We at TCS frequently recommend 20 calories per pound of body weight for feeding cats.
I have read multiple articles and studies which indicate that the caloric needs for spayed and neutered cats is 20%-30% lower than for intact cats. What no article seems to specify is whether 20 calories per day is the right amount for intact cats or for cats who have been altered. There was only one article that seemed to allude to 20-25 calories per day being intended for intact cats, with spayed/neutered requiring approx. 25% less...which would only be 15 calories per pound.
It appears that my >15 pound neutered senior cat can't lose any weight unless I drop his calories to under 200 calories per day...at which point I worry that he isn't eating enough food to meet his nutritional requirements.
He should be a 12.5 to 13.5 pound cat. 15 calories for a 12.5 pound cat is 187.5 calories, which is about where he starts losing weight.
Does anyone else have a cat eating around 15 calories per pound of their "ideal weight" to keep them trim?
I have read multiple articles and studies which indicate that the caloric needs for spayed and neutered cats is 20%-30% lower than for intact cats. What no article seems to specify is whether 20 calories per day is the right amount for intact cats or for cats who have been altered. There was only one article that seemed to allude to 20-25 calories per day being intended for intact cats, with spayed/neutered requiring approx. 25% less...which would only be 15 calories per pound.
It appears that my >15 pound neutered senior cat can't lose any weight unless I drop his calories to under 200 calories per day...at which point I worry that he isn't eating enough food to meet his nutritional requirements.
He should be a 12.5 to 13.5 pound cat. 15 calories for a 12.5 pound cat is 187.5 calories, which is about where he starts losing weight.
Does anyone else have a cat eating around 15 calories per pound of their "ideal weight" to keep them trim?