Am I feeding the right amount?

Jemma77

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I’m a new cat owner and unsure if I’m feeding too much or too little. Also if it matters what time I feed?

She is a medium cat weighing approx 13lbs. I’m feeding 100g pouches containing 40-42% meat content and is the only brand she’ll currently eat and doesn’t like dry. She gets 3 pouches total. I give her half at a time because she usually leaves some or eats too fast and is sick. I feed her 4 hours apart at 6/10/2 am and pm. Is this okay or does she need a longer break between meals? She also gets a thin slice of beef and about 10-15 pieces of her cat treats throughout the day.

She seems to just always be hungry. She’s also been recently wormed.
 

LTS3

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What brand of food is it?

Most people feed enough calories daily. The general suggestion is 20 to 25 calories per pound of body weight daily. A 13 lb cat might need 260 to 325 calories daily. Adjust as needed to maintain weight. Calorie content is listed on the package as kcal.

Cats who aren't getting enough calories will be "hangry".They'll seek out food on your counters and tables, dig through trash cans, constantly meow, and show other bad behavior.

4 hours between meals is fine if that's what works for your cat.

15 treats a day is too much, IMO. What brand is it? Some treats are pretty junky while others are healthy. Kind of like potato chips or organic fruit. Treats are ok in moderation. 15 treats a week is plenty IMO. Is the beef cooked or raw?
 
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Jemma77

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What brand of food is it?

Most people feed enough calories daily. The general suggestion is 20 to 25 calories per pound of body weight daily. A 13 lb cat might need 260 to 325 calories daily. Adjust as needed to maintain weight. Calorie content is listed on the package as kcal.

Cats who aren't getting enough calories will be "hangry".They'll seek out food on your counters and tables, dig through trash cans, constantly meow, and show other bad behavior.

4 hours between meals is fine if that's what works for your cat.

15 treats a day is too much, IMO. What brand is it? Some treats are pretty junky while others are healthy. Kind of like potato chips or organic fruit. Treats are ok in moderation. 15 treats a week is plenty IMO. Is the beef cooked or raw?
The brand I get is vitacat mixed meat and fish selection. It’s the first I picked up when she suddenly came into our lives. I’ve tried other brands but she won’t touch anything else so far, unless it’s in jelly and she’ll just lick that off.
Doesn’t say anything about calories, but I think I’ve seen online around 80 per pouch. The treats are also vitacat that I picked up at my supermarket and are apparently <2 cals per treat.

The beef is just lunch meat and is 35kcal per slice. She doesn’t get it every single day and sometimes only half a slice. The kids give her it when she pesters them lol. Other days she can get a bit of cooked plain chicken or salmon.

So altogether she gets on average around 300 cals a day?
 

LTS3

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That looks like a UK brand. Maybe V verna davies is familiar with it.

Google says the seafood only varieties are about 80 calories per pouch. Assuming the meat / fish selection is roughly similar, 3 or 4 pouches of that should be enough for your cat. Maybe try adding another pouch daily for a week or so to see if that satisfies your cat's tummy.
 
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Jemma77

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Alright I’ll try that. I’ll cut down on the cat treats too. There was nothing about how many to give and it’s so easy to keep giving when they’re gone in a sec and she begs for more lol
 

verna davies

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Hi
I presume you buy the Vitacat from Aldi. It is on par with Whiskers and other supermarket own brands. It is actually about 4% of the meat/fish stated which is the minimum it has to contain and the rest is made up of derivatives. Not the best of food but better than her not eating. If you could get her to eat a better quality food that would be good. Try buying a single pouch or tray at a time to avoid waste, if she is reluctant to try a new one tempt her to eat it by crushing up a couple of treats and sprinkle on top or mix it in with the new food to get her used to it. Zooplus have a great variety of good food and are a lot cheaper than shop bought.
 
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Jemma77

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Thanks for the advice, I’ll take a look on Zooplus. Any brands in particular I should be looking at or % amount I should aim for?
 

verna davies

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Protein should be the highest percentage, grain free preferably but not all cats like it. Is there a Pets at Home near you, you can buy individual pouches there to see if she will eat it.
 

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I agree with cutting out the treats. Too many are famous for making them vomit too. I would weigh her weekly by holding her and stepping on the scale if you can't get her on it, and then subtracting your weight. Or go by looking at her. If she seems pudgy, cut back slightly. You might keep some deli shaved turkey around for treat time, that is low cal and better for her.....
 
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