What Is The Best Diet For Bengal Cats
Bengal cats are a crossbreed of Asian leopard cats and domestic cats.So they have feral tendencies and their diet is slightly different than other domestic breeds of cats.The Asian leopard cats feed on birds, insects, and lizards.The Bengal cats diet is primarily a protein-rich diet.Thats why meat is the best diet you can feed to your Bengal cat.Besides, you can also feed high quality commercially produced foods to your Bengal cat.While choosing commercial cat food, you should make sure that the first ingredients in the list are meaty ingredients like beef, chicken, fish, etc.
How Much Should A Cat Eat When Feeding Raw
The general consensus for raw is to feed 2-4% of your cats ideal weight.
You may use a raw feeding calculator to calculate this amount.
If you dont know where to start, you may start at 3%.
Adjust the amount that you feed your cat based on his individual needs.
For example, Jericho has a lot of energy, and hes very active.
So I feed him an amount thats between whats recommended for 2% and 3%.
How Often Should Cats Eat Per Day
Since the calorie content of the wet cat food is 95 kcal/can, you would determine how much wet food to feed your cat by dividing 346 kcal/day by 95 kcal/can. When your kitten is over three months old, you should add one and a half pouches of kitten wet food to their daily diet of four to five meals.
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Cat Feeding Mistakes: Feeding Only Dry Food
The biggest mistake people make is feeding cats dry food, says Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, a California veterinarian focused on feline medicine and nutrition, and creator of CatInfo.org.
As it turns out, todays domestic tabby evolved from desert-dwelling ancestors, a heritage that no doubt left our furry felines with their grace, hunting prowess â and low thirst drive.
We know that a cats sensitivity to thirst is blunted compared to a dog, Case says. They donât voluntarily drink water like a dog would. And because cats naturally produce highly concentrated urine weâre setting them up for urinary tract problems when their diet is low in liquids.
When cats present with urinary tract problems, the recommendation is to get them on a water-rich diet, Pierson says. However, why are we closing the barn door after the horse is a mile down the road? Why not practice preventive nutrition by feeding them canned food before they end up with urinary tract problems?
Cats are designed to get their water with their food, Pierson says. Although mice, a catâs normal food, are about 70% water, and canned food about 78%, dry food is between 5%-10% water. Thatâs why canned food does a much better job of keeping your cat well-hydrated, Pierson tells WebMD. Think of canned food as hosing down your catâs bladder several times a day.
How Much To Feed A Cat By Age
Growing kittens need comparatively more food than adult cats, because they need nutrients to allow their body to grow. This can be difficult to calculate precisely, and professional veterinary nutritionists have charts and guides that may be applied.
For most cat carers, it is simpler to recognise that kittens do have higher requirements, and that it is rare for kittens to become overweight or obese. Using the broad guidelines on the packaging, it is fairly safe to say that kittens can be fed almost as much food as they wish to eat at each mealtime, within reasonable limits.
- If the kitten is still chasing the bowl, looking for more food when they have finished, they should be offered a little more.
- If the kitten routinely does not finish the food that is offered in the bowl, they should be offered less the next time.
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How Many Calories Should My Maine Coon Eat
According to a shocking study, an amazing 25.7% of cats are overweight. Even more alarming, a full 33.8% are classed as overweight.
Clearly, there are some kitties getting either too much food or not enough exercise.
Its probably fair to assume that as the Maine Coon is a popular breed of cat that those statistics would be typical for Maine Coon owners.
This brings up an interesting point. Exactly how many calories should you feed your Maine Coon?
A female Maine Coon should be given between 240 and 450 calories per day. A male Maine Coon has a range of between 360 and 550 calories per day to maintain a healthy weight.This is approximately a couple of pouches of wet food and a small cup of dry food.
Although its generally recommended to feed your Maine Coon something between 240 and 500 calories per day.
This number will depend on the age, weight, sex, and activity level as well as other individual factors.
Individuals who are overweight should be fed a reduced-calorie diet for two months before increasing their caloric intake.
How Do I Control Calorie Intake And Avoid Nutrient Excesses
Calorie control in mature and senior cats usually means reducing calorie consumption by approximately 20-30%. In geriatric cats, it may be more important to increase their caloric intake to sustain a normal physique as their body condition and weight naturally declines with advanced age.
It is important to closely monitor your cats body condition and muscle condition and keep both in a good range as discussed in the handout Obesity in Cats. Maintaining healthy body condition and muscle mass reduces the risk for many diseases including cancer, kidney disease, osteoarthritis, and immune-mediated disease. It can slow the progression of age-related changes and increase a cat’s lifespan.
