How much of this food should I give to my cat?

[lemcat]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LGTSY88/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=5b19a2913238ad47c00e9cd958c1a6e1&content-id=amzn1.sym.7dd77237-72be-4809-b5b5-d553eab7ad9d%3Aamzn1.sym.7dd77237-72be-4809-b5b5-d553eab7ad9d&hsa_cr_id=4032850450401&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=c162d8bd-e42a-4d3f-b088-0086c372e339&pd_rd_w=2ZqYm&pd_rd_wg=5V93t&qid=1677719015&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_lsi4d_asin_0_img&sr=1-1-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124

I used to have the bag where it has instructions on how much to give for each weight range, but now the bag is thrown away (because cat ripped it) and the food is stored in empty plastic bottles.

By the way, before moving the food to empty plastic bottles, it was sitting in the bag with the top part open for maybe a couple weeks. Could this have affected the food in a bad way so that it might compromise freshness of the kibbles and health of the cat eating it?

 

[Mac and Cats]

Here is a link to the Hill's Website. If you scroll down and click on "feeding guide" it will tell you how much you should feed. The food might be stale with the bag left open, but if your cat is eating it and it doesn't smell "rancid" to you, it's probably fine.

 

[lemcat]

I have this automatic feeder: https://www.chewy.com/petdiary-automatic-dog-cat-feeder/dp/390742

For this feeder, each portion is 7g. And meal times can be up to 4 times a day.

1 portion 4 times a day would be 28g.
2 portions 4x a day would be 56g.
3 portions 4x a day would be 84g.

My cat is about 15-16lb (overweight).
I'm aiming for it to go down to around 12 lb.
This guideline shows that 85g (84g would be close enough) would be for 14lb cats, and 80g for 12lb cats.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Grain Free Salmon & Yellow Peas Recipe cat food
I'm wondering why there's only 5g difference between 12lb and 14lb, so I feel like it should be lower than 80g.

What would be the best way to set it up?
I'm thinking 3 portions 3x a day for a total of 63g.

Also I'm thinking of mixing in Greenies with the Hills food so I don't have to give it separately. What might be a good way to mix it?

I was thinking maybe: 3 portions 4x a day for a total of 84g, but by mixing in Greenies it would be either 3/4 Hills and 1/4 Greenies, or half and half.

Do you have any suggesions?

 

[Mac and Cats]

I have this automatic feeder: https://www.chewy.com/petdiary-automatic-dog-cat-feeder/dp/390742

For this feeder, each portion is 7g. And meal times can be up to 4 times a day.

1 portion 4 times a day would be 28g.
2 portions 4x a day would be 56g.
3 portions 4x a day would be 84g.

My cat is about 15-16lb (overweight).
I'm aiming for it to go down to around 12 lb.
This guideline shows that 85g (84g would be close enough) would be for 14lb cats, and 80g for 12lb cats.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Grain Free Salmon & Yellow Peas Recipe cat food
I'm wondering why there's only 5g difference between 12lb and 14lb, so I feel like it should be lower than 80g.

What would be the best way to set it up?
I'm thinking 3 portions 3x a day for a total of 63g.

Also I'm thinking of mixing in Greenies with the Hills food so I don't have to give it separately. What might be a good way to mix it?

I was thinking maybe: 3 portions 4x a day for a total of 84g, but by mixing in Greenies it would be either 3/4 Hills and 1/4 Greenies, or half and half.

Do you have any suggesions?

Do you give them Greenies for dental? Honestly, I don't think greenies do anything for dental. Someone please chime in if you think I am wrong. I don't have experience with an automatic feeder. For weight loss, I would honestly recommend incorporating some wet food and not all dry. Dry food is not really very good for cats as they have a lot of fillers and cats generally don't drink enough water, so the more wet food they get, the more moisture they get. Cats have a history of developing urinary issues and/or kidney issues as they age, which is why wet food is more beneficial. With that said, I do understand that dry food is easier to feed as you don't need to pay as much attention. Is it possible for you to add some wet food and less dry food? In terms of weight loss, I think what really matters is the calories. So, I would figure out how many calories s/he is eating now and then reduce them by a small amount. You don't want your cat losing too much weight too fast as it can cause a fatty liver which is not good. If you need them to lose weight, you want to do it slowly. So, I would figure out how much s/he is currently eating and then reduce it by a small amount (maybe ask your vet?) every couple weeks. Does that help at all/make sense? I'm not a vet or an animal nutritionist so please take what I say with a grain of salt. You should propbably ask your vet for confirmation before making a drastic change.

Forgot to say: Wet food can also help with weight loss as it's generally less calories for more volume. Therefore, they feel like they are consuming more food, but the food they are consuming has less calories which equals weight loss. They don't need to fit into a prom dress, so you can let their weight loss be slow. Slow weight loss is better for cats. Good luck!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Why are you adding greenies? These are treats which are ok now and then, but they are empty calories that have no nutritional value.

Can you introduce canned food? It has less of a carbohydrate load than dry food.

In any case, as you mentioned for a 14 pound cat, it says 2/3rds of a cup or 85 grams daily so 3 portions 4x daily is decent. However, you want her to lose weight very slowly so you'll need to increase it by 5-8 grams.

In other words, start at the amount of food that's just a little below her current weight. Weigh her so you can track her weight, and again, go very slowly.
Edit to add - we were typing at the same time