Appropriate Amount To Feed?

[Mer.kitten]

I feed Honeybunny a single serving can of cat food in the morning and one at night, and once a day i put abouf an inch of dry food in another bowl that i leave out in case she gets hungry. She also gets a few dry cat treats (4-6) a couple times a day. She is not a large kitty, and sometimes i feel like its too much food, but i mean shes not getting fat, so.. should i assume im feeding her the right amount? Both her wet and dry foods are grain free.

 

[abyeb]

This article gives some helpful information: How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat?

If Honeybee is at a good weight now and is maintaining that at her current food intake, the amount is probably right. This is also something you can ask your vet about.

 

[Mer.kitten]

I was mostly curious if it sounded about right to other people with a smaller size cat. I realize the vet is an option, but id rather not pay 80 bucks to ask "is 2 cans of cat food and some dry too much". Mostly looking for input from other cat owners.

 

[Azazel]

It depends on her ideal weight and the amount of calories in the food you’re feeding. The recommendation is typically 20kcal per pound for inactive cats and 30kcal per pound for active adult cats. So somewhere between there depending on her level of activity should be a good starting point, then just adjust according to her appetite and weight. Eyeball her body condition to get a sense of whether she’s looking fit or a bit chubby. There are weight charts you can google to help you decide. Also, is she’s lying on her side you should be able to feel her ribs easily by gently rubbing her.

 

[KarenKat]

I feed Olive 3 times per day, and I aim for ~70 kcal each feeding. For pate's that's roughly 1 can per day and for most non-pate canned food that's about 1.5 cans.

I don't feed hardly any dry food (she's a porky cat with no restraint!), and I give her some treats about 1-2 times per day. She's the smallest-framed cat in the house (probably about 10lbs?), but she's also built a little bit stockier than one of the others. To be completely honest, she could stand to lose a little bit.

Hope that helps, unfortunately each cat is different and it's hard to compare. Activity level is also important.

 

[MissMolly08]

Totally depends on the calories in the food you are feeding, as others have said.

My cat gets 1 can of wet food a day (5.5 oz can split into 2 meals). She was losing weight on this amount (which is what we were going for at the time, she was overweight). Now that she is at a good weight (Down from 17lbs to 11.5!! Woohoo!) we are transitioning to maintenance calories so she gets just a tablespoon or 2 of dry food in addition to her wet now. The dry we feed is high calorie (454/cup) so she can't have much at all...just a little bedtime snack.

 

[maggiedemi]

That sounds perfect to me. Are they 3oz cans?

 

[LTS3]

It doesn't cost anything to call the vet and ask if the amount of food you are feeding is appropriate or not. Neither is an email with a picture of the cat's body condition.

How much is an "inch of dry food"? The amount of an inch of dry food in a small bowl is going to be different from an inch of dry food in a larger bowl. You really should measure the food out with a measuring cup. Dollar stores often have these and works just as well as a fancy expensive measuring cup sold at a home goods store or Walmart.

Add up the amount of calories you are currently feeding. The food should have a kcal content listed on the label. The dry food kcal is usually by cup. The general recommendation is to feed 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. If your cat is, say, 7 pounds, you need to feed roughly 140 to 175 calories daily. Some cats may need more or less. If your cat isn't finishing all the food, especially the dry food, feed a little less food to avoid waste.

 

[maggiedemi]

I agree, I would measure the dry food with measuring cups and see how much you are actually putting in the bowl. 1/4 cup would probably be good.

 

[duckpond]

You can count the calories on what she is eating, and see if that seems to be ballpark on what is suggested for a cat of her size and activity.
However cats vary, so the best judge is her body, can you lightly feel her ribs if you try, does she look right, not skinny or fat, is she stable, keeping the same size? does she seem active, playful and able to groom herself well?

My guys get 2 of the 3oz cans of wet a day, morning and evening. i feed low cal wet food mostly, Tiki cat and almo nature, so they average around 120/130 in wet. then they all eat some Dr. Elseys dry, to complete the calorie needs for the day. my 4 go through about 2/3 to 1 cup of elseys per day, between the 4 of them, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, depending on how much of their wet they ate that day.

I do take mine in for a wellness check once a year, i think thats important. Our vet weighs them and does a body fitness evaluation during the check, so we know if i need to adjust their food. The rest of the year i just watch to see if it looks like anyone is getting thin, or chunking up. If so, make slow adjustments, up or down with the food. I was feeding Origen dry food a few years ago, and my guys started chunking up a bit, so i quit the origen, and only feed Dr. elseys now, weight came off without doing anything else. so sometimes we need to adjust the protein. fat or carbs in the food, not just the amount. I try to feed high protein, moderate to lower fat, and as low carb as possible.

i like these two links to look up foods.

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

 

[KarenKat]

Is also like to add that each cat has a different metabolism. With three, Trin got super fat on bad corn-based foods but Gohan maintained his light and sleek physique (the Vet once assumed he was indoor-outdoor because he was in such amazing shape). Trin did awesome on the Natural Balance dry food (which is quite carby still) and Olive became quite porky on that food and we switched her over to wet food.

So basically duckpond had great advice by physically examining the body and following that up with a wellness check. Also kitties are complicated

 

[duckpond]

complicated!