dry food

[jwylde]

Just wondering about how much you guys are feeding your babes. When I first got him and went to the vet and asked him he said he really couldn't tell me how much to feed him, just like a human, its different with everyone. He was too fat though so the guy @ petstore told me to cut it down from 1/4 cup two times a day to 1/3 of a cup
Does this sound too little or ok??

 

[Fester]

I am sooo not a pet food expert, but somethings are constant, one of those constants would be calories.

I would figure out how much calories per day you are currently feeding, then decide how much to reduce the calories (for humans stepping down by 10% is a good start)

the reason I'd recommend using calories as the metric is you then have a target amount than is independent of what type food you feed your little one.

My Kitty, 5e, is currently on the lean side, so I do what I can to convince him to slow down and eat much.

 

[Maggies mommy]

i feed maggie 1/2 cup in the am & 1/2 cup in the pm so 1 cup a day it works for us

 

[jwylde]

oh no! a cup a day maggie gets!?!? so maybe hugo is starving
I know he cries alot anyway to voice his opinion, but maybe that isn't enough food ---utttttohhhhhh....

 

[susi794]

1/3 of a cup for the whole day? Are you also feeding wet food? Wow, that seems really little to me, but as Fester says, I guess it depends on the calories and the nutritional make up of the food. If your cat is used to the kind of food with a lot of fillers in it, it's high in carbs and is just like junk food for cats--I feel like crying when I cut out potato chips and dip--do I need them? Nutritionally no, emotionally sometimes, yes. I would follow the guidelines on the package I was feeding, but would also make sure I am giving the protein and other nutrients my cat needs. If he's fat, you might want to try raw--or a higher quality food if you can afford it--I don't know what kind of food you're feeding. He might very well be crying due to hunger--but you need to determine if he wants a carbohydrate fix or if he's really not getting enough protein and other essential nutrients.

 

[admin]

We have dry available all day and one small can of wet food twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

 

[gizmo6370]

Here they can eat as much dry food if they like.....but all my beebs are thin....so there is no problem...i wish that Flora en Belle would gain some weight

 

[PitRottMommy]

First things first, never ever Ever EVER take the advice of a pet store employee over that of your vet.

That being said, I agree with your vet that "eyeballing" is the best method for knowing how much to feed. If you wouldn't mind posting a picture of your man, this will help everyone here advise you on where he sits weight wise. If he's at a healthy weight, there's no reason to bump his food up or down.

 

[lemmysmommy]

I feed Lemmy as much dry as he wants b/c it is out all the time and then 2 sm portions of wet...1 in the am and 1 in the evening. He seems to do well with this.

 

[jwylde]

I will post a pic as soon as I can. I have noticed he lost a little weight since I cut it down. And no it wasn't only 1/3 cup once a day, it's twice a day. I can't leave dry food out all the time because HE WILL GO CRAZY AND EAT IT all!!