Another question

[babyharley]

Its been about a week now since I've added wet food to Harley's diet - in the beginning he had 1 pouch in the morning and one at night and then he had dry out all day.

Well, lately, when I come home at noon, he's been sitting by his dish that he gets wet food in daily and meows til I feed him. I've noticed that he isn't really eating a lot of dry food anymore either. I see him eating a few times at night time, but thats about it.

Is it okay that he's eating so much wet food and not so much dry anymore? He just LOVES the wet food so much - I want to make sure its okay that I'm feeding it to him more.

Thanks for your help.... again!

 

[missymotus]

It should tell you on the pouch how much to feed for body weight. Mine used to get 3 pouches each before I switched to raw.

By giving in to his meows you are teaching him a bad habbit, hard as it is to ignore them lol Wet food is better for him than dry anyway.

 

[babyharley]

Originally Posted by missymotus

By giving in to his meows you are teaching him a bad habbit, hard as it is to ignore them lol.

I know that - but its like he's hungry - cuz he eats it when its given to him - so its like he's telling me that he's hungry!

I just need to know if he should be eating more dry or not?

 

[AbbysMom]

Many cats are on a wet only diet. It shouldn't be a problem.

 

[yosemite]

How much does Harley weigh? Bijou and Mika share 1 can of wet food morning and night and about 1/2 cup dry per day. Mika eats mostly dry and Bijou prefers the wet. I put down 1/2 a can per serving and when that is finished I put the rest of the can down so it doesn't just sit there and get icky. Bijou is 16 lbs and Mika is 8 lbs.

I think if you are giving him 1 pouch morning and 1 pouch at night with dry in between that should be enough - depending on the amount in the pouch of course.

Also, they will eat less of better quality foods.

 

[babyharley]

Harley weighs about 9lbs - but he's not fat at all, he's so active all the time!

Its like he doesn't like to eat the dry at all anymore - he'd rather have the wet!

I'm feeding him the Meow Mix pouches BTW.

 

[chichismom]

My two get a pouch or can in the morning and another in the evening. They have dry food available 24/7, but you should hear the backtalk I get from Chichi as soon as I get home! I'm like if your that hungry, eat the dry food! Murphy has no problem eating the dry, but miss princess

jeez! Oh, and BTW ignoring her does not work!

 

[sharky]

wet food thou better is lower in fiber and if Harley is not eating much dry he is hungry mid day ... Harley is under a yr right?? If so I would still feed him under kitten guidelines.. which would be up to 8 pouches a day , the surf n turf says 1 to 2 pouches per 4.5lbs per day for an adult ..... I say try a spoonfull at lunch and see if that works otherwise another pouch wont hurt

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by sharky

wet food thou better is lower in fiber and if Harley is not eating much dry he is hungry mid day ... Harley is under a yr right?? If so I would still feed him under kitten guidelines.. which would be up to 8 pouches a day , the surf n turf says 1 to 2 pouches per 4.5lbs per day for an adult ..... I say try a spoonfull at lunch and see if that works otherwise another pouch wont hurt

Are they really small pouches - 8 pouches sure seems like a lot.

 

[fwan]

Atleast he will eat wet food,
Mine turn their nose up at every brand!

 

[kai bengals]

If I'm remembering correctly, Harley is still a kitten?
He may continue to grow and need "extra" food until he is 18 months old. All of our bengals grow and need more food up to 2 years.
My personal opinion is that you should give kittens and adolescents as much food as they want to eat until the age of 1 year. Then monitor the situation and feed less if activity levels drop and there is any indication of fat developing.
Since Harley is an active kitten, feed him as much as he wants. You know of course, he is training you to feed him what tastes best to him.

I also think most wet foods are better than most dry foods. I think raw is best, followed by canned wet and dry as the last resort.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Are they really small pouches - 8 pouches sure seems like a lot.

there 78 grams or 2.75 ounces

 

[babyharley]

Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

If I'm remembering correctly, Harley is still a kitten?
He may continue to grow and need "extra" food until he is 18 months old. All of our bengals grow and need more food up to 2 years.
My personal opinion is that you should give kittens and adolescents as much food as they want to eat until the age of 1 year. Then monitor the situation and feed less if activity levels drop and there is any indication of fat developing.
Since Harley is an active kitten, feed him as much as he wants. You know of course, he is training you to feed him what tastes best to him.

I also think most wet foods are better than most dry foods. I think raw is best, followed by canned wet and dry as the last resort.

