Unintentionally been underfeeding.. help?

So growing up my family was never that great in taking good care of animals. I always wanted to but as a little kid you can only do so much. So as an adult now on my own, when I found Aria hungry and scared in my work parking lot I made a promise that she would never lack anything and that I would do everything possible to make sure she was happy and healthy. She has been to the vet as a kitten for appropriate check ups and shots, she recently was spayed, and I half murdered my brain trying to find the best food for her without bankrupting myself (I don't make a whole lot) because animals my family had in the past suffered from various food related issues (my childhood cat had terrible digestion problems) and I wanted to prevent it from happening rather than hoping it wouldn't. So I found I And Love And You cat food. I fed her wet food twice a day and had dry food and fresh water readily available for her. She gets bathed and brushed and groomed and nails trimmed and we provide lots of stimulating toys and etc for her. 

I just have had one problem. She always seems hungry, and she gets bouts where she acts like she's absolutely starved. She's around 8 months old now, and I started getting concerned about her growth. Since she is a rescue and not from a shop or breeder her breed is generalized as domestic long hair. If you look at her, and everyone who has says it without me even asking or suggesting, they say "She has to have some maine coon in her" due to her markings/coloring and the size she was when she was little (They had trouble placing her age at the vet, changed it twice). Her paws are still a little large for her body and its visible that she should have more growing to do. I'm not expecting her to be a monster, but she just doesn't seem to be there yet. 

The past two days she has been begging for food like crazy. I went online and search terms led to more search terms which led to me feeling like despite all my efforts I still failed her. She tries and doesn't seem willing to eat much dry food (I thought she would eat more of it so the following information will make more sense) so the half a can of Chicken Lickin' Good Pate (3 oz cans) in the morning and half at night she has been eating has been her main source of food. When she was little despite my partner's protesting I fed her more based on how hungry she seemed and how much dry food she would eat. She was underweight when I got her and she got to the right weight easily. But come to find out I haven't been feeding her enough since she hasn't been touching her dry food. I feel absolutely awful. 

What can I do to get her back on track?

Some answers for likely questions:
She did okay eating dry food as part of her diet early on and she tries to snack on it now and then but won't eat much or gives up without trying. Her teeth are healthy, she's had every test and health screening done pretty much between multiple exams through her time here as well as me shelling out the money for a full presurgical workup, screenings, ecg, and etc. Her poop is healthy, she drinks water regularly enough (but it has to be changed a couple times a day or she stops touching it), I wash her food dishes frequently, she doesn't have any of the illnesses that would cause her to eat very little or not eat dry food. In all aspects she is in perfect health except unintentionally being underfed. The Vet office loves her and are always going on about how wonderful she is and how healthy she is. Our vet gives report cards with her weight, her health, her dental, and recommendations. She's pretty much every cat lady's dream come true in health and personality. Seriously, I've had a lot of cats as a kid and she is the sweetest kitty I have ever met. 

Should I just switch to two cans wet food a day since she doesn't do more than nibble now and then on dry? Are there ways to interest her more in the dry food? Given that she has been pretty much eating half of what she at her current age is supposed to be (don't even want to  ponder if I gave her too little when she was under seven months old or I might go full cat lady mode and cry because I am a bad cat mother) eating (and I will start tracking her weight so I can adjust based on the 30 cal per lbs thing I read) should I be adding any kind of supplement or what not to her diet? Could this have harmed my cat or stunted her growth? 

Sorry for wall of wording you guys. I guess I am freaking out a little bit and feel horrible. For dinner I mixed dry into her half can left of wet food to up the calories and hope that she feels fuller. She ate some but I think she dry food deterred her so if she doesn't finish it later I will get another half a can to make up for it..

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you..

First of all, stop freaking out. You are NOT a bad furmom. If there were a serious issue with Aria's weight the vets would have told you.

The Vet office loves her and are always going on about how wonderful she is and how healthy she is.

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This proves you're doing fine.

Remember that dry food is much more calorie dense than wet food. She's likely been doing just fine on what she's getting. Bear in mind that larger breeds take longer to grow than smaller breeds - at 8 months I'd still be expecting her paws to look a little large if she's going to be a big girl. Cats aren't fully mature until the age of two - she has plenty of time yet to grow up and fill out.

I suspect the hunger is more likely a reaction to her bad start. It can take quite some time for rescue cats to fully understand that the bad old days are over now. My rescue girl (who's now a little over a year old - she came to me in March) still acts as though she's starving at times, despite being well fed and even slightly chubby now!

With the dry food itself - its possible that the manufacturer has tweaked the recipe and Aria doesn't approve of the change, or even that she's objecting to a slight variation between batches. Don't stress. She's still eating it a bit. You could always look for an alternative dry food for her - she might simply fancy a change.

I'd avoid mixing the wet and dry together though - it can encourage bacteria to multiply on the dry food. Better to feed them in separate bowls. If you do mix them, be sure to throw out any leftovers straight away.

Relax! You're doing fine

Thank you! I'm so scared of messing up sometimes that I completely panic. She wasn't into the mixed food so I had to dump it. I'm looking into other brands of dry food in hopes to find one she likes. And you are so right, the vet would tell me if she were unhealthy. I sometimes get so worried that I'm not giving her what I should that I overreact. Thank you  

EmmaAndAria said:

 
Thank you! I'm so scared of messing up sometimes that I completely panic. She wasn't into the mixed food so I had to dump it. I'm looking into other brands of dry food in hopes to find one she likes. And you are so right, the vet would tell me if she were unhealthy. I sometimes get so worried that I'm not giving her what I should that I overreact. Thank you  

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Columbine hit all the points that I would have made, and I will second her vote that you are doing fine.  I know what it is to fret over a cat.  Hekitty had a pancreatitis episode, and since then, every time she looks cross-eyed I fret and fume and drive her crazy, when all that was wrong was she was mad at the catnip mouse.  YOU ARE DOING FINE!!!  Can't say that enough.  You take her to the vet on a regular basis, it seems, and they are happy with her weight.  Breathe deep.  Close your eyes for a moment.  She's a growing girl, and sometimes their appetites are bigger than their caloric needs, as well.  You don't want her to be overweight...down that path lies early onset arthritis, diabetes, and other ills.  You're a good MomCat, and she's lucky to have you.

I absolutely agree with everyone else. You're FINE! Don't sweat it. She's healthy! Breathe!

Could you increase the wet food to 3 times a day maybe? Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner? Or Breakfast, Dinner, and Bedtime? Depending on your schedule. Leave dry out in between of course.

I could honestly write a book called "Food My Cats Hate" and it would be many volumes long. It took me MONTHS to find foods that they'd both eat consistently. The canned food was hit or miss, but they wouldn't touch the first 4-5 dry foods I tried. Thankfully most pet stores will take back opened bags! I finally found foods that lives up to both my standards and theirs, and they're happily gaining weight now finally.

You may just have to try a couple of different dry foods! I hear most "kitten" dry food is basically crack, you may want to try that.   

I swear my cat was doing the same thing last night. When I first got my cat I didn't know anything about cats and brought her to the vet several times and probably a couple times that I should have...it sounds like your a good mommy. Maybe some days she is just a bit more hungry like we all get or maybe the colder weather is making her hungry. Maybe she is having a growth spurt as well. Maybe feed her less but more often.