How much should I feed to ensure against fatty liver disease?

[SeanS]

So I have a 7.5 pound cat. I want to transition her from dry and some wet to just wet. She is currently mostly eating dry. I'm feeding her wellness pate chicken. Not sure how much she needs to eat to maintain? I hear all sorts of calculations with weight and calories?

I know she'll still want dry so she'll hold out for the dry. Just want to make sure she eats enough to avoid fatty liver disease?

 

[suzeanna]

Glad you're trying to transition her to all wet! How many calories does she eat each day? The wet food cans and the package of dry food you feed her should have calories per gram (or some other calories-per-weight measure). You can also Google them if you've thrown away the packaging or something. You would convert the dry food calories into wet food calories, which will then determine the amount of additional wet food. You will almost definitely need a small scale (inexpensive) to measure the amount/weight in grams (1 cup = ????? grams. totally depends on the food, and it's very difficult to be precise measuring out food without a scale)

For example, my cat's dry food has 3.8 calories per gram. Let's say I feed my cat 10 grams dry per day. That's 38 (10*3.8) calories. Wet food has .8 calories per gram. 38 divided by .8 is 47.5. You would then give 47.5 grams of wet food to provide the same calorie content as 10 grams of dry food.

As you can see, wet food tends to have a much lower calorie content by volume, which is why it keeps cats fuller longer while being healthier.

 

[sanfran_kitty_lady_21]

I'm in the middle of the same process. God it's hard! I found this site that talks about minimum cats should be eating to avoid fatty liver disease and some useful tips: Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats.

 

[SeanS]

Glad you're trying to transition her to all wet! How many calories does she eat each day? The wet food cans and the package of dry food you feed her should have calories per gram (or some other calories-per-weight measure). You can also Google them if you've thrown away the packaging or something. You would convert the dry food calories into wet food calories, which will then determine the amount of additional wet food. You will almost definitely need a small scale (inexpensive) to measure the amount/weight in grams (1 cup = ????? grams. totally depends on the food, and it's very difficult to be precise measuring out food without a scale)

For example, my cat's dry food has 3.8 calories per gram. Let's say I feed my cat 10 grams dry per day. That's 38 (10*3.8) calories. Wet food has .8 calories per gram. 38 divided by .8 is 47.5. You would then give 47.5 grams of wet food to provide the same calorie content as 10 grams of dry food.

As you can see, wet food tends to have a much lower calorie content by volume, which is why it keeps cats fuller longer while being healthier.

The thing is I don't know. I previously just left a big bowl of dry food for her, and just refilled it whenever it was getting close to being empty. So I really don't know how many calories she needs.

 

[suzeanna]

In that case -- the general rule is "20 calories per pound" (so 150 for a 7.5 lb cat). This can definitely vary by cat, but it's a good starting point. If she gains weight after a few weeks and that isn't desirable, then her desired calorie intake might be lower. If she starts losing weight and that isn't desirable, then maybe her calorie intake should be higher.

Is 7.5 the ideal or healthy weight for your cat, according to your vet?

For example, my cat was 18.5 lbs when adopted, and I got her down to 15, but her vet says she should be around 11-12 ideally.

 

[SeanS]

In that case -- the general rule is "20 calories per pound" (so 150 for a 7.5 lb cat). This can definitely vary by cat, but it's a good starting point. If she gains weight after a few weeks and that isn't desirable, then her desired calorie intake might be lower. If she starts losing weight and that isn't desirable, then maybe her calorie intake should be higher.

Is 7.5 the ideal or healthy weight for your cat, according to your vet?

For example, my cat was 18.5 lbs when adopted, and I got her down to 15, but her vet says she should be around 11-12 ideally.

7.5 is idea according to the vet. She is maybe 7.4 or 7.3 right now.

 

[LTS3]

Start with feeding around 150 calories and adjust as needed. Hangry cat? Feed more food. Gaining a bit too much weight? Reduce the calories a bit. Some cats may need more or less than the suggested 20 to 25 calories per pound of body weight daily.

 

[SeanS]

Start with feeding around 150 calories and adjust as needed. Hangry cat? Feed more food. Gaining a bit too much weight? Reduce the calories a bit. Some cats may need more or less than the suggested 20 to 25 calories per pound of body weight daily.

I'm leaving around 200 calories out for her every day starting now. Two 3oz cans. But she never gets close to eating all of it. I plan to leave here half a can in morning, half afternoon, whole can at night. She's still adjusting from dry to wet. She only changed yesterday. She has always being slightly underweight. So I'm worried she isn't eating enough.

