Guidelines For Feeding Your Cat
If you still feel unsure of how to start, look at your cat’s weight compared to the “average” weight of an adult cat which is about 8 pounds for a male and 6 pounds for a female.
- If your cat is within 1-2 pounds of these weights and appears to be a healthy body weight, start by feeding two-thirds of the amount listed on the can. So if the can states you should feed one full can per meal, scoop out approximately two-thirds of a can into your cat’s bowl.
- If your cat is more than 1-2 pounds off from the average weight but is still a healthy weight based on body size and type, follow the same directions. Otherwise, if your cat is clearly underweight or overweight, start with a whole can for an underweight cat, and half a can for an overweight cat.
- When measuring out the food, you can also use a simple food weight scale if you want to be more exact.
- Do this for about one to two weeks and observe your cat’s weight. Is he gaining or losing weight or staying on track?
- If he’s gaining, reduce the amount you feed by about a tablespoon and continue monitoring.
- If he’s losing, reduce the amount you are removing from the can by about a tablespoon.
- Continue weighing and monitoring and reducing/adding by a tablespoon until you’ve found the amount that keeps your cat at a steady, healthy weight.
I Was Told That Kittens Should Eat All They Want; 3 Or 4 Times Per Day Is This True
Feeding a kitten all it can eat at one time is called ad libitum or free choice feeding. This is not recommended as it can create juvenile obesity, encourage binge eating, as well as setting the stage for some orthopedic problems and diabetes. Over-eating at any one meal can also cause stomach discomfort and bloating causing slower digestion. Cats are acknowledged to have a genetically determined “set point” for their adult size. Slower, controlled growth in kittens optimizes body condition in adulthood.
How Much Should My Cat Eat
Choosing the right food for your cat is important if you want it to grow healthy, strong and happy. For some, this may be store-bought food and for others it means homemade food. Regardless of the type of food you choose, the amount of food you feed your cat is essential to prevent your pet becoming overweight or, on the contrary, malnourished, especially if it is a sterilized cat. In general, cats do not tend to eat more than necessary, as they are more independent and self sufficient than dogs but it is always recommended to control what they eat. Therefore, in this OneHowTo article we show you the keys to knowing how much your cat should eat.
As mentioned, most cats are self-sufficient and tend to be ration food on their own throughout the day. However, the total daily amount you must provide will depend on the animals age and adult weight. And in case you have a cat that is spayed or gluttonous, where it will devour food without chewing and in just one sitting, it is always advisable that you feed it in portions yourself.
From 4 to 6 months you must reduce meals to 4 a day and increase 10 grams per serving. The cat’s stomach grows and begins to tolerate larger amounts but you should not go over the top as we want our cat to stay at an ideal weight. Remember to check with your vet regarding the weight your adult cat should have to know the exact amount you should give per serving.
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Fancy Feast: How Many Cans Are Adequate For Ordinary Cats
Assuming that the cat is not suffering from any illness at the moment, it often requires right around 2 4 three-ounce cans of canned food per day. Obviously, big cats would need more food than small ones. So it should take some time and effort for you to determine how many cans of Fancy Feast per day are needed in your case. It’s widely advised that you start with 1 can in the morning, 1 can in the evening and closely assess the body of your fluffy friend. Thrown in another can or two if you conclude that your cat needs more but in many cases, 2 cans are enough for the average cats.
Felines Age As A Factor
- Young Kittens
0-4 weeks old kittens are exclusively relying on their mothers milk. At four weeks you can begin introducing wet food to them. Those that weigh under one pound are likely under 4 weeks old and need to be fed kitten milk replacement formula.
Keep offering wet food at least three times daily until 8 weeks old. Wet food is generally considered healthier for cats, but if you choose, you can rely on dry food beginning at 8 weeks old.
- Kittens
It is nearly impossible to overfeed cats who are under six months old. Kittens are rapidly growing and they need about as much food as they can possibly eat. Not all cat foods are appropriate for kittens, so be sure that you are feeding either kitten foods or those suitable for all life stages.
If feeding exclusively wet food, you can expect kittens to eat 1-2 cans per day. This amount depends on their age, size of the can, and brand of the food.
This should be split into at least two meals; ideally three per day. Feed as much as your kitten will eat for each of these meals. Refrigerate any unused portion.
If feeding dry food, you can leave out a bowl and fill it as needed. It is recommended to supplement this dry food with feedings of canned food for optimal hydration and health.
