Cats Not Eating Enough, Bring Kibble Back?

[hazzaram]

So, I feel like my cats don't eat enough and I'm getting worried. I want to keep them healthy and they look okay but I still feel like it's not enough.

I have one eating raw and one eating wet. I cut out kibble about a week ago.

My male is 13.3 pounds and he's eating a raw diet (Big Country Raw). Their feeding calculator suggests that he gets 4.26 oz a day and I divide that into 3 meals of 1.42 oz. He never finishes a full portion. Ever. So he's not getting the full 4.26 oz a day. He's not getting treats beyond the bit of freeze dried chicken I put on top of his raw food.

My female is just over 9 pounds and she's eating Fancy Feast pate's, the small cans. According to the cans, she should be eating 3 per day and she just can't eat that much. I also feed her three meals and she eats barely a half a can at a time. So she's only eating 1.5 cans - if that.

I've tried only feeding them twice a day but it doesn't make them eat more. They still eat the same amount.

Do some cats just need less food? I used to give them kibble to graze on and they would nibble at it all day long in addition to their wet food. I'm wondering if I need to bring the kibble back... But I really don't want to.

 

[himawari]

You can add some bonito flakes or fortiflora as toppers to further entice them. Honestly I believe that cutting out kibble is great so you shouldn't bring that back. Is it possible to give them smaller but more feedings per day? My cat is on a 80%/90% raw-wet diet. Currently he gets about four to five feedings per day. But on days that I have work (5hr shifts), I get up earlier, do two feedings before work, come home and do another two/three feedings. I try to have at least an hour between each feeding. I heard that cats (lions, etc) in general have smaller portions but have more feeding time and that's why I do this.

If that's not possible, you can always get a timed feeder and so they can eat while you are away. Wet food can last up to 8 hours w/o refrigeration since it is cooked.

 

[hazzaram]

You can add some bonito flakes or fortiflora as toppers to further entice them. Honestly I believe that cutting out kibble is great so you shouldn't bring that back. Is it possible to give them smaller but more feedings per day? My cat is on a 80%/90% raw-wet diet. Currently he gets about four to five feedings per day. But on days that I have work (5hr shifts), I get up earlier, do two feedings before work, come home and do another two/three feedings. I try to have at least an hour between each feeding. I heard that cats (lions, etc) in general have smaller portions but have more feeding time and that's why I do this.

If that's not possible, you can always get a timed feeder and so they can eat while you are away. Wet food can last up to 8 hours w/o refrigeration since it is cooked.

Bonito flakes are a no-go. My kitties won't eat anything fish flavoured. I really want to get some fortiflora but I just can't afford it at the moment. I have to wait a few weeks to order some.

I wish I could do more smaller meals but it's just not an option with the way that I work. Again, I can't really afford a timed feeder but it's something to look at in the future. I just really want to keep my male on raw and obviously the meat can't sit in one of those.

I'm almost wondering if I should stop feeding him raw and just feed wet so I know he's getting enough, since it can sit for a bit.

 

[himawari]

There's also boiled chicken strips which is what I mostly do. Or add in beef/chicken/any meat broth to their food.

 

[Neo_23]

Also sometimes the feeding recommendations on cans are way too much. I would look at the calorie content on the can. For a typical adult cat it's usually 20 calories per pound.

With wet food I freeze small portions and leave them out to defrost when I'm heading out the door. That might be an affordable alternative to a timed feeder?

 

[Ardina]

Have you considered leaving out freeze dried raw? It's not ideal to feed it without rehydrating, but at least you can leave it down without worrying about it going bad. That way you can get in an extra meal for them when you're not home.

 

[hazzaram]

Have you considered leaving out freeze dried raw? It's not ideal to feed it without rehydrating, but at least you can leave it down without worrying about it going bad. That way you can get in an extra meal for them when you're not home.

I had never heard of it, so I just looked it up. It seems like a good idea, it's just really expensive. A tiny bag here in Canada is $12-$13... and I'm also buying raw and wet.

