How much canned food per cat per day?

[emilymaywilcha]

I've heard good things about Blue Buffalo. I've never really checked it out myself though.  What do you and your cats think about it?

Patricia is eating it again because I remembered she liked it before Wilbur was put on Hill's and RC d/d. (The only way to keep Wilbur out of a regular cat food was not feed it to Patricia either.) I switched the cats to Blue Buffalo when it came to central Ohio, where I lived at the time. A BB employee was there to answer questions. The company came to my town during the melamine scare in 2007, so my question was, "Did it come from China?" She said, "Nothing from China." She did warn me the first week, her cat and dog shed like crazy. Wilbur and Patricia shed a lot too, I guess, although I could not tell if their vomit was hairballs.

The reasons I decided to try Blue Buffalo:

REAL chicken (not meal or byproducts)

 ALL natural with NO preservatives

 Chicken is the FIRST ingredient listed

 Not part of the huge pet food recall!

 I had a coupon for one bag, any kind.

At the time, I was feeding Science Diet, which has byproducts, chicken meal, corn, soy, wheat, preservatives . . . need I say more?

As I kept buying it, I noticed every bag has a coupon for the next bag.

However, if you read the ingredients list, you will find milk and veggies, things cats don't need. So you don't want to feed too much if you have a fat cat like I did. But there is no doubt BB > SD for any cat.

BTW both cats loved it.

 

 

[otto]

I rotate grain-free wet foods for my cat amongst Blue Buffalo, Wellness CORE, Weruva and Before Grain.
He likes them all (he's an active 1-year-old, currently around 12 lbs.). He gets one 5.5 oz can a day, with some treats. I did notice that the Weruva Grandma's chicken soup has a lot more water in it than other brands (and calories too I think) so on the days I give him that, I also give him the whole can plus a little bit extra from a pate style can (like Blue Buffalo or Wellness) because he seems extra hungry (say like a quarter of a can).
I can't 100 percent tell for sure but I think he likes the BB and the Weruva the best as he seems to eat them the quickest. But your cat may be different.
I know when I originally went on blue Buffalo my cat's coat got very shiny (he had formerly been a stray).

Weruva is actually much lower in calories than most canned foods for cats. About 84 calories per 5.5 oz can on average according to the manufacturer.

(edit) After rereading your post I think that may be what you meant to say, but it sounds like you are saying just the opposite.

But that sounds like a good rotation you've got going for your boy.

 

[crickets mom]

OrientalSlave- Thanks for the reminder.  I do need to worm them.   I have a few times scince I got them almost a year ago, with a broad spectrum, which I still have some of (pyrantel).  I also womed them for tapeworm, but Im out of that, and need to get some.

otto- I know I should keep them inside.  Before these cats, I had always had strictly indoor cats.  I found Cricket as a pregnant stray.  I kept her inside until she had the babies, got fixed, and recovered from spaying.  She was climbing the walls the whole time, and driving me completely crazy.  So, I decided that for her to be happy, and for my sanity, I would let her go outside.  The kittens followed her lead.  I do make everyone come in at night, and they spend a good part of the day sleeping on the back of my couch too!

Redvelvetone- Thats good to know.  Your cat is about the same size, age, and activity level as Hex and Cricket.

EmilyMayWilcha- You make a good point about the China melamine thing. Maybe this would be a good subject for another thread, But, I wonder what foods are made in the US, from ingredients that are all also from the US?  I wonder if there even is one? You would think that would be a good advertising point.

EVERYONE- Thanks for posting on this thread, you have all been a great help.  As always, I appreciate you alls input, knowlege, and expert advice!

 

[redvelvetone]

Weruva is actually much lower in calories than most canned foods for cats. About 84 calories per 5.5 oz can on average according to the manufacturer.
(edit) After rereading your post I think that may be what you meant to say, but it sounds like you are saying just the opposite.

But that sounds like a good rotation you've got going for your boy.

oops yes, that is what I meant 

 

[emilymaywilcha]

With the salmonella recall going on now, it seems people forgot about the melamine one.

 

[otto]

With the salmonella recall going on now, it seems people forgot about the melamine one.

Why do you think that? It's because of the 2007 melamine poisoning that I constantly urge people to pay attention to ANY recalls. I've been accused of fear-mongering (not in this forum) because I post about recalls . But a lot of animals died, back in 2007, because it took a long time for word to get out about what was going on.

I check recall lists and Consumer complaints reports frequently, looking for recall or other warning information on cat products. Though I was not directly effected in 2007, I know a few who were. I never forget, and I bet there are many others who don't either.

