Feeding Amount

[backyardzoo]

Hello
I have been feeding our cats a raw diet for a while and my 7 year old is doing well on her rabbit diet but I worry that she is not eating enough. She eats between 3.5 & 4 ounces of rabbit and gets 1 tablespoon of Nature's Variety Instinct Cat LID - Rabbit Formula as a treat.

It could be just me being overly paranoid with her because she doesn't eat even half of what the 11 month eats and because I have been dealing with her food issues for allergies/sensitivities for a while. I think she looks ok, though I know she has lost a little weight since switching her. The 11 month old is 14 lbs and it could just be her 10.5 lbs seems seems very insignificant in comparison.

 

[Tobermory]

I know that rabbit is a leaner meat, but I think your kitty looks good. Those second and third pictures show a well-filled out cat. She doesn’t appear skinny to me at all.

I rotate chicken, turkey, and pork, and mine get the following each day:

1. Lily weighs 10.75 lbs. and gets about 4.5 ozs. She would eat everything I put in front of her and be as big as a blimp, but I limit her to 4.5 ozs. a day. She really should be closer to 10.25 lbs.
2. Iris gets about 4 ozs. a day and weighs about 9 to 9.25 lbs. She could weigh more, but she’s not all that excited about food. She’s just a naturally thin, rangy cat and not a big-boned overweight vacuum cleaner like Lily, who’s her littermate. They’re 15 years old.
3. Mocha weighs about 9.75 lbs. and eats 4 ozs. a day. She’s about five years old and has a smaller, stocky build. She’s just about right in terms of her weight, but I’m keeping an eye on her. She doesn’t need to gain any more weight.

I’ve been cutting more of the fat off of the chicken thighs I use. Lily and Mocha could lose a few ounces.

 

[backyardzoo]

She doesn't feel skinny. Just light. She has never been a big eater and gets offered just over 4 ounces a day that she might eat most of. To be fair, she is being compared to the "kitten" at 14 lbs and him eating 6 ounces of chicken plus either a 3 ounce/half 5.5 can of food or 1/4 cup kibble daily. He is a big, growing boy that is not filled out as of yet. We aren't sure how big he is going to be if he grows into his feet.

 

[dhammagirl]

I agree with Tobermory that your kitty looks good, not too thin.
My biggest cat, Zeke (8yrs old),who I’ve managed to get to lose almost 4lbs is now around 16lbs 4oz and gets 3.4oz of raw rabbit daily, along with a few little treats.

While my ginger cat Bilbo (12yrs old), is kinda skinny even though I feed him as much as he wants, which is a lot.

It’s better for them to be slightly underweight than overweight anyway. But your kitty looks just right!

 

[riley1]

Your kitties look great! Keep in mind that the 11 month old still needs more calories than the older cat! My girl will eat everything and anything she is given. She gets ab0ut 5 oz split between NV rabbit & Darwin's chicken or turkey. I feed her four times per day. Not so bad with an auto feeder; not sure what I would do if I had more than one cat. When she was less than 2 yo she could eat 5.5 oz of raw and no gain. Now at 5 1/2 yo the 5 oz are making her fat; up to 11 lbs. She should weight about 8-9 at the most.