Is this diet providing sufficient nutrition for my cat?

argus

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Hello all.

I have a cat which constantly wants food. Even after I've fed her she wants food. Each time I walk into the kitchen she bolts to me meowing as if it were her last moments of life. Lucy is a female Australian domestic short hair who is 2 years, 3 months old and of good physical health and weight at 3.4kg (7.5lbs). She's predominantly indoors however I let her out in the yard for a few hours each day and she is reasonably active.

I currently feed her:

Morning:
  • 1/4 cup Wellness Complete Health Indoors (Dry food)
  • Dash of lactose-free cow milk. (she loves it)
Afternoon:
  • 1x 85g (3oz) Fancy Feast can wet food OR
  • 85g (3oz) fresh beef and kangaroo meat mix
Evening:
  • 1/4 cup Wellness Complete Health Indoors (Dry food)
  • Occasionally 1 chicken neck
She always has water available and seems to drink a reasonable quantity each day.

This seems consistent with the packaging instructions. I tried giving her an entire day's dry food to see if she was more comfortable with a constant supply of food but she simply gorged herself and finished the remainder before midday. I've just bought an auto-feeder to provide her with regular small meals throughout the day to see if she accepts this.

Her last vet appointment was only 10 days ago and nothing problematic was found. Could this be a psychological issue?

Thank you in advance.
 

momto3cats

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Maybe she would be more satisfied with a different dry food, one that isn't an indoor formula. It sounds like she's young and active, but this food is described as being for "a less active, indoor lifestyle". It's quite low in protein and fat, so it might not be making feel full and satisfied. IMO a regular adult food would probably suit her needs better.
 

lisahe

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Maybe she would be more satisfied with a different dry food, one that isn't an indoor formula. It sounds like she's young and active, but this food is described as being for "a less active, indoor lifestyle". It's quite low in protein and fat, so it might not be making feel full and satisfied. IMO a regular adult food would probably suit her needs better.
I agree, particularly about the protein! I wonder, too, if she might prefer to have more wet food, which would be higher in protein (which is what cats need most) than dry food.
 
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argus

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Okeydoke. I'll give her a wet meal in the morning as well. By how much do you think I should adjust the dry food?
 
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argus

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I just looked at some numbers. Considering that fresh meat contains barely a tenth of the average carbs as dry food, would that mean that I could feed her more often using fresh meat without fear of weight gain?
 

lisahe

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I'm not good a disaster at counting calories (since I don't do it!) but, yes, feeding fresh meat and/or very low-carb canned foods is generally a good way to avoid weight gain. Cats just don't need the carbs that come with dry food. Beyond that, it seems that many cats tend to self-regulate better on high-protein/low-carb foods than on dry foods: the water and the protein, which they need so much, seem to help satisfy and fill them. Fresh meat that's supplemented to be a full meal is great to feed because it doesn't have any fillers. (Our cats love it!) Depending on the calorie counts of the foods you're using, perhaps you could just replace the morning dry food with wet food and leave the rest of the meal plan as is?

Personally, I'd probably consider feeding larger meat/canned meals in the morning and evening, with a smaller dry food meal coming in the middle of the day but that might not fit your schedule and/or Lucy's preferences! I say this because we feed our cats a combination of five daily meals of various sizes (with smaller ones during the day), but I work at home so that's relatively easy to do! I'm also very intuitive about feeding: when I first started on the cats' food rotation, I was looking at roughly 200 calories a day as a target but they ate lots, lots more because they were young and ridiculously active. It's only a slight exaggeration to say that I fed them almost as much as they wanted until they were around three: one cat has a tendency to overeat so we've always had to keep her away from her sister's dishes but, again, I think that feeding them wet food has helped them limit their eating on their own. Feeding them meals, rather than free-feeding, has also helped; it sounds like you're already doing that. Our cats are about 3.5 now and at this point, just watching their behavior and their bodies is enough to know if I'm feeding them the right amounts!

Sorry that's so vague and unhelpful!
 
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argus

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Thank you all. I tried leaving her an entire day's feed to see how she reacted. She appeared to be a bit less anxious when she knew food was available so that might be part of her anxiety issue. Unfortunately she gulped the majority down in one go and finished the rest as soon as she was able. I'll try unlimited feed for a few days and measure how much she consumes but I don't want her becoming overweight.

As an aside, all day today she has been going to the toilet every few hours. I think I've cleaned out the tray six times today for number 2s. Unfortunately they're all quite soft and wet, smelling like something that came straight out of Hades. Would this be because I've made a sudden change to her diet?
 

lisahe

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Thank you all. I tried leaving her an entire day's feed to see how she reacted. She appeared to be a bit less anxious when she knew food was available so that might be part of her anxiety issue. Unfortunately she gulped the majority down in one go and finished the rest as soon as she was able. I'll try unlimited feed for a few days and measure how much she consumes but I don't want her becoming overweight.

As an aside, all day today she has been going to the toilet every few hours. I think I've cleaned out the tray six times today for number 2s. Unfortunately they're all quite soft and wet, smelling like something that came straight out of Hades. Would this be because I've made a sudden change to her diet?
My answer to your question is: Yes, it may well be. Her body probably feels overloaded after all that food. I might humbly suggest not feeding her everything at once. And easing in the increased wet food as you ease out some of the dry.

If, by any chance, Lucy is a rescue cat, something we didn't ask about before, that could also be a reason she's been anxious about food. Our cats are rescues who came to us underfed and with food anxieties. They've been with us about 2.5 years now and the cat who'd been the biggest gulper has finally started slowing down.
 

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We feed one 3 oz can in the morning and one 3 oz can at night with a tiny bit of dry food for the dinner. The protein is better in the wet food and also provides the water our girls don't really drink on their own.
 
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