Concern About Kitty Kcal Intake

[KittyKat184]

Hi there,

Loki is more than a year old and he seems very healthy, besides the fact that he is quite inactive after being fixed. I constantly feeding him around 220 to 260 kcal a day:
1 3oz can of Nature Variety, depends on protein source, it's roughly 100 to 112kcal.
2 cubes of 1 oz frozen raw Primal, 75kcal in total
1 or 2 tbsp of Dr Elsey's dry kibble, 70kcal

I have noticed that he eating less and his kcal intake drop to less than 190 kcal a day. Is it way too low for a 10 ~ 13lbs tomcat? I am pretty sure I can bump up his kcal intake by feeding him more Dr Elsey's dry, he never stops going for it, but I don't want to increase his dry food intake, I know that wet and raw are much healthier options

Recently, he only eats a quarter of whatever food in his bowl (either raw or wet or mixed of both). I HAVE to sit next time him, pet him and then he will eat, but not finish all of it. He always left at least a quarter or less than a quarter of his food untouched.

Is it normal that he will need less kcal when he is not active and getting "old"? Or because he is bored of his wet and raw? I rotate the protein within the same brand, Nature Variety. I have noticed that NV changed all their wet formula that increase the % of protein and fat. Is that the reason why Loki eats less because he gets more nutrient?

In fact, should I go for another brand and see how he does? Any wet food that is as high quality as NV? I would like to avoid guar gum, agar agar, high protein and low in carb.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Azazel]

If he’s inactive and not eating it may be due to an underlying health issue. Might be time for a vet check up.

 

[KittyKat184]

A Azazel Just to make it clear that inactive means he doesn't running around or jumping up and down like crazy like when he was a little kitten. If i play with him, he responds pretty well tho. I even throw food around the house and he runs/chases it down which very entertained to watch.

 

[KarenKat]

I have heard that cats generally need 20-30 kcal per pound depending on activity level. If he isn't very active, then 20 kcal per 10 lbs would be ~200 kcal, and I wouldn't worry too much about him getting 190. But if he is closer to 13 lbs, that might be too few.

Is he losing any weight? If you are worried about his food intake, maybe weighing him periodically will let you know if his weight is changing. If it is, then I agree a vet visit would be a good idea.

 

[KittyKat184]

KarenKat I actually started weighing him when I noticed him eating less. It's been 3 weeks and I just weigh him again.... Not losing any weight in fact, he gains 0.3lb..... I literally don't have any clue

 

[KarenKat]

Could be the change in formulation like you said. If he is acting normal with no change, and only eating a little less he is probably ok. If you are very worried, you can take him to the vet and get a wellness check and some bloodwork.

 

[duckpond]

A vet visit is never a bad thing, i am all for them if there is any question about a cats health.

Chance are that he is tired or gone off on the wet foods. Mine do that too, and worry me a lot about it. My guys are somewhat off of their wet right now. I just keep trying different wet foods, and rely on the Dr. Elseys dry to get them through, until they get back on the wet better. They seem to do this for a few weeks now and again. Then they seem to go back to the wet with a vengeance when they are ready???

Tiki cat and Almo nature are the two that are still in favor at my house right now. and Caru the salmon and turkey flavor.

 

[Willowy]

Most older neutered indoor cats only need somewhere around 15-20. Some eat even less than that, naturally. And I've noticed that larger cats seem to need fewer calories per pound. I think he's just self-regulating. If he's not getting at least 15 calories per pound I'd start worrying. But at this point, he's not losing weight, I think everything is fine.

 

[KittyKat184]

Thanks for all the inputs! I think Loki is tired on the same wet/raw combination. I went from chicken to duck, then lamb. I am trying beef right now (within the same brand, Nature Instinct), but no luck. I then mix in a tbsp of Dr Elsey's dry, and guess what, he eat like tomorrow.... I am thinking of changing the brand for both wet and raw. For raw, I am leaning forward the Rad Cat brand. Any suggested wet food that are similar to Nature Variety? High calorie (190+ for a 5.5oz can), no guar gum, no agar agar, low or no carb.

I will keep an eye on Loki's weight during this period just to make sure that he just get tired of the same food instead of underlying health problem.

 

[KarenKat]

The Rawz brand is really good ... no gums, carrageenan or agar-agar.

 

[duckpond]

Hard to find wet food with no gums that are high cal like that. Rawz might be a good one to try. I feed a lot of Tiki, no gums and no carbs, but not really high calorie. Another one my guys like right now is caru, the wild salmon and turkey. I have not tried Rad cat, would need to order online, but i have always read good things about it. Its on my someday list