[Maleke]

How much more expensive is it? AND, how much do you feed? I have a kitten who is almost a year old, and my other kitten is 8 months old. They are both on adult food now (I give them the occasional 3oz can of kitten food as a treat since they are "technically" still kittens) because the vet told me Magic was carrying an extra pound or two (he is almost 9 pounds, though he doesn't look fat at all).

I'm confused with how much to give them in a day because on the Felidae can it says to give them one can a day per 6 lbs of body weight, and on the Innova can it says 1 can a day per 8lb of body weight. I want to switch wet foods every day like I have been doing.....but how can I feed them different ones when each one calls for a different amound per body weight?

What do you guys do? They are still going to get Felidae dry as a treat at night......what would be a good amount of dry food? I want it about 75% wet....so would a quarter of a cup be enough or too much dry food per cat per day?

Thanks!

 

[jonsgirl]

I had both of mine on Felidae and I would only use about 2 cans a day, ocassionaly half a can was left over. I know it says to feed 6oz per every pound of kitty but you dont have to go by the directions. Just whatever you think your kitties can finish without leaving it there to rot. All I do is split the Felidae down the middle and give one side to Kota and one side to Stix. After about 15 minutes or when I see them leave the kitchen I scoop up the leftovers, top the can with a kitty food cover and stick it in the fridge. Next feeding they eat the leftovers and if I have to open another can, I do. They only get 3 feedings.

I think 1/4 cup of dry is a good amountif you are going to keep them on a little bit of dry...

Im sure your kitties wont care either way since they're getting the good stuff!

 

[drjean]

I get the giant cans so it's a little cheaper. Though, no doubt, dry food is the cheapest way to feed.

However, then you have to figure in the costs of feeding dry food, like big veterinary bills for dry-food related diseases such as diabetes and urinary tract problems. A little investment in the best nutrition now will pay big dividends later. There is no way to calculate it, but it's real.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[sentimentalgirl]

I give them about 5.5-6oz a day per cat - one can in the morning, one can in the evening (for 2 cats). Sometimes I give them little bit more (just maybe one or two spoons more).

I give them variaty (I started few days ago) of wet food. I feed them Nutro pouches (those seem to be quite expensive), Maxcat and Wellness.

And I use dry food as treat - Usually I give them some dry food after I brush their teeth.

 

[RichardMEL]

food is a constant concern for me.

Apart from the fact that I have trouble converting everyone's pounds and so into metric I 'm still confused with what our canned foods say, vs what the kitty seems to want.

I basically feed her 1/3 to 1/2 a tin (400grams/tin) a day in 2 servings - 2 tablespoons in the morning/lunchtime and another 1-1.5 in the evening. She always has fresh water (but she doesn't drink much - I think she gets most of her water from the wet food). I also keep a bowl of dry for her to nibble on as she pleases - under the theory that a bit of dry is good for her teeth and a balance. She doesn't seem to like the dry much and I figure with 3 or 4 1kg packets I have enough for over a year at the rate she is going.

I try and mix and match the flavours for her so she doesn't get bored (after all, who wants to eat the same thing day in day out?). I've discovered she doesn't like meat/fish combinations AT ALL (ie: chicken/tuna, beef/sardine, etc) and she only seems to like one brand (spoiled kitty!). I am still concerned to feed her the right food in the right amount, so that if a problem develops I can know that, for example, she's not eating a regular amount, or is perhaps wanting to overeat. Right now she seems to crave food lots, so I fear I am not feeding her enough - and I don't want her to starve.. but I don't want her to become a fat lazy cat since that won't help her in later years (she's only 14 months old).

Any comments from those in the metric world would be apprieciated

 

[queen of the nile]

We're supposed to be on metric here in Canada but everybody still uses imperial :? . I feed my 3 cats 1 1/2 cans (354g) per day. So they each get 1/2 of a 354g can (so just over 175g each/day). I think you are feeding about the right amout. The best way to tell if she is getting the proper amount is to weigh her at the vets. I bring my cats in once a month to check their weights (it's free ). You could probably just weigh her 3 months in a row, and if she stays the same weight, than you are feeding the perfect amount!
I don't think it's necessary to leave out dry food with the amount of wet you are feeding. