How Much Should I Feed My 10-month Old Car

[OllieOliver]

My last cat was 40 pounds when I adopted him at the age of 9-years. The previous owner gave him ad-lib hard food. It was very difficult to bring his weight down to 25 pounds, but I did.

Now I have a new cat, just 10-months. The vet said to give him 2 cans of food (the small 3 oz cans), but he cries endlessly, so I give him 3 cans. He still cries.

If I gave him food every time he cried he would wake me at least three times a night, and I'd be up to 5 cans. I'm afraid he's going to get fat like my old cat, or that m starving him.

So ... What is the right amount of food for him? He is about 12 pounds now, and shows normal activity.

 

[Kieka]

Most indoor only cats should be getting about 20 calories per pound. At 12 pounds that means 240 calories a day. Read the label on the cat food (or sometimes check the website) to see how many calories he is getting. Be warned that within the same brand and line flavors can vary in calories.

With kittens you pretty much give them as much as they want to grow. But at 10 months it depends on breed and if he is still growing. If he is growing I would do 30 calories per pound at his age. Really though body condition is a more important factor then weight when it comes to cats. I use my two as an example frequently. I have a female who is 7 pounds and male who is 13 pounds. My male is borderline too skinny and my girl I have to watch so she doesn't gain too much weight. But at their current weights they are perfect body condition despite drastic weight differences. Here is a photo to show them side by side. He is all stretched out which doesn't help but she literally cannot see over him when they stand next to each other.

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• Kieka
• Jan 14, 2017

Do you have a photo? That could help with body condition and possibly ancestry to see if the 20 is accurate for you. If you want to share brand of food we can also better advise on quantity.

 

[grammom]

Wow they are beautiful!!

 

[OllieOliver]

Thanks for the quick reply. This is only my second cat, and the first one that is less than a year.

I feed him only fancy feast, but not the kitten food. Isn't he too old for the kitten food? I've enclosed a picture. It's not a good one, but he doesn't keep still when he is awake.

 

[grammom]

Still can tell he's a cutie! My 12 lb and 12 year old guy eats 3 cans of Fancy Feast a day. He likes the grilled ones with gravy.

 

[Kieka]

I don't see a belly sticking out to the side in the photo. That is a good thing. When you look down at him from above you should see a slight indent between the ribs and hips. The other sign would be when you feel his ribs you can actually feel them but not visibly apparent.

Which fancy fest does he get specifically?

 

[OllieOliver]

Am I write not to give him the kitten foods? I give him just about anything, grilled, chunky, classic, etc., and all foods, both meat and fish, and he gets one handful of purina hard food to keep his teeth clean. He's crying now! I just fed him!

 

[Kieka]

He is still young enough that he could have kitten food. Usually you stop kitten food when they stop growing but some people stop when they spay/neuter.

Most 3 oz cans of Fancy Feast are in the 70 calorie range. So he should be getting 3.5 cans a day. Since you give him a handful of dry food too you could probably do 3 cans a day plus a quarter to half cup of dry food. If he is always moving you could go up to 25 or 30 calories and cut back if needed. Which would be 4 or 5 cans a day.

If he was mine, I would do 4 cans a day plus the dry. Measure out the dry though and don't go over 1/4 cup a day (I had a small tupperwear with a line and would just scoop it in each day. When the Tupperwear was empty the dry was done for the day). If he is still crying for food at that point then try increasing activity to make sure it is not bored eating before adding more food.

 

[Kieka]

I was looking more and it looks like some varieties of Fancy Fest go up to 90 calories a can. Which would keep you around 3 cans a day. Formula and flavor changes are fun to navigate when it comes to counting our cats calories.

I'd still feed him the 4 right now just keep a close eye on his body condition. If he starts looking a smidgen chubby cut back on the amount of food. You have to be honest about your cats condition and pictures or asking someone who comes over their opinion helps. I know my guys I watch very closely but I also have one with food allergies so I am making sure he doesn't get chunky now that I got him to stop throwing up everyday.

 

[OllieOliver]

Thanks for the really great advise. I'm moving to 4 cans, just so I can get some peace from the crying. And I'll keep an eye on that belly.