Am I Feeding My Cat The Proper Amount?

[Raeohmar]

I have a 4 year old very healthy Torti. She went for a check up about a month ago and she weighs 11 pounds. I feed her wet and dry food daily. I give her 1 can of Royal Canin Digest Sensitive each day (half in the morning half at night) and she always has a bowl of her dry food available to her throughout the day/night, which is Taste of the Wild. She is a grazer on the dry food so I don’t typically worry about her over eating. Is this a good and healthy amount to be feeding her? Wanted some opinions to make sure I’m not underfeeding bc I’ve read online (the royal canin website) that the suggested amount is 2-3 cans of the wet food a day, but I don’t think this takes into account the cat being fed dry food as well.

 

[tabbytom]

She is a grazer on the dry food so I don’t typically worry about her over eating. Is this a good and healthy amount to be feeding her? Wanted some opinions to make sure I’m not underfeeding

An indoor cat needs around 200 - 250 calories per day and if your cat is an extra active energetic cat, then maybe 300 calories a day. But between the range of 200 - 250 calories a day is a good guide.

You can check on the can and see how much calories are printed on the label. A cat can eat a few times a day but total up to the mentioned amount of calories.

Wet food keeps the cat fuller longer than dry food and wet food is real meat with nutrients and proteins and dry food is full of carbs with little or no nutrients left after the process as it is heated up at very high heat which kills off most nutrients that are supposed to be in it.

Here's a chart to guide you to see if your cat is under or over weight :-

 

[di and bob]

I would go by her weight, 11 lbs is very average for an adult cat. My three are dry grazers too, and they share 1- 5.5oz. can in the morning and one at night. they are all slightly chubby. But that is because I made them all indoor cats and they get much less exercise. Does she beg for food every time you go in the kitchen? Run your hands down her back and sides, do you feel her spine and hip bones, her ribs? If not i would say you are doing fine!

 

[GaryT]

every cat is different. I always kept dry food down for my Oliver and he got one small can of wet food a day. He grazed on the dry all day. At his peak in his prime he weighed 13.5 pounds. He was a big boy.
I feed Theodore the same with the only difference being he gets raw beef in the morning (it's the first thing gone from his plate). He was weighed at the vet a few days ago at 7.34 pounds. If anything, Theo gets more food than Oliver did but Oliver was not active like Theo is.
I was told Oliver was overweight but, I disagreed. He was a BIG cat. I feed Theo the same way as I did Oliver (canned in morning and dry to graze all day) and he is just a tad over half the weight of Oliver. He is VERY active so he does burn more calories. He keeps me running!
Theo weighed 6 pounds back in Feb so he is not "piling on the pounds". Vet said he looks REALLY good.

 

[GaryT]

I should add that Oliver got a whole can of can food while Theo gets a 1 inch slice of the 4 inch tube of beef (about the same as a small can of food contains) as well as 1/2 can of grain-free can food. So Theo gets more. He is all muscle and no fat.

 

[Libby.]

She probably doesn't need the dry. I feed my cats 1/4 cup of Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Chicken kibble in the morning and they get 1/2 can of the small wellness grain-free chicken pate in the evening. Even my 20lb Maine Coone Leo.

 

[Buffster7]

An indoor cat needs around 200 - 250 calories per day and if your cat is an extra active energetic cat, then maybe 300 calories a day. But between the range of 200 - 250 calories a day is a good guide.

I have an overweight boy (17.4 lbs) who I've been trying to get weight off of, and I've been feeding him just under two 3-oz cans a day. I just looked up the calorie content in the food I feed him, and that's less than 200 calories a day! Have I been starving my cat? And yet he is so overweight - He should probably weight 14-15 lbs. And he is not losing weight on the 5.5 oz of wet food that he's getting per day. I'm so concerned about his weight and joints/health.

 

[maggie101]

1 of my cats Peaches, eats 3oz+ wet can a day. Maggie 1 5.5 oz can and Coco 3/4 can
7,9,and 8 pds. All healthy and playful
7yrs old,6, and 5

 

[dustydiamond1]

I have an overweight boy (17.4 lbs) who I've been trying to get weight off of, and I've been feeding him just under two 3-oz cans a day. I just looked up the calorie content in the food I feed him, and that's less than 200 calories a day! Have I been starving my cat? And yet he is so overweight - He should probably weight 14-15 lbs. And he is not losing weight on the 5.5 oz of wet food that he's getting per day. I'm so concerned about his weight and joints/health.

What does your vet say?

 

[Buffster7]

What does your vet say?

The last time I asked my vet, they said he could stand to lose a couple lbs and to cut back a bit on his food. I have since eliminated his evening kibble, and have reduced his wet portion very slightly, and broken it up into several feedings a day. It's only been since June, but I've not seen any weight loss.

However, now that I am introducing a new kitty, he is getting some treats that he didn't get before (for the past week or so and probably for the next week or two as they integrate. I'm hoping he will get more active with the new cat.