My Sphynx is always hungry... how much food should I give her?

[Morticia]

hi all,

Morticia is a hungry hippo, she's like a dog if you leave her bowl with food for the whole day she eats all at once.
So now I'm using an automatic feeder which rotates with new food 4 times a day.
She's 7 months and weights aprox 3lbs, I was giving her about 125gr of Royal Canin kitten, slowly dropping the amount because she's growing a big belly.

I'm now giving her between 75gr to 100gr daily.

I don't want her to starve but I don't want her with a huge belly which might result in an obese cat (health complications)

How much do you give to your sphynx??

 

[Mews2much]

Sphynx are suppose to have fat stomachs.\
I would let her eat as much as she wants.
Sphynx need more calories then normal cats.
Yours is still a growing kitten.

 

[Bella07]

Since your Sphynx is only 7 months old, I would let her eat as much as she wants! As M2M said, Sphynx are supposed to have "pot bellies" and they do in fact eat more than the average cat. Especially since Morticia is still a kitten, I would let her eat as much as her little tummy desires! And I do believe that 3 pounds is fairly small for a 7 month old kitten. Her being hungry is a sign that you are not feeding her enough, she needs to grow and mature. Good Luck!

 

[ypvsypvs]

They do and should eat a bit more than other breeds, about 15-30% more. That beacuse of their lack of furr, they loose a lot of the energy the body put into "heating".
Also a sphynx is supposed to be pot bellied, it's in the breed standard. A sphynx without it looses points in a show for exemple so don't worry if it is just a thing isolated to the belly itself but if it spreads more than that then the cat might be a little too well fed .

All good cat food manufacturers have some sort of recommendation for how much you are supposed to give the cat and if you raise that with about 20% it will give you a hint of how much to feed them. I don't use that though, I always keep dry food filled up and give them a little bit of wet food once a day but I do keep an eye on them. If they start to gain weight more than they should then I lower the feeding a bit, mieuws or no mieuws.
Most cats wont over eat on dry food only though but sure, some do.


Edit: A kitten of under a year you shouldn't worry about though, just let them eat. Over weight can normally only become an issue for an adult cat.

 

[ckutkuhn7]

I always feed according to the recommendations on the bag and from my vet. My kitties each get about a cup of dry food per day and a can of wet per day. I split their cans into AM and PM servings also.

Some days they will eat a little more than usual and I go ahead and throw more food in their bowl when I see them empty but most days they consume about a cup each of dry..

Sphynx do seem to get the belly BUT they are naked so its easier to see than what you would a hairy fat cat. All of my hairy cats were always on the heavier side (i always joked they were on steroids). lol If they were naked then I would probably worry about their bellys too just like i do my sphynx.
You will notice if your sphynx is getting too heavy. Such as when they jump from higher places (cat tree or table,counter) you'll notice they land rather heavy and oddly on their front feet. Thats how I noticed my Snuffie was getting too heavy so I just changed her food to a indoor formula since she isn't as active all the time.
Thankfully we have SoBe now and she has been a great help in motivating some caloric burning for Snuffie. lol

And yes since your baby is a kitten I wouldn't worry too much, Snuffie didn't start gaining until after she was a year old and introduced to can food. I wonder if I can wean her from that..ugh,,she'd kill me. lol

Goodluck with your kitties feeding plan.

 

[Morticia]

Thanks guys! I asked the vet about this a while ago and he told me to keep with what the manufactures said but I'm awake that sphynx eat more to compensate the lack of hair and to keep themselves warm, so now i have an idea on how much I should give her. And she only eats dry food as well, tried to introduce wet food she didn't like it. I'm also giving her adult food as treats (when she does well at the toilet, she doesn't use litter anymore) and she absolute loves the Science Plan Feline Oral Care!

thanks for the tips guys!

 

[dgoetsch]

Three pounds for a 7 month old makes me chuckle because my big beasty boy is nearly 10 pounds!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

I agree with the others on feeding her as much as she want for the first year. I would also add that instead of dog food as treats to give her cat treats greenies are great for teeth but there are alot out there to choose from.

 

[gizmo6370]

I free feed my cats on dry food...no one is to heavy...not even the spayed one
So i would say....free feed on dry food....she's only 7 months old...still growing...3 pounds is not much for a 7 month old....one of the girls from my last litter is about 6 months old now and weights 4 almost 5 pounds

 

[sphynxie]

I agree let Morticia eat as much as she wants! I like the little "Goo Pouch" the sphynx get- definately one of their trademarks. Nudie free feeds on dry food during the day and 1/2 a can of wet am and pm. She is 5 months and a little over 5lbs

 

[TotenEngel]

I'm glad to say I agree with what people have been saying! Smeagol is 6 months old (as of yesterday!!) and he has kitty kibble available 24/7 (as well as the adult dried that he steals from the big boys!) and he gets wet at least twice a day, sometimes more if he is hungry!
3lbs seems very small for her age, I have been worried that Smeagol was small but am sure he weighs more than that! (He's off to the vets next week to have his baubles off so will get a weigh in then!)