- Adult Cats
Unlike kittens, cats can be prone to obesity. This makes determining how much to feed your cat more challenging.
- Senior Cats
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Is Too Much Wet Food Bad For Cats
It is clearly possible to maintain cats in a lean body condition with dry foods and to develop and perpetuate obesity while feeding canned diets. Overall, however, it is likely high-moisture diets, including canned foods or dry diets with added water, may be beneficial in preventing and managing feline obesity.
How Many Calories Are In My Cats Food
You know how you read the back of the cereal box while you eat your breakfast? There is also a lot of useful information on the back of any bag or can of pet food!
This information includes the Calorie content. Have a look at this example, where the Calorie content has been highlighted. This can of food contains 1000 Calories per kg of food . Each can contains 185 calories.
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Cat Food Portions Matter
Cats who have a hard time keeping slim should be fed several measured meals of cat food throughout the day rather than having 24/7 access to food.
How often should you feed your cat? You and your veterinarian can discuss the right frequency based on your situation. But, in general, cats do best when they eat multiple smaller meals throughout the daytwo at a minimum, but more might be better.
The math that you just performed can help inform your decision. In the example that weve used, the cat should be eating 3 1/3 cans per day. Wouldnt it make sense to feed three meals of one can each with the extra third of a can added to the last meal of the day? Whatever you decide, simply divide the number of cans you need to feed in a day by the number of meals you want to provide, and youll have the right portion for each meal. ;
If youre watching your cats weight, youll also need to subtract the calories provided by any treats you give as well as any dry food you offer. If it helps, keep a log of your cats daily caloric intake goals and then track the food and cat treats;you give throughout the day to help keep your cats weight on track.;
Feeding Wet Cat Food Vs Dry Cat Food
Most veterinarians recommend that cats eat primarily wet food. The higher water content in wet foods can help treat or prevent kidney and lower urinary tract disease as well as obesity and all its associated health problems. High quality wet foods like Fancy Feast Gourmet Naturals tend to contain more meat and protein and be lower in carbohydrates than dry foods and this better matches a cats nutritional needs in comparison to dry.
The chief benefits of dry foods are their lower cost and the fact that they are the best option when food needs to be left out for extended periods of time. If you choose to feed dry, opt for a quality, high protein cat food, like Solid Gold Indigo Moon with Chicken & Eggs Grain-Free High Protein Dry Cat Food, and try to maximize your cats water intake. If your cat likes to drink from running sources of water, consider purchasing a kitty water fountain like the Catit Flower Pet Fountain.
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How Much Canned Food To Feed A Cat
How much-canned food to feed a cat? Canned foods, commonly known as wet cat food are so important for your pet. They provide it with the crucial nutrients that make them healthy. However, not all cats should be fed with canned foods; rather one should consider the health condition of your cat.
Another factor to consider before feeding the cat with canned food is if the cat is an indoor one or an outdoor one. Indoor cats should be given more wet food as compared to outdoor cats for the simple reason that it provides them with nutrients that they miss for not being active.
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Your Cat May Have Trained You To Feed It
The act of feeding is a training exercise between the cat and the feeder. Cats often key on the behaviors and acts that are a preview to feeding them and try to get the feeder to engage in these. A good example is feeding the cats as soon as you get out of bed in the morning. The cats will very often try to get the person up in the morning so that they get fed earlier and earlier and earlier
Another example is the cat running into the kitchen every time the fridge is opened since that is where they know you store the canned food.
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Is Canned Cat Food Bad For Cats
Since canned cat food naturally contains more moisture than dry food, your cat is less likely to suffer from dehydration. Its that simple. Switching from dry cat food to canned, or even including wet cat food as a part of your cats daily routine is the best thing you can do for your cats kidney health.
How Many Meals Should My Cat Eat Each Day
The number of meals a cat eats per day depends completely on the family schedule. Cats should eat at least two meals each day, about 12 hours apart. But a breakfast, lunch, afternoon, dinner, and right before bed schedule is an equally great option. If more than 12 hours elapses between meals, the stomach can become hyperacidic causing nausea.
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How Much Wet Food To Feed A Cat Every Day
Jenna Stregowski, RVT has worked in veterinary medicine for more than two decades. Her veterinary experience ranges from routine wellness care and preventive medicine to emergency and specialty care, where she has performed duties ranging from specialized nursing to clinical administration. Jenna has been writing about pet care for over 10 years, including for publications like DVM 360 and DogTime.
