? for those who feed dry food

[carrieann0413]

We recently brought 2 cats into our family. They are said to be 9 months old. The foster family they were with was feeding them purina cat chow and I am starting with that for now but I don't know how much to feed them. According to the bag for their size it would be 1/2 - 3/4 cup for the whole day. I have been doing that but the cats finish it and are meowing for more. I have been trying to space it out and give them 1/4 cup 3 times a day but they still have empty bowls sometimes and come looking for food. One cat is on the small side and the other is on the heavy side so trying to make sure each gets the right amount and not eating all of the other cats food. Does 3/4 cup per cat for the whole day sound like enough? How much do you feed your cat(s)?

Thanks
Carrie

[scottd]

Purina Cat Chow is literally one of the worst foods, ever. The ingredients are below.

Poultry by-product meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal, ground whole wheat, brewers rice, soy flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), fish meal, meat and bone meal, brewers dried yeast, phosphoric acid, animal digest, calcium carbonate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, calcium phosphate, taurine, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, added color (Red 40), copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite. F-4501

There is NOTHING good about this food.

With that being said, the amount of food depends on the food itself. Pretty much all protein in this food is low quality and not very usable so it's not surprise they want to eat a ton of it.

My adult cat gets a grain-free protein dense dry food called Petcurean Go! Fit + Free. She gets 1/2c per day. She's a 14 pound 8 year old female. Dry food is very bad for cats. I discourage feeding it, I only feed it because my cat would starve to death before she ate wet food and I've gave up on converting her. My foster kitten gets a 100% wet diet.

[sueasinsue]

I have two kittens that are 8 mos old tomorrow, they eat dry food too Blue Buffalo Wilderness, when I adopted them they were eating cheap'o kitten chow so I switched them to the natural grain free BB (which I recommend if your serving only dry food). Anyway, I was wondering the same thing because the bag recommends 1/4 cup? I mean are they kidding?

Now at 8mos they are eating probably 3/4 of a cup each a day. I feed them in the am and then in the pm, problem is I have a resident cat that likes to graze in tiny nibbles. She will eat 5 pieces walk away only to return 3 minutes later for 4 pieces, and repeat this process throughout the day. That doesn't work with the meatballs I mean kittens, because they CHOW it before she can finish her nibbling.

From what I have found online it appears as though they will grow out of the chow down phase, eventually. Also remember activity level is important to consider, I play with the kittens every day for at least 30-45 minutes. They also run and chase and climb-doing all that they will eat more.

[anie]

as scottd pointed out, purina cat chow is a low quality food and as such, it is not very nutrient dense. that's why your cats get hungry often. if you switch them to high quality food, you will see the difference - they will eat less and be satisfied.
I would also encourage you to feed them wet food. cats need water for their urinary tract health and majority of water intake for cats comes from food. if they eat dry, they dont get enough water and it often results in serious problems with urinary tract.

[Lucas718]

To answer your question, it looks like you're giving them the right amount.Cat Chow Complete (in the blue bag) is 412 cal/cup.
Cat Chow Indoor (green & white bag) is 365 cal/cup.

You didn't say how much they weigh, but at their age they should be getting about 35-45 cal/lb. of body weight. So if you have a 6lb active cat, you should give them about 210-270 cal/per day. (More if they're still hungry, and less if they are getting fat).

[tigre86]

If you're determined to stick with dry food, you should look into getting them a grain free food (such as Wellness Core). It's more expensive, but it will help curb the kitties hunger. We had to feed our cats Meow Mix while we were away on vacation a few weeks ago. They ate tons of it and always begged for more. As soon as we got them back on Wellness, they ate less kibble and they even left extra on the bottom of the dish! My cats generally get a mix of wet and dry food which has also helped with their hunger pangs, especially at night.

[Arianwen]

Just a question - I've already admitted that my cats get a bit of everything - why does grain free food curb hunger pangs? I can understand why it is healthier but need enlightenment on this aspect.

[3gatos]

If only feeding dry, my large boys would get 1/2 c and my girl would get a little over a quarter cup. They are 12,12 & 9 lbs

[scottd]

Originally Posted by Arianwen

Just a question - I've already admitted that my cats get a bit of everything - why does grain free food curb hunger pangs? I can understand why it is healthier but need enlightenment on this aspect.

The good grain-free food usually contains more animal-based protein instead of fillers. It's more energy.

[Arianwen]

Please don't get me wrong, I don't like grains for cats but if they are like us high energy / protein isn't necessarily more filling. I'm still not clear about this.