Advice Please !

[Minxxy]

For some reason I'm having a brain cramp deciding on the correct amount to feed my cats. I've only had pets my whole life.
Our male is 18 lbs and may be slightly overweight. Our female is 14 lbs and looks good. The problem is I feed a combination of wet and dry and can't figure out the correct balance. All websites have a different opinion. I know all wet is best but that doesn't work for us. By us I mean Cats. The dry food is 59% protein ,18% fat ,544 kcals per cup and 4.69% carbs. The wet food is Fancy Feast Classic which is averaging 100 calories per can.
So I was giving each cat 1/3 cup of dry in the morning.
At night they each get one can FF .
I'm not sure how many calories I should be feeding each cat.

 

[duckpond]

that might be a little bit too much if they are not active? all cats are so different. maybe cut back on the dry by just a few spoonfuls? slow is the best way to go, you dont want a cat to loose weight to quick.

Have the cats been to the vet recently? what does he say about their weight?

 

[duckpond]

let me ask one more question is this Dr. elseys dry? how long have they been eating it? I remember you posted about somewhere else recently?

If its newer to them, was the dry they were eating higher carb? I have one male cat, he weighs in at 14lbs now, not over weight at all, he is just a big boy. when he was eating higher carb foods, like orijen and even Farmina, which are good foods, he was, according to the vet, about 1 lb over where he should be. one reason i switched to only Elseys for dry. once i made the change, i do free feed dry, and two wet meals per day, he lost the extra lb without any effort. it took about 3 or 4 months, but it just came off, he seems to have an issue with carbs. None of the other cats needed to, or did loose weight. But any extra carbs in his diet and he will put on a little.

 

[Minxxy]

duckpond Yes they have only been eating the Dr Elseys dry for about a week. Before that they were eating Purina one kibble and no wet food. I don't dare try the free feeding cause the male is a food hog.

 

[duckpond]

duckpond Yes they have only been eating the Dr Elseys dry for about a week. Before that they were eating Purina one kibble and no wet food. I don't dare try the free feeding cause the male is a food hog.

lol, ok i understand your fears. my male is a food hog too. when i first started Dr. elseys all my cats pigged out the first week or two, yummy new food. After that they all quit with the pigging and just seem to eat what they need. But many people prefer meal feeding. what works for you and your guys is what you need to do.

Purina one is a very high carb food. i think switching to one meal of Elseys, and one meal of wet is a great thing that you have done! They will be getting way less carbs now, and i would think they may both loose some weight, without effort. with the amount you are feeding now do they seem ok, not begging for food all the time? if so i might try feeding a level 1/3 cup, then give them the can of ff at night. then if in 4 or 5 months you dont see any change, or think he is still overweight, then you can re evaluate your food, and the amount?

and of course any treats will need taken into consideration too

 

[Minxxy]

lol, ok i understand your fears. my male is a food hog too. when i first started Dr. elseys all my cats pigged out the first week or two, yummy new food. After that they all quit with the pigging and just seem to eat what they need. But many people prefer meal feeding. what works for you and your guys is what you need to do.

Purina one is a very high carb food. i think switching to one meal of Elseys, and one meal of wet is a great thing that you have done! They will be getting way less carbs now, and i would think they may both loose some weight, without effort. with the amount you are feeding now do they seem ok, not begging for food all the time? if so i might try feeding a level 1/3 cup, possibly even take out a tablespoon full in the am, then give them the can of ff at night. then if in 4 or 5 months you dont see any change, or think he is still overweight, then you can re evaluate your food, and the amount?

and of course any treats will need taken into consideration too

Thank you so much. I do feel much better feeding them this diet. Actually they seem pretty satisfied with the 1/3 cup dry in the morning and FF at night. I do think I will minus a tiny bit of the kibble though cause they do love their Greenies. Thanks again. You were very helpful.

 

[duckpond]

Best of luck, keep us updated!

 

[Minxxy]

Best of luck, keep us updated!

Thank you.

 

[maggiedemi]

Hi. I would be afraid to go any lower than 1/3 cup of dry with 1 can of Fancy Feast. My boy cat is 12 pounds and he eats slightly more than that.

 

[Minxxy]

Hi. I would be afraid to go any lower than 1/3 cup of dry with 1 can of Fancy Feast. My boy cat is 12 pounds and he eats slightly more than that.

Hello.
Thank you so much for your help. I think I will keep it like that for now.
They both seem satisfied with that amount.