Am I Feeding My Cats Enough?

[Jbrookat]

I am new here, but not new to cat ownership. I grew up with cats, who were always free fed dry food, and my beloved Libby died last May after 16 years with me. About a month ago, our family adopted a pair of rescue kitties, who we named Toffee and Mittens. They are calico littermates, and they are the sweetest girls ever! The group we adopted from did not know much about these kitties, other than that they were surrendered and were behind on their shots. Our vet thinks they are about a year old and has given them a clean bill of health.

I have done a lot of research on feeding cats, mostly because of my Libby. I got Libby when I was a grad student, and I always just free-fed her dry kibble because I didn't know any better. Of course she got to be overweight. The diets I put her on never worked, and she was plagued with multiple health problems for the last 8 years of her life--thyroid issues mostly, but also arthritis and kidney trouble, and it was probably all due to her weight. So I am trying to do better with these girls.

Both Toffee and Mittens are indoor only and about 9.5 pounds. I have been feeding them each 2 portions of Sheba pate in the morning, followed by a sprinkle of Redford Naturals Grain-free dry cat food (store brand at Pet Supplies Plus) to graze on throughout the day. In the evening, I feed them about 1/4 cup each of the Redford Naturals. The calories, best I can figure, is 90 for 2 portions of Sheba, and the Redford Naturals is 447 cal/cup, so 1/4 cup plus a little extra comes to 120-130 calories. So they are each getting a little over 200 calories per day.

My issue is that they are both acting like they are starving all the time! And I don't just mean they beg for food when I walk by the bowl (they do that too, but I can ignore it). I mean they will steal food off my kids plates, and not even things that cats typically go for--they go after tortilla chips, bread crusts, blueberries, and pieces of dry cereal. I caught Mittens trying to chew through a bread bag yesterday. Both of them will dig through wastebaskets in search of food, if given the chance, and I worry that they are going to hurt themselves! Do you think they are seriously going hungry? Both kitties have an ideal body shape, according to my vet, so I would imagine they aren't starving, but maybe they need more calories than I am offering?

Any advice?

 

[EmersonandEvie]

The general rule of thumb is to feed 20 to 25 calories for very pound of body weight for maintenance, so you are feeding the amount you should be feeding! However, since the vet guesstimated "about a year", they may not be done growing yet. Are they very active, ie playing with each other, your kids, you, etc.? They may require a tad more until they officially stop growing, which typically does occur around a year for mixed breeds. I don't think there would be any issue giving them each, say, another half of a Sheba container each or a little more dry food (a heaping 1/4 cup instead of an even 1/4 cup). As long as they don't become chunky, of course.
If it's within your budget, you could also experiment and see if giving them 2 wet meals a day rather than one would help. Wet food tends to be more filling because it is composed of more protein and fat, which takes longer to burn. Kibble is mostly carbs, which are burnt off quickly and make the kitties feel hungrier faster. Maybe they would like the Redford brand of wet food? (Side note: I also have a PSP near me and I never knew that was their store brand! It never dawned on me...lol)
Post picture so we can see Toffee and Mittens!

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kittens. They sound adorable.

About their food obsession, I wonder if they were strays before they were brought to the shelter. If so, they could be suffering from "stray cat food obsession". My Ruby was a stray before she arrived at the shelter, and for the first several weeks after I adopted her, she was constantly on the lookout for food. She even ate a muffin wrapper I'd left on the counter for the length of time it took me to eat the muffin!

With Ruby, no matter how much I fed her, she'd lick her dish clean. Finally, after several months (6 or so I think) she eventually learned that she was now being fed regularly and she didn't have to worry about going hungry and she finally started leaving food in her dish for later.

With your kittens, generally "they say" you can't overfeed kittens, because they're growing. But after 1 year, they shouldn't need as much food.

Here's a couple TCS articles you might find helpful. And if they suffering from "stray cat food obsession", I hope they get over it soon.

What Do I Need To Know About Feeding My Cat?
How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat?
How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat
Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat - Part 2

 

[RajaNMizu]

I agree with EmersonandEvie . Both my girls are about the same weight as yours and are a little over a year. I feed them Sheba (2 portions) in the morning and in the evening. During the day they are fed a small amount of dry (Tiki Chicken and Fish Luau - 1/3c shared). Maybe they would feel more satisfied with wet in the evening rather than the dry?

 

[Jbrookat]

Thank you so much for your replies!!

EmersonandEvie, yes they are both VERY active. They play fight several times a day, play with my kids, and "stalk" birds and squirrels through the front window. They love to climb and constantly surprise us with the places they can reach. It has been a very long time since we had a cat capable of such athletic feats! I think they may still have some kitten in them, too.

Rubysmama, I will read those articles! It has also crossed my mind that they were strays, or at least haphazardly fed, in their early life. The rescue had to treat them for worms and fleas at intake too, which made me wonder.

RajaNMizu, I would LOVE to feed them wet 2x a day! It's not in the budget right now though, so I will try switching wet food to evening to see if that helps. I didn't realize the wet was more filling, I just assumed the dry was because it had more calories!

Here are picture of my girlies. They are the sweetest and absolutely devoted to each other. And they love to snuggle with all the humans!

 

[RajaNMizu]

Oh they're so pretty!

RajaNMizu, I would LOVE to feed them wet 2x a day! It's not in the budget right now though, so I will try switching wet food to evening to see if that helps.

You could always do one portion in the morning and one in the evening, same amount just at different intervals. I'm not sure if wet food is more filling necessarily but it might be more satisfying to them. Good luck!

 

[EmersonandEvie]

What beautiful babies! They're lucky to have been found by you and your family.

If you're curious and want to feed more wet, other budget wet foods to consider are Fancy Feast (classic pates only) and the Tractor Supply brand 4Health/Kroger brand Abound (if you are near either). The classic Friskies pates aren't too bad, but if you do feed them, I would feed them less often than others because of the amount of rice in them. You can get the big cans (12.5oz) for less than a dollar per can online.

Good luck! It is easy to become overwhelmed with the food options for your kitties. Know that everyone in the forum is here to help.

 

[rubysmama]

Here are picture of my girlies. They are the sweetest and absolutely devoted to each other. And they love to snuggle with all the humans!

Awww... cutie pies.

I meant to mention this before, but condolences on the loss of your Libby.
We have a Crossing the Bridge forum if you might want to post a tribute to her. RIP sweet girl.

 

[Jbrookat]

Thank you all so much! I will look into the other brands, too! And...big excitement, my Pet Supplies Plus had 12-packs of Sheba on sale for $6.98 each today, so I stocked up!!

 

[RajaNMizu]

I don't know if your Pet Supplies Plus participates in this but mine offers a 5$ off coupon if you spend 30$ if you're a preferred pet club member. I take advantage of this all the time. Check your local store's website.

 

[Jbrookat]

I don't know if your Pet Supplies Plus participates in this but mine offers a 5$ off coupon if you spend 30$ if you're a preferred pet club member. I take advantage of this all the time. Check your local store's website.

Yes they do have this!! I need to remember that!