The situation:
So I have been working on trying to get my cats onto scheduled meals by slowly transitioning them over. One of my cats is a 14 pound cat that the vet says is supposed to be 9.5 pounds. When we got him he was ten pounds and I don't think he was really overweight so I'm making this his goal weight for now. When we got our kitten, even though the cat raised his activity level, he definitely started getting more calories since he was eating the kitten food all of the time. The kitten is now six months old and about six and a half pounds. We have switched to Nutrisca, which is an all stages food.
The problem:
I am trying to figure out how to feed them enough food without over feeding them. I have heard that a healthy ten pound cat should eat 200 calories of food each day.
Our food bag says there are 400 calories per cup of food. I think this means my adult cat should be eating 1/2 cup of food to get back down to the ten pounds he was when I started?
Right now, they are eating meals, morning, afternoon, and night. They eat 1/6 of a cup of food each in the morning and afternoon without wanting any more after they are done. At night I leave a measured amount of food down. I have been leaving 2/3 cup down, but they only eat about half, so I'm planning to go to 1/3 cup at night to be shared by both cats. So if I am doing the math right, that would mean they would each eat 1/6 cup of food per meal (assuming they divide it evenly during the night, which I can't be sure they do), which would add to a half cup each every day.
I know kittens are supposed to have all that they want, but at what age does that stop? At six months is it okay for her to have scheduled meals? She doesn't act hungry between meals and at meals will eat almost the whole amount given, leaving only a few kibbles behind.
Before anyone suggest wet food, neither cat will eat it. We have tried this, the kitten ate it happily (in a wide variety of flavors and brands) for a few months, but then was sick and now won't touch any of it anymore. I'm not worried because I see both of them drink lots of water throughout the day.
So I have been working on trying to get my cats onto scheduled meals by slowly transitioning them over. One of my cats is a 14 pound cat that the vet says is supposed to be 9.5 pounds. When we got him he was ten pounds and I don't think he was really overweight so I'm making this his goal weight for now. When we got our kitten, even though the cat raised his activity level, he definitely started getting more calories since he was eating the kitten food all of the time. The kitten is now six months old and about six and a half pounds. We have switched to Nutrisca, which is an all stages food.
The problem:
I am trying to figure out how to feed them enough food without over feeding them. I have heard that a healthy ten pound cat should eat 200 calories of food each day.
Our food bag says there are 400 calories per cup of food. I think this means my adult cat should be eating 1/2 cup of food to get back down to the ten pounds he was when I started?
Right now, they are eating meals, morning, afternoon, and night. They eat 1/6 of a cup of food each in the morning and afternoon without wanting any more after they are done. At night I leave a measured amount of food down. I have been leaving 2/3 cup down, but they only eat about half, so I'm planning to go to 1/3 cup at night to be shared by both cats. So if I am doing the math right, that would mean they would each eat 1/6 cup of food per meal (assuming they divide it evenly during the night, which I can't be sure they do), which would add to a half cup each every day.
I know kittens are supposed to have all that they want, but at what age does that stop? At six months is it okay for her to have scheduled meals? She doesn't act hungry between meals and at meals will eat almost the whole amount given, leaving only a few kibbles behind.
Before anyone suggest wet food, neither cat will eat it. We have tried this, the kitten ate it happily (in a wide variety of flavors and brands) for a few months, but then was sick and now won't touch any of it anymore. I'm not worried because I see both of them drink lots of water throughout the day.