Most senior cat diets are formulated with appropriate nutrient limits and are less calorie-dense than rations for kittens and young adults however, there are currently no established specific nutrient requirements. This means that amounts of nutrients found in different foods can vary widely. Your best resource for choosing a diet for your senior cat is your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will recommend a specific diet based on your cats specific needs.
“Maintaining healthy body condition and muscle mass reduces the risk for many diseases.”
Once you know the appropriate quantity to feed at each meal, you can schedule regular weigh-ins at your veterinarian’s office to monitor any weight gain or loss.
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Choosing Between Dry Food Canned Food Or Both
In general, you need not offer multiple flavors and textures to cats. They get very good at training their owners to add something else to the mix if the cat shows any hesitation to eat what is given. If the cat is otherwise acting fine, a choice to not eat what is offered can be normal, or a test by the cat to see if something better will show up. Very, very few cats need any encouragement to eat. The opposite is usually a goal.
What Are The Typical Calories Of Common Cat Foods
So if you know the calorie intake for the size of your Maine Coon then its helpful to have an idea of what that means in terms of common cat foods.
Its OK knowing that your Maine Coon needs 340 calories per day, but what does that mean in practice.
Is that 2 pouches of wet food, a cup of dry food, and a chicken breast. Or is that too much?
Or too little?
Heres a handy little guide
- wet food is between 120 and 190 calories
- dry food per cup is 350 to 500 calories
- 5.5oz Walmart cat food is between 160 to 180 calories
- 100 grams of chicken breast is 165 calories
A few additional points are worth remembering.
Firstly, obviously, you cant help them if they go out and get additional food when trying to control their calorie intake. A Maine Coon is perfectly capable of finding another food source to consume.
Thus you might be feeding your cat 360 calories, but they get an additional few hundred calories by being sneaky around other houses in the area.
Secondly, calories are just a measurement of energy, so are not the only thing to consider.
Making sure your Maine Coon eats a healthy balanced diet is just as important as the calorie intake when assessing what to feed them
Think of it like this, you could get your calorie intake from purely eating Mcdonalds. But is that good for you?
Finally, foods with chicken and animal protein are more likely to be higher in calories than fish based foods. Tuna and rice dry food will typically have fewer calories than chicken and duck foods.
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Cat Treats And Extras
We all know how talkative cats arebut Meow does not always equal I am hungryit can be a greeting or a demand for attention and affection.
Resist the temptation to feed at every meow, instead substitute something else pleasurable such as a groom, or a game with a favorite toy. Treat balls are another way to help kitty work off some energy while making a meal last longer.
Treats do contain calories too! Dont forget to take any cat treats into account when measuring out your pets meals.
IMPORTANT Pro Tip
Have one person be responsible for feeding pets and monitoring their weight.
How To Calculate Calories For Weight Loss
If your cat is overweight, it is healthier to help them reach an ideal weight.
Here is an example of how to calculate calories for weight loss. During a recent visit to the vet, they point out that your catâs body condition is considered too high. Their belly is sagging and when you view it from above, there is no âhour-glassâ to their figure. The catâs weight was 19 pounds. When we look at Table 1, the basic RER requirements for a 19-pound cat is 353 calories. When you look at Table 2, you want âweight lossâ which gives us a factor = 0.8 x RER to attain an ideal weight.
The calculation is 353 calories x 0.8 = 282 calories. For this 19-pound cat, 282 calories is the appropriate amount for losing weight.
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Only Feeding Them Dry Food
High-quality wet food is recommended in addition to dry kibble or exclusively. Cats dont have a natural thirst drive like dogs do, so they need to get their water from their food.
Dry food is only 10% to 12% water while canned food is 78% water. Canned food does a much better job of keeping your cat well-hydrated, says Lisa A. Pierson, DVM. Think of canned food as hosing down your cats bladder several times a day.
What Sort Of System Should I Use For Feeding My Cat
The way you feed your cat can be almost as important as how much you feed them.
In the past, many people have given their cats free choice , free-feeding, or ad libitum i.e. offering them as much in their food bowl as they wish to eat. In particular, a bowl of dry food has often been continually topped up, allowing the cat to eat this whenever they wish to do so.
It is now recognised that feeding cats using this method is likely to lead to cats eating too much, leading them to be overweight or obese. Instead, cat carers should calculate the correct daily amount to feed, and either weigh this amount daily, or use a feeding container to give the measured amount every day as their cats food supply.
Many people already know these facts but they are still left with the question: how much should I feed my cat? This article will help you discover how much food you should be feeding, so that you can ensure that your cat stays at their optimal body weight.
Whichever method is used to calculate how much a cat should be fed, it is impossible to generalise for every individual cat, because of several variables that are not the same between different animals.