 

[SeanS]

Start with feeding around 150 calories and adjust as needed. Hangry cat? Feed more food. Gaining a bit too much weight? Reduce the calories a bit. Some cats may need more or less than the suggested 20 to 25 calories per pound of body weight daily.

The thing is, I leave out two 3oz cans for her every day, but she isn't that into the wet food yet. It's being 28 hours since I cut off the dry food. But I do worry she isn't eating enough since she can't get any dry food now.

 

[LTS3]

Try adding toppers to the food to make it more appealing. Or try a different brand of food. Some cats may be "meh" about some brands but will gobble up others. I'd add back some dry food until you find a canned food that your cat will eat. Give Fancy Feast a try. Many cats love that. The calories are pretty low per 3 oz can so you'll probably need to feed 3 cans a day.

 

[SeanS]

Try adding toppers to the food to make it more appealing. Or try a different brand of food. Some cats may be "meh" about some brands but will gobble up others. I'd add back some dry food until you find a canned food that your cat will eat. Give Fancy Feast a try. Many cats love that. The calories are pretty low per 3 oz can so you'll probably need to feed 3 cans a day.

I'm feeding wellness chicken right now. I've tried fancy feasts, and the results are pretty much the same thing. Each 3 oz can has 100 calories, wouldn't 3 be 300 calories and too much? Sadly I gave away all the dry food to a local shelter. At work point should I get worried and buy some more back?

 

[LTS3]

Start weighing your cat. If you notice a drop of more than a pound over a week or so, add dry food back to the diet and discuss your cat's reluctance to eat much with the vet. Some cats may need a little bit of dry food in their diet You can try a "healthier" dry food like Dr. Elsey or try freeze dried or air dried raw instead.

 

[SeanS]

Start weighing your cat. If you notice a drop of more than a pound over a week or so, add dry food back to the diet and discuss your cat's reluctance to eat much with the vet. Some cats may need a little bit of dry food in their diet You can try a "healthier" dry food like Dr. Elsey or try freeze dried or air dried raw instead.

Okay, sadly every time I bring her to the scale, she panicks and jumps off. I have our first vet appointment next week. It'll be exactly 7 days since she was completely cut off dry, when she goes to the vet for the first time. She is still eating a bit of wet food, just not a ton. Do you think that'll be okay and we can wait till then if she is eating a bit?

 

[suzeanna]

If she lets you pick her up for a few seconds, you should be able to pick her up and stand on the scale. Write it down, then stand on the scale again (without her). Subtract your weight alone from your weight holding her. That's how much she weighs.

 

[SeanS]

If she lets you pick her up for a few seconds, you should be able to pick her up and stand on the scale. Write it down, then stand on the scale again (without her). Subtract your weight alone from your weight holding her. That's how much she weighs.

Will that be accurate enough? She only weighs 7 pounds?

 

[suzeanna]

It sounds like you should maybe get some dry food on hand -- is she eating at least 1 can per day?

 

[SeanS]

It sounds like you should maybe get some dry food on hand -- is she eating at least 1 can per day?

1 3oz can? It's close to that. Each 3 oz can is 100 calories, she weighs 7.5 pounds. I give her 0.5 cans in morning, 0.5 in afternoon and a whole can at night.

 

[SeanS]

Start weighing your cat. If you notice a drop of more than a pound over a week or so, add dry food back to the diet and discuss your cat's reluctance to eat much with the vet. Some cats may need a little bit of dry food in their diet You can try a "healthier" dry food like Dr. Elsey or try freeze dried or air dried raw instead.

What about trying to heat up her food a bit? Sadly she doesn't like it when I mix warm water with her food, and I don't have a microwave. Should I try and pan cook it a bit?

 

[Flybynight]

Hi,
I wouldn't cook it in a pan.
That sounds ok in the amounts and if you wanted to add a little dry don't feed traditional dry as it is very high in carbs but try a little freeze dried raw as mentioned.
I would vary the flavors of wet food as some cats get bored with the same everyday.
Dry food is usually eaten as it is sprayed with flavorings to attract cats.

 

[MissClouseau]

Be warned some cats don't feel comfortable with an only-wet diet. They are not just being picky eaters. They physically feel uncomfortable with so much wet food. Mine is like that too, the maximum amount of wet food she can eat, with a 85 gr wet food, is 1,5 can in total and that's only with 2 different foods, with 4 different servings. Before the official adoption she was an underweight street cat I took care of and even back then she wouldn't eat more wet food.

Also consider dry food saves the day for the times someone isn't there to serve the wet food, and could be more calorie dense for the times the cat needs to gain weight.