Snarkmasters: I am aware of lmgtfy! It is unbelievably hard to get an answer on Google. All sites say… “well, it depends on the age and weight and quality of the food…” Yes, I know that dammit! I want hard cold quantitative data.
Basically: how much should a cat eat per day? They are currently on a 2 per day schedule, mostly dry food (although figures for wet too help). I have no idea if 1/2 cup total is a starvation diet, just about right, or gonna fatten them up, etc. A range of numbers is fine, like “at least x cups but no more than y.” I don’t need the exact, just what’s way too little too much.
FTR, most are pudgy but not fat, weights estimated:
M, at least 15 pounds I’d think. Honestly, not skinny but really big boned
M, 12 maybe. Honestly, I should’ve named him Sarlacc in hindsight because he is a greedy pit who doesn’t gain weight.
F, 10
F, maybe 7 pounds soaking wet
All are adult, maybe 4 - 8 years.
Bonus question: the third one regurgitates (pukes) because I think she feels pressured to match the luggos. The boys clean it up (would be gross if not so convenient), but any good ways to decrease it? I was thinking 3x a day, but sometimes that’s not practical.
Here’s what we do. We “free feed” a good quality, no corn, but lower calorie dry food. Then, twice each day, each cat gets 1/3 a small can. By “free feed’ I mean have some in the bowl all day.
Free feeding seems to decrease “binge & purge” in cats. YMMV.
15 pounds is too heavy. Cats that age should weigh 8-10 pounds. I have two cats and I leave dry food out for them to nibble on. I feed them wet food twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, the 3-oz can of Fancy Feast’s Medley, which is the one they like. The dry food has good nutrients for cats, with the first ingredient a meat product, not a grain. Purina’s Smart Blend fills the bill and is inexpensive. They like it. Royal Canin and others may actually be better nutrition-wise, but not if they don’t eat it. Don’t feed them junk, such as Meow, which contains nothing but grains. Cats are obligate carnivores, but require some grains, too, so don’t buy them those expensive brands that brag no grains.
I open up the can and split it between the cats. They often don’t eat the whole can, but do eat some. Wet food is good for them, esp. if they don’t drink much water. I, of course, leave fresh water out for them, refreshing the water bowl several times a day.
Our cats are on a twice a day schedule, but it isn’t what you think. They free-feed on high-quality dry food whenever they want, and twice a day the 4 of them split 1 envelope of Friskies Gravy Sensations (they seem to enjoy the gravy more than they do the food. Go figure.) We make sure the dry food is a mix of hairball-control, urinary-health and weight-control formulations. All 4 cats (3 female, 1 male) are healthy, active and within expected weights for body size.
I feed my cat dry Science Diet adult, which includes a handy feeding guide on the side, which I’ll stick at the end of this post. Best advice is to ask your vet or the local humane society (if you haven’t been to the vet in a while).
I’m sure there are guides online to determine if your cat is overweight, underweight or just right. They should NOT be based on a number/age combo, but rather on how prominent various bones are, the lines of their body, etc… On my last vet visit, my cat weighed in at 13 lbs which the vet said was close to / barely overweight (he’s a long/large cat).
Here’s the feeding chart from the bag of Science Diet. This assumes you’re feeding only dry food. Obviously, if they’re getting wet food as well, you’ll need to subtract that amount from these numbers.
5 lb cat: 1/4 - 1/3 cup or 30-40 grams per day.
10 lbs: 3/8 to 5/8 cups or 45-80 grams per day
15 lb: 5/8 to 3/4 cups or 80-95 grams per day.
It hasn’t worked in the past, like when I have to leave for a couple days but not long enough to find a sitter. Also, there is a dog, so food is not safe unless the gate is up. The problem is that there are 4 different temperaments to contend with, and are often mutually antagonistic, especially numbers 2&3. Food gets stolen, etc. The biggest cat is actually the one that leaves the bowl in half the time as the others, and not a fast eater. He comes back for seconds, though.
In the OP: he’s a large cat. The other one is possibly larger in the way that longcat is, but much less sturdy. His appearance is similar to a Russian Blue or British Shorthair without the punched in face (and a mutty DSH). Wikipedia says: RBs are 8-15 lbs. BSHs are 11-22 lbs.
Also, as stated, they’re estimates. I’d make a poor carnival weight guesser.
A more specific question: is 1 cup of dry food too much? 1/2 cup?
I have a single indoor cat in the same age range, rather a large frame and around 10 pounds, and she eats about 1/2 cup of dry food per day supplemented with an occasional mouse. A full cup of food per day would definitely lead to a fat cat.
Have you tried giving your cats some kind of a fiber source like a pot of oat grass to nibble on? That could help your chubby cat feel full on less food while cutting down on vomiting in your sensitive cat.
BTW, my mixed (dog and cat) household works much better now that we’ve put the cat’s food and water bowl on top of the chest freezer :). Saves us having to move gates around all the time and keeps the cat from complaining about dog backwash in the communal water dish.
I have always free fed dry food and I can’t imagine being chained to a regimented feeding schedule for cats. I also feed a bit of warmed up slightly watered down canned food morning and evening, but that is a treat, and if I’m away for a day or two, or forget sometimes, I expect my cat to survive on the high quality kibble that is always available.
For the record, my cat is a lean and fit 14 lbs. Just a big cat, not overweight.
I’ve always been of the opinion that most cats will self-regulate… much more so than dogs, anyway. My crazy cat lady friend has a number of cats, all with free access to food, water and the great outdoors… most are an acceptable body weight (the older ones being a wee bit pudgy, but not fat, the younger ones being mostly lean). Only one cat is obese, and we both think there is something amiss with him, as his four siblings (all s/n) are a normal weight. Vet testing has turned up nothing, but it does seem odd that he is the only fat cat of the horde.
I had as cat who threw up a lot and our vet suggested a food for sensitive stomachs that was low residue. There are a few different brands. Look online, at Petco or Petsmart. We fed each cat on 2 sides of a baby gate in the kitchen. They learned which side to be on and leftovers were picked up after. It only takes a couple meals for them to learn eat now or go hungry until next time. We don’t free feed or our indoor cats get fat. We feed 1/3 cup dry twice a day. It’s specifically for indoor cats. No people food or treats ever. There should be feeding guidelines on every can or bag as every food will have different calories.
For our eight-pound, ten year old cat, we feed about 1/4 C of dry food twice a day, and also give a couple of treats. She seems to be thriving. We don’t buy Science Diet or anything that expensive, but we buy Iams, which I think is better than generic.
One male, one female both age 7. Each weighs in at about 14 pounds. They split a 5.5 oz can of wet food morning and night - occasionally a generous 1/4 cup if Iams instead.
Vet says they are not overweight if, when viewed from above, they don’t ‘balloon outward’ from end of ribcage to hips.
Problem is that they 1) Compete for food 2) Start the “I’m hungry dance” at 4AM and 4PM.
Any suggestions for introducing free feeding into the mix when one (female) will eat it all to keep it from the other?
PurpleClogs: what did they mean by “residue”? I mean, is that something mentioned on the label?
That’s what I’ve been doing, I’ve heard some suggestions that you should give more and was curious why. As hinted and as I probably said before, one cat is an asshole. Really the animal model of sociopathy. Another lives in fear of him, and gobbles down food when she can. That leads to regurgitation.
Are you honestly saying that all cats the same age should weigh the same amount?