The first three variables can be factored into calculations:
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Community Cat Feeding Tips
Providing adequate food for the cats on a regular basis, year-round, is a cornerstone of good colony care. Feed during daylight hours for your safety and so that you can easily assess the members of the colony.
How Much Is Enough?
The amount of food a cat needs depends on their size, their level of activity, the weather, the brand of food, and what other food sources are available. Expect an adult feral cat to eat roughly 200 calories per day, plus or minus 2030 calories. This works out to about 5.5 ounces of wet food plus 1/8-cup of dry food per day . Some cats will eat considerably more food, others less, so you may need to experiment in order to find the ideal amount.
While gauging how much to leave, observe the cats and use your discretion based on the time it takes for the food to be eaten. If the cats eat all of the food in 15 minutes or less, consider putting out a bit more. If there is consistently food remaining after a half hour, put out a bit less. Be aware, though, that some of the cats you are feeding may not approach the feeding station when a human is present.
Seasonal Considerations
In the winter, especially in colder locations, expect the colony to consume more food because they will need extra calories to maintain their body heat. Also, by fueling a cats immune system with the best nutrition you can afford, you will provide him or her with the best defense against illness.
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Pecking Order
How Many Calories Does An Adult Cat Need Per Day
The average adult cat requires 20-30 calories per pound of body weight. So, a 9lb cat should consume between 180 270 calories per day. Different brands and flavours of food will have slightly different calories.
| Kitten | Introduce food from 4 weeks of age but allow to continue to nurse from their mother until 8-10 weeks.
A kitten is growing quickly and needs to have several small meals a day. Feed a high-quality wet food 4 times a day . Obviously, a 4-week old kitten will eat less than a 10-week old kitten, let them be the guide. If the food is gone within 30 seconds of hitting the bowl then its safe to assume you need to increase the amount of food you are giving the kitten. If there is leftover food after 30 minutes, then decrease the amount. |
| Adult cat | An adult cat should be fed twice a day, morning and night. As a rough guide, a cat should have around 200g of wet food a day . |
| Senior cat | As cat ages, he typically spends more time sleeping and less time chasing flies around the house and therefore burns fewer calories than a more active cat. |
| Pregnant or nursing cat | A pregnant cat has much greater nutritional needs than an adult or senior cat. Feed pregnant and lactating cats a kitten diet, which is higher in calories. |
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Watch Their Water Intake
While it is important for all cats to have fresh water available at all times, it is especially vital for older cats. Feline kidney disease can be a silent killer that creeps up on an older cat. Drinking and flushing out toxins helps to keep kidney problems at bay.
If your older cat is drinking less than they should there are ways to tempt them. Consider adding the juice from canned tuna to their water bowl. Some cats are attracted to moving watera slow drip faucet or a pet fountain may be the stimulus for more drinking. Also, your veterinarian may recommend a move from dry to canned food if you have been feeding a strictly dry diet.
Both feline kidney disease and feline diabetes may show up as your cat drinking more water than usual. At the same time, a cat with diabetes may seem ravenous and will eat more than usual while losing weight. The same symptoms can be seen in hyperthyroidism. Both conditions are treatable and respond best if caught early.
Our senior cats are treasures, and every day with them is a gift. They rely on us to keep them happy, healthy and provided with the very best cat food for older cats. So, make sure you are feeding your senior cat the right amount of calories and monitoring their eating habits!
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How Much They Weigh
To maintain a normal, healthy weight, Fetch by WebMD says that cats should eat between 24 to 35 calories a day, per pound. For an eight-pound cat, this would equate to 192 to 280 calories a day. To put this into perspective, a 5.5 ounce can of RAWZ turkey and turkey liver pate is 199 calories. Half of a cup of RAWZ salmon meal free dry cat food is 230 calories.
If you cat is underweight or overweight, you will need to work closely with your veterinarian to make sure youre feeding them appropriately. Overweight cats, especially those with diabetes or other health conditions, should always receive measured food amounts. The Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University notes that frequent weigh-ins are recommended to promote slow, safe weight loss.
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When Is A Cat Considered To Be Senior Or Geriatric
The American Association of Feline Practitioners consider cats between 11-14 years of age to be senior while geriatric cats are 15 years and older.
“Before you consider switching to a senior cat food formula, it is important to first consult with your cat’s veterinarian for a thorough physical and metabolic evaluation.”
At an approximate mid-life point, when a cat is considered mature , it is common for cats to gain some weight and exhibit age-related physical and behavior changes. But before you consider switching to a senior cat food formula, it is important to first consult with your cat’s veterinarian for a thorough physical and metabolic evaluation. Since many of the diseases commonly found in older cats can be detected early on, your cat’s veterinarian may recommend a nutrient profile to deal specifically with any current medical concerns.