Dry Food For 5 Years Old Cat

[golondrina]

How much dry food (Purina's Excellence) should a 5 years old cat eat daily?

 

[cheesycats]

Should give feeding amounts on the bag or try the purinas website. It’s all in Spanish so I can’t read it all that well

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

It's hard to say exactly how much to feed a particular cat because just like people, every cat is different. It really depends on their size and how active they are. The bag should give you a starting place, then if your cat still seems hungry, you can increase the amount, and if he doesn't finish, OR is gaining weight, then you need to cut back on the portions. And, really, it's calorie driven. Some cats only need about 15 calories per pound of cat (per day), and others can need up to about 35 calories per pound of cat (per day) I have two cats and the larger one actually eats less calories then the smaller one because the smaller cat is much more active

 

[golondrina]

Thank you for your reply cheesycats. It is true that Purina's feeding indications are on the bag but I wanted to see if the experienced members at TCS agreed with them. Actually, my cat Sombra eats 3 kilograms (3000 grams or 6.61387 pounds) ) in 30 days which corresponds to the info on Purina's bag for her weight (4 kilograms) = (pounds 8.81849).

She is in good health and very active but it seems to me that she looks a bit too thin.

 

[golondrina]

Thank you mrsgreenjeans. Actually I let Sombra have her dry food at her disposal permanently and she is free to eat when and how much she wishes. My concern isn't how much to give her but whether she is eating enough. As I said before, she is about 5 years old and weighs 4 kilos (pounds 8.81849).

 

[Azazel]

Thank you mrsgreenjeans. Actually I let Sombra have her dry food at her disposal permanently and she is free to eat when and how much she wishes. My concern isn't how much to give her but whether she is eating enough. As I said before, she is about 5 years old and weighs 4 kilos (pounds 8.81849).

Contrary to popular belief, cats actually aren’t grazers and will overeat if you give them unlimited access to food. Given that dry food is full of fat and carbs I would advise to give her a set amount each day and not allow her to over eat as it can lead to obesity and other possible long term health issues such as diabetes.

 

[golondrina]

Contrary to popular belief, cats actually aren’t grazers and will overeat if you give them unlimited access to food. Given that dry food is full of fat and carbs I would advise to give her a set amount each day and not allow her to over eat as it can lead to obesity and other possible long term health issues such as diabetes.

Thanks for replying Azazel but I must say that your comments don't correspond to my experience. My late cat Cucumella, who died at almost 17 years of age from lung cancer, always had at her disposal unlimited dry food and was never too fat.
As I mentioned before, my concern regarding my 5 years old Sombra is to make sure that she is eating sufficiently the unlimited dry food she always has at her disposal.

 

[Azazel]

Thanks for replying Azazel but I must say that your comments don't correspond to my experience. My late cat Cucumella, who died at almost 17 years of age from lung cancer, always had at her disposal unlimited dry food and was never too fat.
As I mentioned before, my concern regarding my 5 years old Sombra is to make sure that she is eating sufficiently the unlimited dry food she always has at her disposal.

I’m glad your cat lived till 17 and didn’t have any problems with obesity but that doesn’t mean that all cats are the same.

 

[Tobermory]

I can give a good example of what mrsgreenjeens wrote. Iris and Lily are litter mates, and I free fed dry food to them for the first eight years (they’re 15 now and on homemade raw food). I’d describe them as both average-sized cats. Iris was noticeably thin—less than nine pounds—while Lily went up to more than 14 pounds, noticeably fat. Even though she was thin, Iris was and still is quite healthy according to the vet.

If Sombra is active and the vet says she’s healthy, it sounds as if she’s probably one of those kitties who doesn’t overeat and is naturally thin like Iris.

 

[golondrina]

Many thanks Tobermory for sharing your feeding experience with Iris and Lily. I gather that I should accept Sombra's feeding ways even if I'd like to see her put on a little more weight. She is a contented, happy, active, mischievous and affectionate kitten.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Yes, I'd say if you free feed and she eats all she wants, then you're good to go. Really, I'd rather have a thin cat than a fat cat. I feel they are healthier. So many issues can arise if they are overweight...diabetes, arthritis, heart issues, etc.

She look GREAT to me. So cute