 

[sphynxie]

I'm glad to say I agree with what people have been saying! Smeagol is 6 months old (as of yesterday!!) and he has kitty kibble available 24/7 (as well as the adult dried that he steals from the big boys!) and he gets wet at least twice a day, sometimes more if he is hungry!
3lbs seems very small for her age, I have been worried that Smeagol was small but am sure he weighs more than that! (He's off to the vets next week to have his baubles off so will get a weigh in then!)

Good luck with the bauble removal Smeagol

 

[Chameleon924]

Splashie (currently 7.7 pounds) gets dry food 24/7 and 1/4 of a can twice a day. I am currently feeding her EVO. She is ALWAYS hungry. She eats more than my 13 pound mini poodle. When cat food runs out she will eat the dog kibble if I don't refill her bowl. She does have a little pouch but is not overweight.
Your girl is still young so I would not limit her food. I would make sure she is free of intestinal worms if you have not done so already. If she has them, all the food you are giving her is going to them!

 

[ktate88]

I would free feed her, but you can still measure what she eats that way.

Niles gets 1/2 cup of his main food and 1/4 cup of his other food(so its not boring) everyday, in addition to 1/4 cup wet or raw each AM. He does get some of my food, too. Or this week his grandma sent him some steak from tailgating kabobs!!

He loves Greenies, and Breathies by Catswell

I like you do not want him to get chunky, but he is holding his own currently at nearly 6 months and 6.75lbs. If I do have to change him from free feeding at some point I fear the little raptor will be constantly going after me when I eat!!!

 

[TotenEngel]

Good luck with the bauble removal Smeagol

oh, he still has a week to wave them in my face at every available opportunity!! Usually as he is climbing over my face in the middle of the night!!!

 

[Catwhisperer]

I always feed according to the recommendations on the bag and from my vet. My kitties each get about a cup of dry food per day and a can of wet per day. I split their cans into AM and PM servings also.

Some days they will eat a little more than usual and I go ahead and throw more food in their bowl when I see them empty but most days they consume about a cup each of dry..

Sphynx do seem to get the belly BUT they are naked so its easier to see than what you would a hairy fat cat. All of my hairy cats were always on the heavier side (i always joked they were on steroids). lol If they were naked then I would probably worry about their bellys too just like i do my sphynx.
You will notice if your sphynx is getting too heavy. Such as when they jump from higher places (cat tree or table,counter) you'll notice they land rather heavy and oddly on their front feet. Thats how I noticed my Snuffie was getting too heavy so I just changed her food to a indoor formula since she isn't as active all the time.
Thankfully we have SoBe now and she has been a great help in motivating some caloric burning for Snuffie. lol

And yes since your baby is a kitten I wouldn't worry too much, Snuffie didn't start gaining until after she was a year old and introduced to can food. I wonder if I can wean her from that..ugh,,she'd kill me. lol

Goodluck with your kitties feeding plan.

Cats should not get dry food only—they need more fluid in their diets, or it can cause kidney damage. Most cats rend not to drink enough, so they need wet food to help their fluid level.

 

[Sheldon13]

Cats should not get dry food only—they need more fluid in their diets, or it can cause kidney damage. Most cats rend not to drink enough, so they need wet food to help their fluid level.

This is a very old post so you may not get a response.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[NakedSphynxCat]

My baby was in a litter of 10 and I believe her overeating is due to this - it’s like she “has” to over fill her belly because it was “every kitten for themselves”. She is my only Sphynx ever to do this and no kittens I’ve bred myself do this.

this kitten also has a digestive issue ongoing… the more in - the more out - and the output m; shocking.

She’s under vet care, she’s had all the faecal & blood tests, antibiotics and now steroids to see if her output will calm down.

Despite the output I’m dealing with, she is a solidly built (bigger than my two adult girls) and in fact is now an 11 month older overweight kitten, who she eats way way more than my adults.

I think your timed feeder is a good idea, but if you’ve other cats fed in other ways, I’d advise that you carefully watch their bowls even if they are the microchip kind since they are cunning and happy to slide in and feed at the side of the “activator cat”.

Their metabolism is faster than other domestic feline breeds & they like to be active (try a cat running wheel, to keep them fit!) Owing to the speed of metabolism they do require more daily calories than is stated on packs… how much will be individual and depend on activity, sex and whether the cat is neutered or not. Before 12 months, unless your kitten has a medical issue, ideally you should freefeed but remember a neuter will put on weight. Use the visual of the cat when viewed from over the top to helpjudge is he/she is getting a bit porky or wide in its rump! If you can see your cats ribs he/she is most definitely underweight. A female when fully grown will weigh around 3.4 - 4.2kg. A male 4-6.5kg on average.
Remember cat treats or human food also form part of the calorie allowance. So while they’re useful for training and bonding, you must adjust food intake accordingly.
A cat on steroids, like in humans, will also have an increased appetite. You may have to ignore the “feed me now” requests.
If you feed a raw diet, your cat may not ask for as much food because it’s so protein dense. Don’t feed a non barf food of any kind to a raw fed cat. Their tummies will not have the correct enzymes present to digest the food correctly. Transition slowly. You can buy frozen or freeze dried barf treats and even raw dry food (e.g Orijen)
All this said, cats in general are great self regulators regarding how much they eat. In general.

 

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