Feeding Guide

Hi, recently my cat starting getting over weight so I changed him diet. He gets some dry food in the morning and some wet food for supper. Hes slimmed back down but Im just not sure Im feeding him enough. I dont know that fine line between starving him and keeping him a healthy weight. Any tips would be much appreciated.

The general rule is to feed between 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. Check the label on the food you feed to see the calorie content. How much dry and canned are you feeding for each meal? If your cat isn't constantly screaming for more food, then you are likely feeding enough. Weight loss needs to be done very slowly to avoid fatty liver disease.

There are weight loss tips here: http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity

You can use a  body condition score guide to gauge your cat's overall condition: http://www.pvahosp.com/sites/site-1526/images/Body_Scoring_System-Chart Cat.jpg

Veya said:

 
Hi, recently my cat starting getting over weight so I changed him diet. He gets some dry food in the morning and some wet food for supper. Hes slimmed back down but Im just not sure Im feeding him enough. I dont know that fine line between starving him and keeping him a healthy weight. Any tips would be much appreciated.

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Hi and welcome!  I have a few questions that will help get you some good responses:

How old is your kitty and how much does he weigh?

How much dry and wet food is he getting per day? 

What brand of food(s)?

Some foods have higher protein and are better quality, so some cats might not need to eat as much as some other foods which have more filler ingredients.

Hey there!
My cat is 5 years old. He's currently 18 lbs (he was up to 22 lbs). I give him 1/3 cup of dry food in the morning and then 1/2 a small can of wet food in the evening.
The dry food brand is called "go!" He gets the sensitivity and shine kind
http://www.petcurean.com/product/go-sensitivity-shine-freshwater-trout-salmon-recipe/
The wet good is almo
http://www.almonature.ca/

I have found him some toys that he plays with but over all he's more of a lazy kitty. But recently he's been playing a lot more which I'm happy to see.

None of the Almo canned foods are complete diets since they are just meat or fish processed in water, maybe pumpkin or carrot as well. It's good that you are also feeding dry food so that your cat is getting the nutrients he needs. You may want to read this about Almo: http://truthaboutpetfood.com/almo-nature-pet-food-complete-diet/

Do you know how much your cat should weight?

For 1/3 cup of dry food, your get is getting about 161 calories. The canned food doesn't add much more, about 50 calories. An 18 pound cat needs around 450 calories daily to maintain weight. You're feedng a lot less calories and your cat is at risk for developing fatty liver disease. Try feeding more canned food. Will your cat eat other brands of canned food? Can you feed a mid day meal or before bedtime? Small frequent meals works best for most cats.

Oh I thought because almo doesn't have a lot of extra stuff I figured it was better. I only recently figure out that a mix of wet and dry was better than all dry. I always thought wet food was a fatty treat. So I don't really know what a good kind is. He'll eat whatever I give him. But I gave him "pride by instinct" and he got really bad diarrhea so I've been scared to try anything else. What should I be looking for in wet cat food? I'm at work all day but I could feed him again before bed so he gets three meals.

I'm not 100% sure how much he should weight but last year I had to take him to the vet, he was 18.9 lbs and she said he was healthy so I go with the for my general guideline.

Veya said:

Oh I thought because almo doesn't have a lot of extra stuff I figured it was better. I only recently figure out that a mix of wet and dry was better than all dry. I always thought wet food was a fatty treat. So I don't really know what a good kind is. He'll eat whatever I give him. But I gave him "pride by instinct" and he got really bad diarrhea so I've been scared to try anything else. What should I be looking for in wet cat food? I'm at work all day but I could feed him again before bed so he gets three meals.

I'm not 100% sure how much he should weight but last year I had to take him to the vet, he was 18.9 lbs and she said he was healthy so I go with the for my general guideline.

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Generally if the ingredient list doesn't have any vitamin or minerals then it is not a complete diet, only a supplemental / treat type food. There's usually a teeny tiny statement on the label that will say that the food is only meant for supplemental feeding or something like that.

Here's how to choose canned food: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food Most people stay away from grains since cats have no use for grains in the diet. Some people stay away from other things like gums and carragenan and gluten as well but unless your cat has a food sensitivity or allergy to these, then it is not a problem IMO. The food should have real meat, not a by product or meal, as the first ingredient or two.

Pride by Instinct is a good brand but maybe it doesn't agree with your cat's tummy for some reason. The regular Nature's Variety Instinct is another good choice. Go! makes canned food if you want to stick with that brand. Other popular brands include Weruva and all their associated brands (BFF, Soulistic, Cats In The Kitchen), Tiki Cat, Blue Buffalo, Merrick, Natural Choice, Fancy Feast Classic / Gourmet, Friskies, Wellness, etc. Whatever brand(s) fits your budget and your cat will eat is fine

A programmable timed feeder works great to provide canned food meals when you are not home. I like the PetSafe 5 compartment one. Catmate is another popular brand. Canned food is ok if left out in a feeder all day. There are various ways to keep the food from spoiling too fast, such as freezing the food into meal sized chunks and putting the frozen chunks into the feeder to defrost. Some people just leave a small amount of dry food out for the cat to snack on during the day.

18 pounds is a bit heavy but it may be fine for your cat's frame and breed. If the vet says the weight is fine, then aim to keep your cat at that weight or even just a bit less.

Awesome, thank you so much for your input. When I first changed his diet he was fine with what I gave him so I didn't think about it until recently when he starting yelling at me for food at the time. I really just want what's best for him. The way I see it, I have no kids so I feel like I should make sure I have the money to take care of him properly. I'm willing to pay more to make sure he's getting what he needs. I want him with me for as long as possible. I'm going to go look for some new food today. That article is a lot of help for when I go to the pet store later on today. And I'll look into a feeder as well. Frank is bad for getting over excited and eating until he pukes so I definitely don't like giving him too much at one time. Do you think I should be giving him some more dry food in the morning or just giving him more and better wet food should be enough?

As for his size, you can tell he's meant to be a big cat but like I said I'm not sure his real "proper" weight. I can feel his ribs on his side but his wsister doesnt taper in or anything (if that makes sense). So I think he could maybe be a pound or so slimmer but I don't feel he's obese

Canned food is more filling and better helps with weight loss (less calories than dry) so I would feed more of that. Don't feed seafood based foods too often. Too much can cause urinary issues in some cats while other cats get addicted to eating seafood and will refuse to eat anything else. You don't need to shell out $$ for food. Inexpensive Fancy Feast (the Classic or Gourmet ones are preferred) and Friskies and even pet store generic brands are good for cats and easy on the wallet. The most important thing is that your cat will eat it. Feel free to rotate between two or three brands so your cat has variety in the diet.