I'm not feeding my cat enough?

terestrife · Dec 29, 2014

I was giving my cat a can of food a day (5oz the big cans), and then treats at night because she would ask for food a day. But after a comment someone made to me, I looked at my cans and realized that some of them recommend 1.5 cans a day.

I stopped the treats a month ago, because i heard bad things about them.

Anyway, my cat is 12 lbs, and my vet said to try to get her to 9-10 lbs as she has alot of chunk on her ribs XD. The cans say feed xx amount for 8 lbs. I am so confused, do i feed her enough for an 8 lb cat so she can lose weight? or do i feed her a can and a half? I am so confused as each can says different things.

ruaryx · Dec 29, 2014

Hi, I just posted a very similar question recently about my cat. I was switching her to an all canned only diet and was worried if I was feeding her enough. I would feed her all she wanted to eat, but noticed that it was never up to the amount that the can directions recommended. Anyways, I took Sasha to the vet and had her weighed. She's about 1.5 lbs overweight, so the vet calculated the amount of calories that I should feed her in order for her to lose the weight and maintain the then ideal body weight. Those directions on the cans aren't very accurate apparently. If you're worried, you can definitely take him to the vet. It might be a bit costly but at least you'll have peace of mind. Hope this helps.

ruaryx · Dec 29, 2014

Also, I got suggestions on this site that said that a 5 oz can was enough for most adult cats. My cat is supposed to eat 185 calories a day which turned out to be almost exactly one 5 oz can of the brand I was feeding!

terestrife · Dec 29, 2014

Ruaryx said:
Also, I got suggestions on this site that said that a 5 oz can was enough for most adult cats. My cat is supposed to eat 185 calories a day which turned out to be almost exactly one 5 oz can of the brand I was feeding!

thanks for the help! the thing is with the 5oz i feed my cat, she spends the entire day asking for food. not sure what to do about that. i think i may take her to the vet as you said.

ruaryx · Dec 29, 2014

Yes, I definitely recommend it. I'm a worrier and my vet was awesome enough to talk me through all my questions for 50 minutes! Don't forget to update and let us know how it goes.

terestrife · Dec 29, 2014

Ruaryx said:
Yes, I definitely recommend it. I'm a worrier and my vet was awesome enough to talk me through all my questions for 50 minutes! Don't forget to update and let us know how it goes.

ok thanks =)

bonepicker · Dec 30, 2014

terestrife said:
thanks for the help! the thing is with the 5oz i feed my cat, she spends the entire day asking for food. not sure what to do about that. i think i may take her to the vet as you said.

Have more frequent feedings in smaller amounts 1/4 can 4 times, the last feeding right before you go to bed. A lot depends on activity level, my female weighs half what my male weighs. They pretty much eat the same amounts 6 to 8 oz. she is active and he is a couch potato. Also as a treat I give them a few pieces of approved kibble ( I use orijen)instead of junky treats to satisfy their occasional crunch desire. I do this very sparingly. 5 pound bag lasts more than a year with 2 cats. It makes up less than 5% of their diet, the rest is good quality grain free canned, which I water down with a few tablespoons of bottled spring water to insure their water intake.

terestrife · Dec 30, 2014

bonepicker said:
Have more frequent feedings in smaller amounts 1/4 can 4 times, the last feeding right before you go to bed. A lot depends on activity level, my female weighs half what my male weighs. They pretty much eat the same amounts 6 to 8 oz. she is active and he is a couch potato. Also as a treat I give them a few pieces of approved kibble ( I use orijen)instead of junky treats to satisfy their occasional crunch desire. I do this very sparingly. 5 pound bag lasts more than a year with 2 cats. It makes up less than 5% of their diet, the rest is good quality grain free canned, which I water down with a few tablespoons of bottled spring water to insure their water intake.

i used to give her 3 feedings a day, 1/3 of a can at 11 pm and she still keeps my mom up all night by scratching at her door.

starting at 4 am

reikitty · Dec 30, 2014

What wet food are you feeding? You may want to switch to a higher protein level food to help her feel more full.

And since your vet wants your kitty to loose some weight. Call them, let them know what you're feeding, and they should tell you how much she should be getting to help her lose weight and get enough to eat.

terestrife · Dec 30, 2014

ReiKitty said:
What wet food are you feeding? You may want to switch to a higher protein level food to help her feel more full.

And since your vet wants your kitty to loose some weight. Call them, let them know what you're feeding, and they should tell you how much she should be getting to help her lose weight and get enough to eat.

Natural balance Chicken and liver pate
natural balance turkey and giblets
Wellness minched turkey or minced chicken
Newman's Own Organics Turkey & Vegetable Formula for Cats,

I alternate them so each day she has a new flavor.

reikitty · Dec 30, 2014

Depending on her activity level my guess is she needs around 7 ounces of those foods each day. So I'd say a can and a third of another one. One can isn't enough she is going to be hungry.

You may want to drop down to 6 ounces and buy the 3 ounce cans to make portion control easier and supplement with natural treats. Such has the freeze dried chicken or fish. Nothing but protein and very healthy for cats. The treats with all the additives are what you want to avoid.

Again, consult your vet but from what I read skimming those cans I think that's right. Your vet should give you a consults on the food at no charge, as long as you don't demand an immediate answer.

And don't worry... when I switched one of my kitties to wet food diet I did the same thing...

terestrife · Jan 2, 2015

ReiKitty said:
Depending on her activity level my guess is she needs around 7 ounces of those foods each day. So I'd say a can and a third of another one. One can isn't enough she is going to be hungry.

You may want to drop down to 6 ounces and buy the 3 ounce cans to make portion control easier and supplement with natural treats. Such has the freeze dried chicken or fish. Nothing but protein and very healthy for cats. The treats with all the additives are what you want to avoid.

Again, consult your vet but from what I read skimming those cans I think that's right. Your vet should give you a consults on the food at no charge, as long as you don't demand an immediate answer.

And don't worry... when I switched one of my kitties to wet food diet I did the same thing...

Thanks! i started giving her a can and 1/3 and shes much calmer now. Some days she even gets by with the one can. I even started giving her half the can at 10pm and shes actually allowing my mom to sleep the night XD. i still want to go to a vet just to get her checked out and see his advice, but at least she is calmer now.

reikitty · Jan 2, 2015

terestrife said:
Thanks! i started giving her a can and 1/3 and shes much calmer now. Some days she even gets by with the one can. I even started giving her half the can at 10pm and shes actually allowing my mom to sleep the night XD. i still want to go to a vet just to get her checked out and see his advice, but at least she is calmer now.

Awesome. Sleep is even more awesome.

I'm not feeding my cat enough?

terestrife

TCS Member

Thread starter

ruaryx

TCS Member

ruaryx

TCS Member

terestrife

TCS Member

Thread starter

ruaryx

TCS Member

terestrife

TCS Member

Thread starter

bonepicker

Animal Lover Extraordinare

terestrife

TCS Member

Thread starter

reikitty

TCS Member

terestrife

TCS Member

Thread starter

reikitty

TCS Member

terestrife

TCS Member

Thread starter

reikitty

TCS Member

Latest Posts

Connect with us