As veterinarians increasingly recommend wet food diets for cats, owners are faced with many decisions. Much like dry food, it can be difficult to determine what kind of wet food is best for your cat. Once you find the right type of food for your cat, you need to figure out how much wet food to feed your cat.
Can I Feed My Cat Homemade Food
Homemade foods can be very nutritious for cats, but you must create a mixture with the right percentages of crude protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and moisture. There are a couple of helpful online tools that help;you build a diet for your cat if youd prefer to make their food yourself.;;
It is important to note that homemade foods should still be cooked. Raw foods are not backed by veterinary professionals, as they can cause salmonella and other types of poisoning. When making homemade foods, be sure to source all of the ingredients from reputable stores.;
The storage of raw foods is extremely important. Cat food should be refrigerated in its own separate compartment, not along with your other foods. If dealing with meats, its important to not store cooked meat with raw meat as this can cause cross-contamination. Even if you were to cook the food and then serve it to your cat, they would become extremely sick.
Always check any old food that has been stored for freshness. I like to do a smell test, and then an eye test to see if there is any discoloration. If you dont feel comfortable making homemade food, stick to store-bought solutions.;
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A Hungry Cat Often Looks For Mischief
Another factor to consider is that a hungry cat is a busy cat, often seeking out food, stalking or grumpy towards the other cats , bothering the people around the house, or engaging in other destructive behaviors.
Being busy is good in that it makes the cat more active, which helps burn calories, but the nature of the business is often not appreciated by the rest of the house. By feeding a cat in response to these behaviors, the cat is encouraged to act this way. One of the hardest things to do is to let a cat be hungry without rewarding the associated behaviors.
Your Cats Dietary Needs Evolve Over Time
As your cat moves through kittenhood, early adulthood, and beyond, his nutritional needs will change. Meeting those requirements at every phase of life sets the stage for good health.
Your first stop when choosing the right food for your cat? The nutritional adequacy statement.
Usually located on the back of the bag or can, this statement indicates whether or not the food is nutritionally complete and balanced for its intended life stage. The label will read, for example, formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO cat food nutrient profiles for all life stages.
Foods that arent nutritionally complete and balanced will usually be labeled for supplemental feeding only. These foods dont contain the appropriate balance of macronutrients and micronutrients and shouldnt be your cats sole source of nutrition.
While youre looking at the label, check out the feeding instructions as well. For the average house cat, the appropriate feeding instructions are usually already placed on the packaging of the cat food.
The nutritional guidelines on the package will point you in the right direction, though you may need to make some modifications to fit your cats exact needs.
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What Types Of Foods Should Be Provided
How Much Should You Feed Cats per day?This is one of the first questions new cat owners typically ask. And while it might seem like a simple one, the answer is anything but. In fact, there are almost as many answers to this question as there are cats.Because there are many factors that control the amount of cat feeding per day in general.
Why Do Cats Need Wet Food
Many veterinarians recommend that cats eat a diet of exclusively or mostly wet food. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, cats are obligate carnivores and are not designed to ingest many carbohydrates . Dry food will automatically contain many more carbohydrates than wet food. For many cats, dry food consumption leads to obesity.
Secondly, most cats are not big water drinkers and tend to keep themselves on the edge of dehydration. Wet food naturally provides more water in the diet, which supports the kidneys, urinary tract, and overall health.
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Essential Nutrients In A Cats Diet
Creating a well-balanced diet is important when cooking homemade cat food. There are various needs for a proper cat diet to provide an intact pH balance and make your feline as healthy as possible.
The two most essential nutrients are protein and water. Being carnivores, cats require protein to grow, develop, thrive and, of course, survive. Raw cat food as well as home-cooked one allows making your furry proper hydration during the day. Thats so important because the level of hydration influences the cats well-being, skin and coat condition.
When it comes to amino acids, you should realize that they are the next in the list of important nutrients for cats. Many acids are kept in protein sources. Taurine is the most basic one that is vital for a felines health.Such necessary amino acids as Omega-3, Omega-6, DHA, LA, AA, EPA, GLA and CLA should be also added to your cats diet. They ensure great health for your furry.
For normal physiological development, it is essential to include vitamins and minerals in your felines diet. Phosphorus, chloride and vitamins C, B6, K and D are crucial for your cats health development.