Giant Breed Diet

[Wilbur's Servant]

Hello, I am going to have a large siberian cat who is currently 11 lbs and underweight. He should be 14 lbs and will likely grow to be in the 20-25 lbs range. I was wondering about how many calories per day he should be fed as he needs to gain weight, and giant breeds typically have a higher metabolism. I was thinking about around 40 kcal per lb but am unsure. Thank you in for advance any help I receive!

 

[abyeb]

Hi! According to this article: How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat? the amount of food cats need per day ranges from 15-50 calories per pound of body weight. Since your kitty is underweight, I think he would be at the upper end of that range, but I would recommend asking your vet, just to be sure.

 

[lalagimp]

He should be 14 lbs and will likely grow to be in the 20-25 lbs

So he's not full grown? If he's not full grown then I don't think he should be under any calorie restrictions at the moment. You let them grow into it, and then restrict them when they start to lose their waist as viewed from above.

 

[lisahe]

So he's not full grown? If he's not full grown then I don't think he should be under any calorie restrictions at the moment. You let them grow into it, and then restrict them when they start to lose their waist as viewed from above.

I agree with lalagimp, though we're both assuming that the cat in question is a kitten, right? If he's a kitten, he should just be fed as much as he'll eat.

That was our vet's advice to us when we adopted underfed and underweight ten-month-old kittens. When I asked her how many calories to feed them, she said she could calculate that up but it was kind of a waste of time since "unlimited" was really the way to go until they stopped growing and got caught up on their weight. (They're small cats but kept eating huge amounts of food until they were nearly three so don't be surprised if this guy eats a lot for a long time, too!)

 

[lutece]

How old is he now, and is he neutered?

 

[Wilbur's Servant]

He is currently 1.5 and is supposed to keep growing until he is 5, he is fixed. Part of the problem is he has kidney disease so most of his diet should be a wet or raw food(like darwins kidney support) with minimal dry, but to do that we have to have some idea of how much to feed him as it can't mecessarily be free fed. We were thinking 40kcal per lb but apparently giant breeds need more food than regular cats as well as being underweight, our vet has no experience with giant breeds.

 

[mservant]

I've usually followed the guidelines on brand of food for the cat's weight but if you're not sure that would work for your cat you.could see if there's a Web site/club for the breed. They might offer specific advice. I think with some breeds that keep growing an maturing for longer most growth still happens in the 1st year so regular adult food and feeding levels are OK.