Question about cat feeding

[rfleming3719]

Hi everyone,

I really hope someone can help me with how much my boys are eating. Artie is 2-1/2 years old and he is the black cat and Vinny is just over 1 year old and he is the gray cat. They get fed together every day. I leave dry food out for them all the time. The dry food is Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken. Then they split a 5.5 oz can of Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet Salmon Pate in the morning and at bedtime they split a 3 oz can of the same Blue Buffalo. They do not eat treats hardly ever.

Artie is taller than Vinny is and Artie looks perfectly fine with his weight. Vinny is shorter and he is round. Like when I walk and look down at him, his little belly rounds out. I weighed them both and they each weigh about 12.6 lbs.

Should I be concerned that Vinny may be overweight or is it just because he is a lot shorter than Artie. I am also attaching a couple pictures of them if I can figure out how to do it.

I just wonder if I am over feeding or if they are eating an appropriate amount of food. I would really appreciate any help or insight someone may have.

Thank you so much!

Rhonda, Artie & Vinny

 

[James&Taki]

From what I know, healthy weights for cats can vary, especially depending on how the fat and muscle is distributed, and the best way to measure your cat's body condition is to feel along their spine and ribs. If the bones are sticking out to the point that you can feel the sides of the spine and fit your fingers in between the ribs, they are too skinny. If you have to press down to feel the bones, they are fatter than their ideal weight. Ideally you should be able to feel the bones without pressing down much, but they shouldn't be sticking out too much. This holds true regardless of how your cat looks; different cats carry weight differently (just like people!).

Hopefully I explained that well! This video goes into more detail & explains more clearly (what I wrote is literally just a quick summary of it, and if there's any discrepancy trust the video over me lol)!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
This might also help;

How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat? [Answered] - TheCatSite

Have you ever wondered just how much food you should be feeding your cat? Let's say you know which cat food you want to feed, whether dry, canned, homemade cooked, or raw. How much of it should be made available to your cat on a daily basis? Overfeeding is a constant worry for many cat […]

thecatsite.com

 

[DreamerRose]

Vinnie looks overweight to me. The free feeding is making it easier for him to gain weight. If you stop that, then split the 5.5 can in the morning and two (one each) cans of the 3 oz in the evening and that should be plenty for them. If Vinnie gets thinner, then you can add a scant 1/4 cup (each) dry food for a third meal.

 

[MissClouseau]

Vinnie looks overweight to me too. Vets rely more on body condition score than the number on the scale. Here is one:

Free feeding may not be working well with Vinnie. Can you invest in a timed-feeder? This way they can eat when you are not there but even if Vinnie steals food, it will be limited. You can also get a nanny cam to see who is eating what -- there are some affordable ones in Chinese web stores too.

 

[rfleming3719]

Vinnie looks overweight to me too. Vets rely more on body condition score than the number on the scale. Here is one:

Free feeding may not be working well with Vinnie. Can you invest in a timed-feeder? This way they can eat when you are not there but even if Vinnie steals food, it will be limited. You can also get a nanny cam to see who is eating what -- there are some affordable ones in Chinese web stores too.

Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate all the input. MissClouseau, from the top Vinny looks like #9 and from the side he looks like #7 so I guess either way, he is definitely overweight. I primarily work from home and their food dishes and litter boxes are in my office so I can watch who is eating what food that I put down. That was always my biggest concern was how do I control Vinny from eating all the food and then Artie gets ripped off. I will definitely sit and watch since they eat in here with me anyway. Thanks again so much!

 

[rfleming3719]

Vinnie looks overweight to me. The free feeding is making it easier for him to gain weight. If you stop that, then split the 5.5 can in the morning and two (one each) cans of the 3 oz in the evening and that should be plenty for them. If Vinnie gets thinner, then you can add a scant 1/4 cup (each) dry food for a third meal.

Hi DreamerRose!

Thank you so much for this. That is exactly how I was feeding them but I still left the dry food down. Then I cut it to splitting the 3 oz can at night. Well Vinny still gained almost 1 lbs in 2 months and Artie actually lost a little weight so I will go back to the 5.5 oz in the morning and then they each get their own 3 oz at night. I have picked up the dry food and see how this goes. In the past I have never fed dry food to my previous kitties but I always so worried that they are hungry so I guess I have fallen into the pattern of over feeding.

I will definitely let every know how this goes.

Thanks again!

 

[rfleming3719]

Hi!
This might also help;

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/c/how-much-food-should-i-feed-my-cat/

[/URL]

Thank you so much, that is actually very helpful. We humans go by calories so why shouldn't they? This is very, very helpful. I will definitely use this as a guide.