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Why do you think that? It's because of the 2007 melamine poisoning that I constantly urge people to pay attention to ANY recalls. I've been accused of fear-mongering (not in this forum) because I post about recalls . But a lot of animals died, back in 2007, because it took a long time for word to get out about what was going on.
I check recall lists and Consumer complaints reports frequently, looking for recall or other warning information on cat products. Though I was not directly effected in 2007, I know a few who were. I never forget, and I bet there are many others who don't either.

I thought you were saying that because of the salmonella recall.

Because melamine was found on wheat gluten, which should not be in cat food anyway, you can easily avoid it by feeding grain-free foods.

 

[orientalslave]

I thought the melamine problems were in baby milk in China?  You mean there has been a separate one in the US with cat food?

"The chemical appeared to have been added to milk to cause it to appear to have a higher protein content"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal

There does seem to be a China connection for the wheat gluten as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls

And it strikes me that whatever the ingredients are - wheat gluten, meat, whatever - that there could be melamine used for unscrupulous reasons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_protein_export_scandal

 

[ldg]

Yes. HUGE problems with melamine causing kidney failure and the death of thousands of pets in the US in 2007/2008. Estimates are 8,000 - 10,000 animals died. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Yes. HUGE problems with melamine causing kidney failure and the death of thousands of pets in the US in 2007/2008. Estimates are 8,000 - 10,000 animals died. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls

Because of that, some people asked me if Emily got sick by eating. Science Diet recalled some things, but not the senior cat formula, and she died in 2006, so I never worried about that.

When my last vet said Wilbur needs to eat wet food, I asked her, "How do I know which ones don't have wheat gluten?" because the font on a can is so small I need a magnifying glass to read it. That was why my cats started eating Fancy Feast Classics until Blue Buffalo arrived.

 

[reba]

http://animalmedicalcenterofchicago.com/pdf/CalorieRequirementsForCats.pdf

 According to the chart, growing kittens should eat about twice the amount of calories per pound as an adult cat.   For mine that works out to about 12 oz. per day.  Seems like a lot but they aren't the least bit overweight.

 

[ldg]

This is an old thread, and Emily is no longer active.

But that's a terrible, misleading chart.

If I fed my adult, 14 pound neutered cat 336 calories a day, he WOULD be obese. Even if I considered him "obese prone," he'd become obese at 280 calories a day.

Cats, like people, have VERY individual metabolisms. ANY responsible vet or vet practice should qualify ANY feeding guidelines with that statement.

TCS just put up an article on feeding guidelines for adult cats. Growing kittens should be allowed to eat as much as they want.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-much-food-should-i-feed-my-cat

 

[cookmuffsmomma]

Fancy Feast is not high quality cat food. I would only give it as a rare "treat". Look at the ingredients and the analysis.

 

[sampson8]

My cat is 14 years old and age she isn't active. She eats 1/2- 3 oz canned food. She nibbles on treats and dry food. My question is how much dry food should she be eatings? I don't see her eating much dryfoood thru he day but, the food is left out all night.I fill a big bowl half full in the evening and I filll in half full in the morning. I have two other cats so I don't know how much she is eating when I am asleep.

 

[catnamedpikachu]

Oh wow. My cat has eaten 4 cans just today. That's over 20 ounces. He's always hungry. But hey equal consideration.

 

[Kat0121]

My 2 are about 6.5 pounds each and eat 6-7 ounces per day depending on the food but more often than not, it's 6 ounces per day split between 2 meals. 

 

[Willowy]

Oh wow. My cat has eaten 4 cans just today. That's over 20 ounces. He's always hungry. But hey equal consideration.

That's. . .hmm, impressive? :tongue2: How old is he? If he's a teenager, that could be normal (well, OK, most top out around 12 ounces or so a day, but some may need more) but if he's older you probably don't want to let him do that every day. Unless he weighs 40 pounds (without being fat) .

If he really does eat that much on a regular basis without getting fat, he really should be checked for parasites or a medical disorder that may cause him not to absorb nutrients properly.

 

[purrrdy]

My 7 month old  modern Siamese eats one 3 oz can for breakfast and a second 3 oz can before bed. That is about all he will eat and he is about 5 lbs and active.

I also leave Core kitten dry in his cat tree for snacks, but he doesn't touch it much.

 

[beefgravy]

How much should I feed my 13 lb cat of the frishies  5.50z canned food 2 x a day ?

 

[tabbysia]

The back of one of my cans (not Friskies) says to feed one ounce per pound of body weight. So if you are feeding 5 ounce cans, I guess it would be roughly 2 1/2 cans a day for a 13 pound cat. That is if you want to maintain his current weight.