Cats are always hungry? Feeding enough?

My two 13mo kitties seem to always to hungry, especially the male.  Neither are losing weight and seem to stay at the same weight which is 11 for the male and 9 for his sister.  

I am feeding them 2 small cans of grain-free Nutro every day (one morning and one at night) plus I keep a small supply of dry to nibble on as they want.  It is rare that they empty all of the dry food most of which is available to them in a slow-feed dish (male is a pig and will throw up from eating too fast so this works).  

Is this about right?  I don't think I am starving them but I don't want them to be fat as they are strictly inside cats.  

Are they each getting a small can of food for breakfast and dinner or are they sharing one?

talkingpeanut said:

 
Are they each getting a small can of food for breakfast and dinner or are they sharing one?

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Ditto to the question! I also wonder: are they already overweight? Or are you just concerned that they will gain weight? Does your vet think they're overweight?

As a "for what it's worth": When our cats were that age, they still ate a lot of food. A ton of food. Roughly the equivalent of three small cans of food a day, though with widely varying calorie counts. Even now, at almost three years old, they eat nearly that much: they're very active indoor cats who love to run and climb. Their weights are fine, though we also have one that we have to watch because she tends to be a piglet and sometimes eats too fast and barfs. *sigh* I think the key for maintaining their weight has been to stop feeding them dry food and to feed them mostly in meals, four or five a day, though we do leave a small amount of canned food out for them during the day.

They share one can in AM and one in PM.   I watch to make sure one isn't eating it all before the other eats.  

That doesn't sound like enough food...  They could probably eat a can each at breakfast and dinner!  Kittens need tons of food and you can slow down once they get older.

talkingpeanut said:

 
That doesn't sound like enough food...  They could probably eat a can each at breakfast and dinner!  Kittens need tons of food and you can slow down once they get older.

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A lot depends on activity level and how much dry food they're eating but I agree with talkingpeanut! @LTS3 is great with calorie numbers based on weight.

I feed our cats in separate rooms for certain meals so the slower eater can eat her fill slowly without stressing out.

sabca said:

 
They share one can in AM and one in PM.   I watch to make sure one isn't eating it all before the other eats.  

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That isn't a lot of food. Each cat needs his or her own entire 3 oz can for a meal. Feed one cat in the bathroom or bedroom with the door closed if you are concerned about one gobbling up more than his fair share of food.

The 11 lb male should be getting roughly 275 calories daily and the 9 lb female roughly 225 calories daily. Which varieties of Nutro are you feeding? The 3 oz can of Nutro are under 100 calories so, no, your cats are not getting enough food to meet their needs even wtih the dry food left out for snacking on. You need to add at least two more 3 oz cans to each cat's diet or include the Nutro 5.5 oz cans (which are around 150 calories) into each cat's diet. Since your cats don't seem to eat the dry food, I wouldn't try to add more dry to the diet. What dry food are you feeding, BTW?

Oh, they do eat the dry food which is Nutro Chicken and Rice.  Eating kibble is not a problem for them.  It is very rare that they finish the wet food immediately after I put it down.  Sometimes it takes several hours.  And I do switch flavors around so they don't get bored.  I don't like leaving wet food down for a long period of time due to spoilage.  

sabca said:

 
Oh, they do eat the dry food which is Nutro Chicken and Rice.  Eating kibble is not a problem for them.  It is very rare that they finish the wet food immediately after I put it down.  Sometimes it takes several hours.  And I do switch flavors around so they don't get bored.  I don't like leaving wet food down for a long period of time due to spoilage.  

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Wet food doesn't really spoil. It's already cooked so you can leave it out without issue, especially in the winter time. Some people add a little water to it to help it stay moist. I leave wet out all day long no problem. 

True, wet food won't really spoil. It will get moldy if you leave it out too long though.

I don't like to leave wet food down. It attracts other critters. Also, it doesn't spoil when in a can, but it dries out and can grow bacteria if left out.

It does sound like your cats could use more food though. Maybe feed the wet food more often in smaller portions.

sabca said:

 
Oh, they do eat the dry food which is Nutro Chicken and Rice.  Eating kibble is not a problem for them.  It is very rare that they finish the wet food immediately after I put it down.  Sometimes it takes several hours.  And I do switch flavors around so they don't get bored.  I don't like leaving wet food down for a long period of time due to spoilage.  

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We leave the canned food out overnight. They don't all like to eat it at the same time, and others like to graze all night long. In fact, I'll hear little tags hitting the bowls all hours of the night. It's definitely gone, or at least mostly gone, by morning. 

And @talkingpeanut, I know what you mean about not wanting to attract other critters. We've had ants in the past but they seem to have no interest in the food unless it's in the can. Which is very weird.