I am so appreciate of all the responses!

 

[rfleming3719]

From what I know, healthy weights for cats can vary, especially depending on how the fat and muscle is distributed, and the best way to measure your cat's body condition is to feel along their spine and ribs. If the bones are sticking out to the point that you can feel the sides of the spine and fit your fingers in between the ribs, they are too skinny. If you have to press down to feel the bones, they are fatter than their ideal weight. Ideally you should be able to feel the bones without pressing down much, but they shouldn't be sticking out too much. This holds true regardless of how your cat looks; different cats carry weight differently (just like people!).

Hopefully I explained that well! This video goes into more detail & explains more clearly (what I wrote is literally just a quick summary of it, and if there's any discrepancy trust the video over me lol)!

Thank you everyone for your time! James&Taki, I love your profile picture. I want to hug that little guy

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go

 

[lisahe]

That was always my biggest concern was how do I control Vinny from eating all the food and then Artie gets ripped off. I will definitely sit and watch since they eat in here with me anyway. Thanks again so much!

We have this issue with our cats, too: one eats much faster than the other. So we feed them in separate places, with one behind a closed door. It really works, though it did take them a bit to get used to. The best thing is that the fast eater slowed her eating and the slow eater sped up a little.

I think it's great that you're going to cut back (or even eliminate) the dry food. It's usually very calorie-dense and carby, and cats are hardcore carnivores who don't really process "carby" very well. If your cats are used to having constant access for food, maybe it's worth increasing their number of meals per day? (We work at home, too, and feed five meals. It really helps keep our hungry cat from getting anxious about her meals!)

I'm terrible with calories but I know that when some people are looking at weight-reduction diets for their cats they weigh the cat then calculate daily calories based on reducing the current weight to an ideal weight, tapering calories slowly because sharp reductions in calorie consumption can be dangerous.

Good luck!

 

[rfleming3719]

We have this issue with our cats, too: one eats much faster than the other. So we feed them in separate places, with one behind a closed door. It really works, though it did take them a bit to get used to. The best thing is that the fast eater slowed her eating and the slow eater sped up a little.

I think it's great that you're going to cut back (or even eliminate) the dry food. It's usually very calorie-dense and carby, and cats are hardcore carnivores who don't really process "carby" very well. If your cats are used to having constant access for food, maybe it's worth increasing their number of meals per day? (We work at home, too, and feed five meals. It really helps keep our hungry cat from getting anxious about her meals!)

I'm terrible with calories but I know that when some people are looking at weight-reduction diets for their cats they weigh the cat then calculate daily calories based on reducing the current weight to an ideal weight, tapering calories slowly because sharp reductions in calorie consumption can be dangerous.

Good luck!

Thank you! I have thought of feeding them in separate rooms but Artie such a "grazer" that I'd be afraid he'd be in one room for hours on end...LOL! I have picked up all the dry food so they will only get the wet food from now on. Artie has never been a big dry food eater because he had to have most of his front teeth removed between each fang on top and bottom when he was a baby kitten so he favors the wet food anyway. Vinny will just eat anything so I really hope this helps!

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! !

 

[lisahe]

Thank you! I have thought of feeding them in separate rooms but Artie such a "grazer" that I'd be afraid he'd be in one room for hours on end...LOL! I have picked up all the dry food so they will only get the wet food from now on. Artie has never been a big dry food eater because he had to have most of his front teeth removed between each fang on top and bottom when he was a baby kitten so he favors the wet food anyway. Vinny will just eat anything so I really hope this helps!

That "grazing" habit is exactly why I was hesitant about separate rooms for our cats, too. Ireland was initially very slow but she adjusted well and now eats almost as quickly as her sister! I think she'd always been very (rightfully!) nervous her meals would get poached.

Feeding only wet food should help a lot to keep Vinny's weight down!

 

[DreamerRose]

I have to separate my two also. Lily was abandoned and nearly starved to death, so she will eat anything. She would scarf her food down and then push Mingo aside and eat his, too. Separating them while eating has completely stopped that.

 

[kittyluv387]

I have my 2 greedy eaters eating next to each other. They both eat at high speeds so I figured they were more compatible. The slower eater eats by himself in the guest room. I let him out after I brush my teeth, wash my face and etc. Works great.

 

[lisahe]

I let him out after I brush my teeth, wash my face and etc. Works great.

It's funny, that's what I do for our cats' bedtime snack!