Yes, Harley is still a kitten, he will be 1 in June.

He may seem large for his age, but he is just really long, and not fat at all, and he's still so incredibly active, its unreal!

He just loves the wet food, and he seems to love to get them 3 times a day -
he only nibbles at the dry one in a great while.

 

[babyharley]

Originally Posted by sharky

there 78 grams or 2.75 ounces

Is that enough for him then? Or should he be getting more than just one of those pouches? I didn't know if 2.75 ounces per meal would be enough?

 

[white cat lover]

Originally Posted by babyharley

Is that enough for him then? Or should he be getting more than just one of those pouches? I didn't know if 2.75 ounces per meal would be enough?

My turn to *try* to help!

The amount a cat eats depends on the age, activity level, & well...the cat. Harley is active kitten, so I would give him at least 2 pouches a day. If he doesn't like the dry, then give him all the wet he wants. I don't think he'll overeat. Lily gets a wet food "snack" at noon. Kittens should get 3 or more meals a day. If you were to try something higher quality, then Harley might not eat as much. I would wait & get him settled on Meow Mix & get a routine established before chaging, though.

You could try giving Harley 1 1/2 pouches per meal & see if that cuts out the noon snack.

 

[zak&rocky]

My cats get fed the wet twice a day, with free fed kibble, which the eat when they get hungry. 2 of the cats live for the wet food- Cookie and Zakk, and go crazy when they think it is feeding time. Suzie enjoys the wet food but she doesn't go crazy- her shyness prevents that. Rocky has the odd taste of wet but doesn't LOVE it. My four, two of which are about Harley's age, maybe a bit younger get the equivlant of 4 pouches a day or 2 regular size cans. Any more and it goes to waste. The only cat that doesn't like wet, is Rocky and he is the only cat that has a weight problem, also he has dandruff. I would try to see how much he will eat in a sitting without the food getting dry and yucky. BTW have you tried Trader Joes cat food? If it is available in your area it is a decent price and has better ingredients that meow mix IMHO, plus has that strong fishy smell that they like. It's about 50 cents a big can, which is about 1/2 as much as meow mix which is usually 45-50 cents a pouch, maybe cheaper in 12 packs, but still.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by zak&rocky

My cats get fed the wet twice a day, with free fed kibble, which the eat when they get hungry. 2 of the cats live for the wet food- Cookie and Zakk, and go crazy when they think it is feeding time. Suzie enjoys the wet food but she doesn't go crazy- her shyness prevents that. Rocky has the odd taste of wet but doesn't LOVE it. My four, two of which are about Harley's age, maybe a bit younger get the equivlant of 4 pouches a day or 2 regular size cans. Any more and it goes to waste. The only cat that doesn't like wet, is Rocky and he is the only cat that has a weight problem, also he has dandruff. I would try to see how much he will eat in a sitting without the food getting dry and yucky. BTW have you tried Trader Joes cat food? If it is available in your area it is a decent price and has better ingredients that meow mix IMHO, plus has that strong fishy smell that they like. It's about 50 cents a big can, which is about 1/2 as much as meow mix which is usually 45-50 cents a pouch, maybe cheaper in 12 packs, but still.

wow your area is $$ ... the pouches here ave 39 cents ... I wish I had a Trader Joes

 

[semiferal]

It's totally fine. Wet food is much healthier for them. The only problem you may be cultivating is behavioral - by teaching him that if he yells loud enough, he can get you to do whatever he wants.

 

[white cat lover]

Makcenzie, have you tried Meow Mix's Market Selects? It's the same size containers, but in round little bowls instead of pouches. They don't get fancy names, & I don't know if its the same flavors or not, but so far, Damita & Chico prefer the Market Selects. I was paying $6 for a 12 pack of pouches(Shopko), but I can get a box of 12 Market Selects for around $4.50 in Kmart.

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by babyharley

Harley weighs about 9lbs - but he's not fat at all, he's so active all the time!

Its like he doesn't like to eat the dry at all anymore - he'd rather have the wet!

I'm feeding him the Meow Mix pouches BTW.

i would say...once you've determined the optimal amount to feed him... that you should feed on a schedule. Cable will eat wet food anytime i put it down. but i only feed wet in the evenings, so she doesn't even meow for it in the mornings. once i get home, however, it's a different story! she jumps up to follow me into the kitchen every time i go until it's actually time for dinner. the whole time i'm preparing it, she & Chip are circling, meowing, etc.