why does my cat eat less then the feeding guidelines?

[candie]

i notice that on the feeding guideline it says feed about 1/2 a can for 8lb can from a 13 oz but out of that she can only eat 5oz and she weights about 11-12 pounds. she gets full easily sometime don't finish her meal when i give her 6oz of the stuff so i'm wondering are the feeding guideline wrong? my cat seems satisfied after she eats about 5.5-6oz of food.

 

[Willowy]

Well, remember that cat food companies want to sell more cat food! :tongue2: And also, feeding guidelines (I've heard) are set using intact animals, and hormones/being in heat/etc. burns a lot of calories. So, yeah, the guidelines are usually way too much for most indoor neutered pet cats. The usual recommendation is about 20 calories per pound per day, and if you look into how many calories are in most canned foods, it does come out to about 5-6 ounces a day for an average-sized cat. So she's right on target.

 

[just mike]

i notice that on the feeding guideline it says feed about 1/2 a can for 8lb can from a 13 oz but out of that she can only eat 5oz and she weights about 11-12 pounds. she gets full easily sometime don't finish her meal when i give her 6oz of the stuff so i'm wondering are the feeding guideline wrong? my cat seems satisfied after she eats about 5.5-6oz of food.

Many people are of the opinion that it is a huge conspiracy within the pet food industry to sell more food. That is really not the case at all. If that were the case, every cat, dog rabbit, fish etc. in this country would probably be morbidly obese. That said, the pet food industry also does not want to underfeed and have thousands of undernourished pets running around either.

A lot of scientific research goes into the averaging of those portions on the sides of the cans and bags of pet food. There are too many factors to list and it would take thousands of pages to post all the research done on the subject.

The portions on the sides of the bags and cans are "guidelines", meaning use it as a guidline to "help" the pet owner decide how to portion control their furkid's daily food intake. If your kitty is healthy, of a health weight and leaves part of the food, consider yourself fortunate you do not have a food addict on your hands and simply reduce the portions :nod: If you find your cat losing weight, increase the guideline portion. Don't do a drastic reduction, reducing small amounts at a time is the way to go.

 

[peaches08]

Many people are of the opinion that it is a huge conspiracy within the pet food industry to sell more food. That is really not the case at all. If that were the case, every cat, dog rabbit, fish etc. in this country would probably be morbidly obese. That said, the pet food industry also does not want to underfeed and have thousands of undernourished pets running around either.

A lot of scientific research goes into the averaging of those portions on the sides of the cans and bags of pet food. There are too many factors to list and it would take thousands of pages to post all the research done on the subject.

The portions on the sides of the bags and cans are "guidelines", meaning use it as a guidline to "help" the pet owner decide how to portion control their furkid's daily food intake. If your kitty is healthy, of a health weight and leaves part of the food, consider yourself fortunate you do not have a food addict on your hands and simply reduce the portions :nod: If you find your cat losing weight, increase the guideline portion. Don't do a drastic reduction, reducing small amounts at a time is the way to go.

Agreed.

Also keep in mind that like people, cats are individuals. Activity plays a part too.

 

[minka]

It is of my opinion that pet food companies *are* out to sell more food. Case in point, 50% of dogs and cats in the USA are now classified as overweight.

The portions on the back are always ridiculous. One 5.5oz can is actually the average a typical cat needs to make it through the day.

 

[otto]

i notice that on the feeding guideline it says feed about 1/2 a can for 8lb can from a 13 oz but out of that she can only eat 5oz and she weights about 11-12 pounds. she gets full easily sometime don't finish her meal when i give her 6oz of the stuff so i'm wondering are the feeding guideline wrong? my cat seems satisfied after she eats about 5.5-6oz of food.

5 ounces is probably just right for her.

Mazy is 10 pounds 5 ounces, very active and Jennie is 9 pounds 8 ounces, moderately active, and they eat 4.2 ounces of food a day.

 

[ritz]

Guidelines are just that, guidelines.  People are individuals, just like cats, with their own unique background/histor and needs. Pet owners need to be responsible by doing some research, like you (original poster) are doing, and not follow labels blindly.

Ritz was eating 9 oz of Fancy Feast Classic and was still hungry/food obsessed.  I switched her to raw, and she is less food obsessed but will always have some type of food "issues".  She lived the first four to six months of her life on the streets, that's part of it. 

Go by what your cat looks and acts like.  Not so much by what the manufacturers says.  Just Say No if your cat looks healthy but wants more food (*wants* not *needs*).

 

[minka]

^ Grim would eat.. I don't even know how much if I let him..
When I first fed him raw I had no idea what I was doing and I gave him like 8oz *at once*. He was still hungry afterwards.. XD
I really do think he would eat as much as I could feed him till he either puked or his stomach burst. He has problems, lol.

 

[pinkman]

I always went by calories, and not by the feeding guideline. Some foods are more nutrient-dense than others. Lox eats way less than what's recommended on the can, but she hasn't lost weight or looks skinny at all. 

 

[candie]

i went buy calories as well but i notice that no matter what she eats 5-5.5 and that is probably up to 160 calories so sometimes it worries me if she is getting enough she did lost 1 pound when i switch but she did gain it back.

 

[minka]

i went buy calories as well but i notice that no matter what she eats 5-5.5 and that is probably up to 160 calories so sometimes it worries me if she is getting enough she did lost 1 pound when i switch but she did gain it back.

When in doubt, ask your vet :-)

 

[maewkaew]

I think a lot of cats would be grossly obese if they ate as much as those guidelines on the label!   especially spayed/ neuterd cats since that does tend to affect metabolism.  

 About 4 to 6 ounces of canned food is normal for  most adult spayed/neutered cats.    but every cat is an individual,   so just go by her body condition and if she is too thin, try increasing a bit, if too fat try decreasing a bit. .    There are body condition charts online that can help you judge.    

 

[franksmom]

I wish my cat would eat 5 oz of wet food I can barely get him to eat 3 oz!

 

[just mike]

It is of my opinion that pet food companies *are* out to sell more food. Case in point, 50% of dogs and cats in the USA are now classified as overweight.

The portions on the back are always ridiculous. One 5.5oz can is actually the average a typical cat needs to make it through the day.

Of course you are entitled to your "opinion" That said, if you notice your animal losing weight, or gaining weight, what do you do? They are "guidelines", plain and simple. It's up to the pet owner to use their own judgment on how and when to portion the food. The pet food companies are not forcing anyone to over, or underfeed their animals. If that were the case, they would all be out of business :lol3:

 

[Willowy]

You'd be surprised how many people take the feeding guide on the bag as gospel :tongue2:. Especially dog owners, it seems. 55% of pets being fat. . .I don't think it's all because of table food. The funny thing is, many "weight-loss" pet foods (like Purina Healthy Weight) are just the regular formula with different feeding guidelines on the bag. . . :lol3:.

 

[minka]

Yea, honestly most people *don't* think to change the portions. They just let their pet gain and gain and if anyone says anything, you are in for an ear full!