked absolutely shocked when we told her the previous vet had told us 5 oz and spent a not inconsiderable length of time trying to figure out why we'd have been told such a small amount of food.

Both vets were looking at the nutritional stats on the food we use, I always give them a full report on how we're feeding him.

So now I am very concerned. If I go by the first vet, and the second is right, wouldn't I be starving him? But if the first was right, then the second one is telling us to overfeed him, isn't she? Which one should I listen to? I can't just go with Sinbad's inclinations as he is a piggy and will overeat if allowed. I know this because when we first got him I let him eat as much as he wanted until he was full, and he gained a ridiculous amount of weight in under a week. 

Normally I'd trust the vet, but those numbers seem so substantially different, I'm not sure how to proceed right now and which one to trust. :(. My small female eats two 3 oz cans a day no dry. My large male eats same plus quarter cup orijen dry. Neither are fat.
 

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So 275 calories from raw and canned, and then more calories from organs and necks? Sounds like enough calories to me. Do make sure the raw portion is balanced. The members in the raw and homecooked subforum can help you there. I wouldn't rely on the vets' opinions about how healthy the food is. Unless they're holistic or integrated vets, vets typically don't know too much about nutrition.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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We're feeding them a mix of canned and raw meat. Each cat is getting a 5.5 oz can with 275 cal a day, plus supplements of chicken hearts, chicken necks and chicken livers. Though today the lucky kitties got some sirloin, sliced off before I cooked it up for our dinner since the vet said Sinbad should have a bit of beef added to his diet.

Both vets reacted very positively to what we're feeding, the only disagreement was the odd difference in how much to feed them.
Are you saying their canned food has 275 cals in ONE can of cat food?  (a 5.5 oz can??????)  I've never heard of a can with THAT many calories.  Wow, what is it?  I'd love to feed my skinny girl something with that many calories.  Or maybe I'm misinterpreting what you are saying here.

Also, why do they think you need to add BEEF to his diet?  Many cats cannot even tolerate beef
 

furmonster mom

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There are some meats that are not tolerated very well once they've been cooked or heat processed in other ways.  But quite often, those same meats will be tolerated fairly well in raw form.  My cats love beef days.

As for the question of how much to feed, as others have said, it really comes down to the kind of canned food being served. 

Most raw diets are based on a +/- 3% of body weight.  Which, for a 10 lb cat translates to about 4.8 oz a day.  Since cats process a raw diet more efficiently, you don't need to feed as much as a commercial diet.  Our cats range from 9-12 lbs, and they all get the same 2.25 oz meals.  That is actually a smidge less than 3%, but since they are low activity indoor kitties, they are doing fine on it. 

An ounce per pound, even for commercial food, seems quite high to me.
 
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losna

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I feed them Wild Calling. http://wildcalling.com/products/triple-delight-cat/

Sinbad can't eat salmon any more, so now I feed him buffalo instead of triple delight, but it's in the same ballpark cal range. I know a lot of people won't use Wild Calling because of its association with Evanger. From the research I've done though, I have no current objections to it.

Sinbad loved the beef, so it works out. Tempest didn't care for it, but she's not the one who has food allergies and needs to worry about variety in her diet. As to the why, it had something to do with the way it's processed during digestion. Her comment was that it might not help him, but it might, and it couldn't hurt him since he's not allergic to it. At this point the poor little guy has been on several different types of antibiotics, and has 5 pills a day he's taking so we're willing to give "might help him" a try.

@Raintyger   They are indeed holistic. They've been helping with our transition to raw (although the raw forums here have helped more in that they've helped me understand what I was being told!). I didn't post this in the raw forums because right now we're in transition and they are getting the bulk of their calories from canned food still. 

Thanks for replying, everyone. :) I always appreciate it when people take the time to answer my questions here. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I DID give Wild Calling a  try, although I was very hesitant at first because of their involvement with Evangers. After some research I decided it was ok too.  However, my furkids didn't like it.    (You DO know that the Cowabunga has 145 cals per can, right?  NOT 275.  Still referring to your comment that they get 276 cal PLUS supplements of  chicken hearts, etc..  Since most raw feeders go by oz vs calories I'm still as to whether or not your 275 in including the raw, but it MUST be.  (I just never knew how to figure calories on raw
))

As to beef, mine like and tolerate it well, but many cats don't.  BUT, my one who loves raw beef best absolutely cannot handle elk or venison.  Odd, huh?  He will upchuck those two immediately.
 
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losna

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Bleh,My bad. 275 was the Triple Delight which I'm feeding Tempest. Sinbad gets a mix of Inland Waters (237) and Magic Meadow (220) since he can't eat salmon anymore and he likes variety. To make up for that he gets a larger portion of meat than Tempest does. I tried feeding him the turkey, but he wouldn't touch it. Luckily Tempest liked it and finished the can. 

Not that he minds the extra meat. When we were first trying to figure out his allergy he got a few meals of entirely canned food with no meat and he threw a little tantrum. He tried to boycott his food out of pique, but he's too much the piggy and went back to scarf it down not 10 minutes later. 
 

edit for clarity: the beef that I fed them was actual raw beef cut from a steak I bought for myself and my husband at the grocery store. The cowabunga has too few calories for me to want to feed it to them.
 
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