Cat Forum banner

How much do you feed your cat

4K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  Adrienne 
#1 ·
How much do you feed your cat? I feed Elliott about 1/2 cup of food a day. I usually measure out her food in the morning and then feed her a 4 or 5 times a day. She is about 5lbs and is probably not getting bigger. She always seems to be hungry. She knows the cabinet that her food is kept in and she will sit in front of it and whine. She is always hungry.

The other day I decided to do a little expiriment and free feed her. I wanted to see how much food she would eat if she has access to it. I put a heaping pile of food in her bowl and she ate all day. She was at her food bowl not stop eating.

She has been to the vet a few times and she doesn't have any health problems. No parasites or worms.

I just don't really know what to do. Any suggestions? Thanks.
 
#3 ·
RarePuss said:
how old is she? what brand food are you feeding? any wet food?

if she's fully grown at 5lb (not likely) she will need 3oz of wet a day and to be free-fed dry on her own 24/7.

My marsh is now 11lb (yeah, WOW)... he gets 3oz a day wet and free-fed dry.
Sorry- I have been here long enough to know I put this infor in the question.

She is eating Wellness dry food. She gets canned food a few times a week, but mainly dry. The vet think she is pretty much full grown. She is around a year- probably about 10 or 11 months.
 
#4 ·
Adrienne said:
RarePuss said:
how old is she? what brand food are you feeding? any wet food?

if she's fully grown at 5lb (not likely) she will need 3oz of wet a day and to be free-fed dry on her own 24/7.

My marsh is now 11lb (yeah, WOW)... he gets 3oz a day wet and free-fed dry.
Sorry- I have been here long enough to know I put this infor in the question.

She is eating Wellness dry food. She gets canned food a few times a week, but mainly dry. The vet think she is pretty much full grown. She is around a year.
i'd say give her wet food every day, this is help supplement the dry and make her feel full :) also, leave out dry for her 24/7. I think she will find a natural balance if she's not getting enough in her. also, are you feeding adult formula dry?
 
#6 ·
NewRagdoll said:
1/2 Cup should be plenty for a 5 pound fully grown cat. I'm just not comfortable with something here though. What you observed when you free fed her and her constant desire for more food doesn't fit with a healthy, fully grown cat. How has her weight progressed.....weight history? On what does the vet base that she is fully grown? What breed is she? How is her drinking? Her stools? Her behavior, energy? Something isn't fitting.
Her drinking, stools, energy and behaviour are normal. She seems perfectly healthy.

She was TINY when she was a baby. She was a few weeks old when she was found as a stray. Her mother (the mom was stray) and brother and sisters were killed by animal or person. She was the only one that survived. The vet said becasue she was not properly nourished in her first few weeks of her life that could have an effect on her size.

She has stayed the same weight for about the last 3 months. The vet belives that she will probably not get much biggger because of her frame and how her weight has progressed. I know that doesn't mean she won't, but the vet said he BELIEVES that she will not get much bigger.
 
#7 ·
NewRagdoll said:
Why don't you just increase your daily servings a little (since she can't be trusted right now on free feeding) and see what happens? With most breeds, nine months is early to stop all growing. Give her 3/4 cup for a week....see what happens? I'm assuming obesity isn't a current worry.

Oh....and not to be a broken record....get scales....see what is happening from week to week......
No, obesity is not a worry at the moment. I am just afraid that there is something that the vet is missing. I feed my previous cat (14lbs) the same amount and he usually never finished a the half cup in a day. Most of the shelter cats get fed the same amount and they are full, so I just worry that I am missing something.

This maybe stupid, could she just really like the food. I know that doesn't matter how stuffed I am there is always room for Key Lime pie. I just wonder if maybe she is not hungry, but she just likes the food so she wants to eat. A cat maybe full and does not want food, but if you give them treats they will eat.

She goes to the vet about every two weeks to get weighed becaue I have to stop into pick up meds for my dog.
 
#8 ·
NewRagdoll said:
I share your concern and my first is that she is really hungry and still has room for growth. You are right, it could be she is just a glutton......but not knowing the breed or combination, I just would want to see what if she ate more for a couple of weeks. You can always go back to the current amount.
I think I am just going to start putting more food out for her. I hoping she is just a hungry little baby. Thanks!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top