Am I feeding my cat too much?

KatScritch

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I adopted a shelter rescue December 2023 and had been told by the foster that she eats both wet and dry food. It took some trial and error but I found that what keeps her happy is a daily 2.8 oz can of wet food, half for breakfast half for dinner, supplemented with 2.5 tbsp of dry kibble. After her wet breakfast, I give her one tbsp of kibble and repeat this for dinner. At bed time I drop a half tbsp of kibble in her bowl.

The vet said this feeding regimen is okay but the in home claw trimming service I use told me she is a little chonky. I have tried decreasing her kibble servings but after a day or so of this, she begins chewing on the bottoms of wood cabinets around my home or chewing on the dry caulk around baseboards.

She is 2 years old. She weighed around 10 lbs when the nail lady said she was chonky. She got sick back in May and her weight got down to 9 lbs but since she was ill, it was not the type of weight loss I wanted. Her weight got back up to 10 lbs as of last month.

I try to feed her healthy food especially considering that her foster had her on Fancy Feast wet and Purina Friskies kibble. Now she eats Fussie Cat wet food and Nulo grain-free kibble. I am not willing to mess with her wet food portions but am I feeding her too much kibble? Maybe 10 lbs is just her weight. What do y'all think?

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Kris107

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A top down view of her body is usually best, but if I go on the window pic, she does look a bit thick in the tummy area. She shouldn't really bulge out in the middle - should be more straight. If you google a cat weight chart, you can get an idea. The dry food does tend to be more calorie heavy, so it could be a way to cut back. Just reduce by small amounts for several weeks and see if there is a difference. For instance, for one of ours, instead of a rounded scoop, we cut back to a flat or under-flat scoop. That was enough to drop some weight.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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OR, you could look at feeding her a different kibble. Kibble comes in all different calories, so you might check and see how many calories are in the Nulo you are feeding and see if you can find one slightly lower. I believe Nulo makes a Nulo Trim that might be just slightly lower in calories which could work so you wouldn't actually have to give her less food. You certainly don't want her eating your cabinets or baseboards!
 

tabbytom

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What do y'all think?
If she would just eat wet food will be good. Dry food tends to help out on weight. My boy is also on Fussie Cat wet food and he's slim and of course he's an active cat.

Is your cat active? A normal active cat needs 200 - 250 calories a day and a very active cat needs 250 - 300 calories a day. If you cat is eating normal but not active or that active, it'll show up in the weights. Get her to exercise more by playing more with her to make her run and chase Da Bird cat wand or play ball and doing this will keep her trim and fit.
For me, a little pudgy is fine.

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KatScritch

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Thanks everyone for the replies!

A top down view of her body is usually best, but if I go on the window pic, she does look a bit thick in the tummy area. She shouldn't really bulge out in the middle - should be more straight. If you google a cat weight chart, you can get an idea. The dry food does tend to be more calorie heavy, so it could be a way to cut back. Just reduce by small amounts for several weeks and see if there is a difference. For instance, for one of ours, instead of a rounded scoop, we cut back to a flat or under-flat scoop. That was enough to drop some weight.
Thank you. I may have been trying to cut too much too fast. I went from flat scoop to under flat scoop but I did that for all three of her daily portions simultaneously. If I cut food again, I will cut much slower.

OR, you could look at feeding her a different kibble. Kibble comes in all different calories, so you might check and see how many calories are in the Nulo you are feeding and see if you can find one slightly lower. I believe Nulo makes a Nulo Trim that might be just slightly lower in calories which could work so you wouldn't actually have to give her less food. You certainly don't want her eating your cabinets or baseboards!
Thank you, very good point. After some internet clicking, I found that the Cat and Kitten kibble I was giving her is 486 kcal/cup. The Trim is 421 kcal/cup, so it is a bit lower. I just ordered a bag of the Nulo Trim. I will transition her to the new food and after some weeks, if that doesn't work alone, I will begin shaving portions again.

If she would just eat wet food will be good. Dry food tends to help out on weight. My boy is also on Fussie Cat wet food and he's slim and of course he's an active cat.

Is your cat active? A normal active cat needs 200 - 250 calories a day and a very active cat needs 250 - 300 calories a day. If you cat is eating normal but not active or that active, it'll show up in the weights. Get her to exercise more by playing more with her to make her run and chase Da Bird cat wand or play ball and doing this will keep her trim and fit.
For me, a little pudgy is fine.

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More ideas, thank you! No, my kitty is not active. She is literally afraid of the stick and string toys. Anytime I am near her with something in my hand that isn't food, she runs. I have found that she does chase balls of paper I wad up and throw on the floor, but only at her own discretion. If I flick a paper ball towards her it does not register in her brain to chase it. She only chases the balls when I'm asleep or if I'm simply not around her.

Thanks so much for posting the chart. According to the graphic, I would say she is overweight. Her abdomen does not tuck on the bottom and from the top, her belly does bulge out a little but her rump kind of narrows back down.

Thanks again everyone. I think I know what to do now.
 
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