Am I underfeeding?

[lunch]

Hello everyone
I could use some advice again, today about my recent adoptee.

The basic question is: is my (1 year old male neutered indoor) cat underweight and/or getting enough calories? I have seen the infographics before, but I honestly have trouble comparing the drawings to the real thing and could use some input. He gets about 250 kcal a day of wet food and is on the active side. I have two cats in total and are fed together, so meal time is two small cans (one for the each of them) three times a day. Typically the bowls are licked clean. Every couple of days they get about a 1/2 cup of rehydrated freeze-dried raw food in place of one of the cans. I have seen contradicting info about what calorie amount is right so please set me right if that isn't enough!

I am trying to feed all wet because he does not drink water. Despite bowls and a fountain, I don't see him drink. I completely phased out the dry food recently out of concern for his health, so he did used to get additional calories on a daily basis. Perhaps I cut back too much? He is rambunctious and may still be growing, and I do not have experience with the nutritional needs of a cat of this life stage. I have been researching but I have mostly found info regarding either younger kittens and fully adult cats, not specific to this big kid stage he seems to be in.

Lemme know what you think. In some positions to me it looks like the area near the hips has a pinched-in skinny look. And of course, thanks so much for the guidance

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, his body condition looks good. You could experiment and add an extra half of a can and see how he does

 

[daftcat75]

Hello everyone
I could use some advice again, today about my recent adoptee.

The basic question is: is my (1 year old male neutered indoor) cat underweight and/or getting enough calories? I have seen the infographics before, but I honestly have trouble comparing the drawings to the real thing and could use some input. He gets about 250 kcal a day of wet food and is on the active side. I have two cats in total and are fed together, so meal time is two small cans (one for the each of them) three times a day. Typically the bowls are licked clean. Every couple of days they get about a 1/2 cup of rehydrated freeze-dried raw food in place of one of the cans. I have seen contradicting info about what calorie amount is right so please set me right if that isn't enough!

I am trying to feed all wet because he does not drink water. Despite bowls and a fountain, I don't see him drink. I completely phased out the dry food recently out of concern for his health, so he did used to get additional calories on a daily basis. Perhaps I cut back too much? He is rambunctious and may still be growing, and I do not have experience with the nutritional needs of a cat of this life stage. I have been researching but I have mostly found info regarding either younger kittens and fully adult cats, not specific to this big kid stage he seems to be in.

Lemme know what you think. In some positions to me it looks like the area near the hips has a pinched-in skinny look. And of course, thanks so much for the guidance

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He looks healthy to me. From just in front of the back legs to the shoulders, there should be a slight pinch that makes more of a V shape with the shoulders being the wide part. On my Betty, she's sadly starting to look more like a bowling pin with the waist being a lot more filled in. I like the way Betty's spine feels. But I can see it's more effort for her at 11 lbs than when she was 9.5 lbs.

Betty is taking steroids for suspected IBD and she’s eating a carb-heavy prescription junk wet food. It is wet. So that’s good. But it has a lot of carbs that shouldn’t be there. It’s what she likes and I have had a hard time finding food she likes. For an inactive 11 lbs adult, she gets fed 1/3 of a small can four times a day with the sink getting the other 2/3. Still better than sharing with the carpet.

 

[sivyaleah]

He looks fine to me also. Def not thin

 

[lunch]

Furballsmom daftcat75 sivyaleah Thanks for the speedy feedback! It helps a lot to know more of what to look out for with the body shape. Trying to be an even better pet parent this time around, still so much more to learn

 

[tabbytom]

lunch , here's a pictorial guide

 

[lunch]

Thanks tabbytom ! I don't know what it is about my brain that can't make the pictures make sense with the actual critter Maybe the fur it throwing me off. But the descriptions help and I can probably get somewhere from there. The ribs seems like the clearest thing for me to go off of.

 

[tabbytom]

Thanks tabbytom ! I don't know what it is about my brain that can't make the pictures make sense with the actual critter Maybe the fur it throwing me off. But the descriptions help and I can probably get somewhere from there. The ribs seems like the clearest thing for me to go off of.

Yes, sometimes the fur does throw you off a little. And the other thing, yes, run your fingers along his ribs and feel for it. Actually, a little pudgy is fine but not too skinny or too fatty.