Higher calorie canned foods?

crazy4strays

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I've heard that in theory an adult cat only needs 5.5 oz to 6 oz of wet food a day. In practice, I'm finding it to be different. Possibly that suggestion is for a very small cat. My cat is about 12 lbs and per my vet's advice, is at an appropriate weight. So the goal is to maintain his weight, not to lose.

I'm finding that my senior cat (age 14) gets along fine with about 6 oz per day, however he lays around most of the day and is extremely sedentary. My foster kitten eats a lot and so by necessity, I have to feed her mostly cheap or donated canned food.

Are there any canned foods that provide enough calories in one 5.5-6 oz can for a 12 pound cat for a day? I think that he would need about 360 calories to maintain his weight. I'm willing to pay extra for a better quality/higher quality food if I will need to feed less of it, because paying only $1 per 5 oz can of grain free food doesn't really save any money, if he ends up eating twice as much food to get his caloric needs met.

Or do I just accept the fact that I have to feed him multiple cans per day? Right now, the canned foods in my rotation are Wellness, Canidae, 4Health, and Whole Earth Farms.

He luckily is not very picky anymore. He initially was picky when transitioning off of kibble and would nibble or refuse foods. Now he eats most canned foods and will consume several ounces at a time. If he doesn't eat something, my senior cat will, so I'm not worried about trying new foods. My senior cat has never refused any wet food. He will eat any canned food, homemade food, commercial raw, or random pieces of meat.

I'm researching what to order for my next chewy.com purchase and I'm looking at the Blue Wilderness canned foods. Their chicken and turkey varieties are very reasonably priced. Any other suggestions are welcome.
 
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LTS3

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I know of one prescription high calorie food, Iams Max Cal. It's 333 kcal per can, more than enough for most cats. But since it's prescription, the ingredients aren't great and it's expensive.

Have you checked the food chat at Catinfo.org? There are some foods listed that are over 200 calories for a 5.5 oz can. There's also this list: http://www.petobesityprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Cat_Canned_Pouch_Foods.pdf

360 calories is a lot. If you use Dr. Lisa's recommended 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight, a 12 pound cat needs roughly 300 calories. That may be a little more than one 5.5 oz can daily or a couple 3 oz cans, depending on the calorie content of the food.

Have you tried high calorie supplement gels and such? NutriCal is one brand.
 
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crazy4strays

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Oh okay. For some reason I thought that it was 30 calories per pound. 20-25 sounds a lot more reasonable. So I should be aiming to get him 240-300 calories per day. 
 
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crazy4strays

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Does anyone know what the caloric content of Innova Evo canned food is? (Per 5.5 oz can)
 
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crazy4strays

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I looked up the caloric values and based on the information in that chart, I will try to feed Tiger Wellness, Innova Evo, and possibly Nature's Variety Instinct.

Great resource!
 
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crazy4strays

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The Nature's Variety Instinct lamb formula is 238 calories per can! I added that to my chewy.com order.
 
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crazy4strays

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I looked on Amazon and found better prices for the Nature's Variety Instinct canned foods. It pays to shop around.
 
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