Am I feeding my cat enough?

delitebrite · Dec 18, 2014

My cat, Gandalf, is an 18 month old neutered domestic shorthair. He's very active, weighs about 10lbs and is all muscle. He is on a raw diet and has been since I got him at 6 weeks old.

Now, 10lbs is considered a healthy weight for a full-grown domestic cat. He looks very healthy, he isn't thin at all. He's very muscular. The general consensus seems to be that 1/4lb (4 oz) is the proper amount to feed daily to maintain his weight, so that's how much I feed.

However, he acts like he's always starving. He gets onto the counters to find whatever scraps he can - he'll eat ANYTHING. He even eats my roommate's cat's food (a prescription diet kibble) so we have to put her food bowl into the cabinet when he's out. I have been trying positive reinforcement via treats to keep him off the counter (we have a glass top stove that stays super hot, plus my roomie has a bowl of garlic on the counter and I don't want him to hurt himself with either), but he's very insistent. After I feed him, he will meow at me and bite me in an attempt to give him more. I can't tell if he's just gluttonous or actually hungry.

What do you think? Should I be feeding him more? I have been thinking about increasing his portion to 6 oz per day, but I'm not sure if I should.

Thanks!

shellyk · Dec 18, 2014

I have two sibling young cats near your cat's age. The male is always ravenous like yours but his sister is not. He even eats her food if we don't stop him. To look at him he doesn't look fat but if I feel his belly he's got a layer of fat growing there. His sister has none. I think it's better to keep them lean for as long as possible so they don't develop health issues as they age. If your guy doesn't have any belly fat I would feed him a little more and see if he is satisfied. I feed my cats canned wet and give them high quality kibble as snacks. The kibble has more carbs which they really don't need but seem to like.

Another thing is whether your cat is indoor/outdoor or only indoor. My cats are indoor and eat 1/2 cat wet food twice daily plus some kibble. I also feed the neighbors cat and he gets a whole can twice a day and whatever his owners feed him. He isn't fat at all but I think being in the cold outdoors he burns more calories.

delitebrite · Dec 18, 2014

ShellyK said:
I have two sibling young cats near your cat's age. The male is always ravenous like yours but his sister is not. He even eats her food if we don't stop him. To look at him he doesn't look fat but if I feel his belly he's got a layer of fat growing there. His sister has none. I think it's better to keep them lean for as long as possible so they don't develop health issues as they age. If your guy doesn't have any belly fat I would feed him a little more and see if he is satisfied. I feed my cats canned wet and give them high quality kibble as snacks. The kibble has more carbs which they really don't need but seem to like.

Another thing is whether your cat is indoor/outdoor or only indoor. My cats are indoor and eat 1/2 cat wet food twice daily plus some kibble. I also feed the neighbors cat and he gets a whole can twice a day and whatever his owners feed him. He isn't fat at all but I think being in the cold outdoors he burns more calories.

Hi Shelly. Thank you for your response. He is an indoor only kitty, although for a few months he was an outside cat (when I lived with my boyfriend and his mom, who didn't want him in the house because he wasn't declawed). He moused a lot when he was an outdoor kitty, but I assume he was probably more active. Also, the begging and feed me more attitude have existed before he was an outdoor kitty, so I don't think that's relevant.

kitcatmeow · Dec 18, 2014

Seems like my 5 month old kitten is always looking for food. I also have 3 kids, so at any given time there is food left of the table or crumbs on the kitchen floor. I've moved the kittens food to our kitchen, we have some in the laundry room too but the cat that looks for food prefers the bowl in the kitchen and our other kitten likes the one in the laundry room. Sometimes his bowl is full of food and he still searches for scraps the kids have left behind. I just try to clear the table as soon as the kids are done, and sweep all the time! But since our cat has a full bowl of food, I think he just likes to find people food, perhaps yours is the same.

lisahe · Dec 18, 2014

ShellyK said:
I think it's better to keep them lean for as long as possible so they don't develop health issues as they age. If your guy doesn't have any belly fat I would feed him a little more and see if he is satisfied.

I agree on both counts! Given that Gandalf is very active and all muscle, I'd probably try feeding him just a little more to see what happens. Our two spayed females, who are seven and eight pounds and almost two years old, eat a whole lot more than I'd expect them to. One is very lean and muscular, the other is slightly plump and squishy but not overweight, according to the vet. They are both very active. They eat a full serving (for their weight) of Primal each day plus a small serving of Rad Cat plus at least the equivalent of one large can of food. The foods have varying calories and I think we've finally found a decent balance for them. At least until they get less active!

LTS3 · Dec 18, 2014

delitebrite said:
Now, 10lbs is considered a healthy weight for a full-grown domestic cat. He looks very healthy, he isn't thin at all. He's very muscular. The general consensus seems to be that 1/4lb (4 oz) is the proper amount to feed daily to maintain his weight, so that's how much I feed.

However, he acts like he's always starving. He gets onto the counters to find whatever scraps he can - he'll eat ANYTHING.

It sounds like your cat may need a little more than 4 oz of food per day. 4oz is typical but it really depends on the individual cat. My Aby is 10 pounds but he eats just 3 oz per day despite his extreme activity level. My DMH is 8 pounds and will only eat 2 oz per day.

delitebrite · Dec 18, 2014

LisaHE said:
I agree on both counts! Given that Gandalf is very active and all muscle, I'd probably try feeding him just a little more to see what happens. Our two spayed females, who are seven and eight pounds and almost two years old, eat a whole lot more than I'd expect them to. One is very lean and muscular, the other is slightly plump and squishy but not overweight, according to the vet. They are both very active. They eat a full serving (for their weight) of Primal each day plus a small serving of Rad Cat plus at least the equivalent of one large can of food. The foods have varying calories and I think we've finally found a decent balance for them. At least until they get less active!

Thanks, guys! I will bump it up to 6oz a day and see what happens!

cats4sky · Dec 20, 2014

thank you for this thread. my cats are the same way, constantly on the counter, begging for human food, in the garbage, scavenging in the sink and it got me thinking i may not be feeding them enough. i was feeding them 3x a day only wet food with a handful of dry treats once in a while. they do not look under weight but after i figured it out they are only getting a half a can of food each day and i realize it needs to be a whole can each everyday. thats going to up my cat food price double but i have to do it for my babies. I thought they were just being pigs but here i was under feeding them!

2cats4me · Dec 22, 2014

cats4sky said:
thank you for this thread. my cats are the same way, constantly on the counter, begging for human food, in the garbage, scavenging in the sink and it got me thinking i may not be feeding them enough. i was feeding them 3x a day only wet food with a handful of dry treats once in a while. they do not look under weight but after i figured it out they are only getting a half a can of food each day and i realize it needs to be a whole can each everyday. thats going to up my cat food price double but i have to do it for my babies. I thought they were just being pigs but here i was under feeding them!

My cats used to constantly beg for food but since I changed their diet they are completely satisfied now . In the morning they each get 1/4 cup of Young Again 50/22 , in the afternoon they each get a 3 oz can of either Merrick Pate or Canidae Pure Chicken Pate ..

Am I feeding my cat enough?

delitebrite

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shellyk

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delitebrite

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kitcatmeow

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lisahe

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LTS3

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delitebrite

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cats4sky

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2cats4me

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