My only other thought is to feed wet during the day when I'm at work and leave it out, and feed the raw stuff when I get home at night (to the one that will eat raw).

 

[LTS3]

Some cats just do eat less food / calories and that's normal for them. My 10 lb Aby should be eating at least 200 calories of raw a day but eats a little less than that. He's lean and super active. The vet says he's healthy.

 

[hazzaram]

I hope that's the case with them both. I mean, they seem healthy and they're acting the same. But it might be too early to tell. It hasn't been long since they've been off their old diet.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

If that's not possible, you can always get a timed feeder and so they can eat while you are away. Wet food can last up to 8 hours w/o refrigeration since it is cooked

Absolutely do NOT leave wet food out for 8 hours. It doesn't matter that it's been heat treated, wet food has a very high moisture content and plenty of food for bacteria. It's the perfect breeding ground for a whole bunch of microbes. Generally speaking, you don't want any food like this to be in the 'danger zone' temperatures of between 40-140F for more than 2 hours. Dry food, with it's low moisture, can be left out longer. But wet food is a definite no for leaving out.

 

[Neo_23]

Absolutely do NOT leave wet food out for 8 hours. It doesn't matter that it's been heat treated, wet food has a very high moisture content and plenty of food for bacteria. It's the perfect breeding ground for a whole bunch of microbes. Generally speaking, you don't want any food like this to be in the 'danger zone' temperatures of between 40-140F for more than 2 hours. Dry food, with it's low moisture, can be left out longer. But wet food is a definite no for leaving out.

I feel like this is a completely reasonable response.

BUT, I know way too many people who leave food out all day for their cats.. even Dr. Lisa Pierson posted on the Diabetes forum that she thinks it's fine to leave wet food out all day and she does it all the time in the hot temperatures of SoCal...

I don't leave wet food out for 8 hours, but sometimes it's out for 4 or 5 hours. I honestly think it's fine. But, I have no science to back up my opinion.

 

[Charityjune]

Regardless of what I feed my cats, they won't eat anywhere near 200 calories a day each, even though I budget for that. For comparison, fancy feast tends to be 80-90 calories a can, so 3 cans can be 270 calories!

Of my cats, two are senior ladies, one is a 2 year old that eats quite a bit more. In the last year, two have remained at the same weight, and one has gained weight (the 2 year old, who was very skinny at age 1 and now looks a very healthy 11 lbs). But I keep a TIGHT control on their calories, because one of the senior ladies is overweight. They all three maintain their current weight at at 500 calories total for the day (for all 3) and I need to reduce that by 50 or so for any weight to budget off the overweight cat (but she's lost at most .4 lbs in the last year, perhaps because she fights it SO hard (constantly begs for food, cleans up other cats leavings, etc).

So, yeah, those recommended feeding amounts are NOT individualized to your cat, and always seem to skew high. Maybe they'd be right for outdoor cats, I don't know. I'd expect an average energy level indoor cat to be fine on 2 cans of fancy feast (those are around 85 calories each).

I'd weigh them every week or so (same time of day, before feeding anything) and only worry if they are losing weight (if you don't want them to, or if it is too fast).

 

[amysuen]

Bonito flakes are a no-go. My kitties won't eat anything fish flavoured. I really want to get some fortiflora but I just can't afford it at the moment. I have to wait a few weeks to order some.

Are you in the States? I could mail you an envelope to try - it's too expensive to buy then find out your cat doesn't like it. My husband bought a box for our picky eater but he turns his nose up at it.

I feel like this is a completely reasonable response.
I don't leave wet food out for 8 hours, but sometimes it's out for 4 or 5 hours. I honestly think it's fine. But, I have no science to back up my opinion.

I'm feeding cooked homemade and if I leave it out for a couple of hours it gets dry around the edges and the cats won't eat it.

 

[amysuen]

PS - Have you been weighing your cats to see if they're losing weight? I'm no expert, but if they're not losing weight then I wouldn't worry if they're not eating the recommended amount.