How Many Calories Should I Feed?

[Bella12]

Hi Everyone,
I recently adopted a 2,5 year old cat from a woman that couldn't take care of her anymore. She was not sterilized and was getting free fed as much as she wanted. She is in a very healthy weight (3.8kg), but we sterilized her a few weeks ago and I am worried she will gain weight now if we continue free feeding? Any suggestions?
Thank you

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Thanks for taking in the cat. And getting her spayed. And having concerns about how much to feed her.
It sounds like she's with the purr-fect purr-son now.

About the amount of calories to her, generally you would feed an amount to maintain her current weight, unless she needs to either gain or lose weight. The actual amount of food depends on the food you are feeding.

The can or bag of food will probably show the amount of calories. Usually the company website will have more info, like how much to feed if the cat is, for example, 9 lbs. So those are 2 places to check first.

TCS also has some articles on feeding cats that may be helpful. Here are the links:

What Do I Need To Know About Feeding My Cat? | TheCatSite
How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat?
Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade) | TheCatSite
How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat | TheCatSite
Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat - Part 2 | TheCatSite

 

[Bella12]

Thank you! The vet told me that she her weight is fine, so she doesn't need to loose or gain weight. I am just a bit confused since some sites say it should be around 190kcal, others 230kcal and the bag I have says 65gr, which would be around 260kcal...

 

[rubysmama]

How much is she eating now? Does she eat every morsel and look for more? Or does she leave some in her dish. You don't want to overfeed, but not underfeed either.

 

[Bella12]

Now im feeding her around 200kcal and she eats everything at her own will during the day, and in the morning when I wake up she asks for more.

 

[Kieka]

Calories vary from cat to cat. A general rule of thumb is 20 calories per pound of cat. 200 calories would be about right for a 10 pound cat. If she hasn't gained any weight on the 200 calories then your girls calorie per pound is more like 24 calories per pound, absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Personally, I'd keep feeding her how you have been. If she gains weight, cut back. If she loses, add food.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Every cat's metabolism is a bit different, and it generally does slow down after spaying. About the best thing you can do is to monitor her weight for a month or two, and adjust from there. The easiest way to do this, if you have a set of scales, is to weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding your cat. Subtract your weight alone from your weight with cat, and you have your cat's weight!

Meanwhile, take a look at those articles that rubysmama suggested. They're excellent!

 

[Bella12]

Thank you for your answers!
I have a question now... she is doing something strange. She was being fed Royal Canin dry food and I wanted her to change to a better brand, so I bought a bag of Orijen. I mixed both as they suggest for the transition but she will not touch the food. If I bring her a bit of the Orijen kibble as if it were treats, she eats it right away and she seems to like it, but she will not eat it when it is in her bowl... Any ideas why she is doing this?
Thank you

 

[rubysmama]

If only cats could talk, right.

Is she picking around the food and leaving the new stuff? Or refusing to eat anything, if the new food is in the dish?

 

[lalagimp]

I'm going to go back to the original query about gaining weight after sterilization.
My girls free feed, always have, both spayed, and have managed their weight accordingly.
My boys are the ones that turned into cattle. I've been doing fixed and scheduled feeding for them for over five years now.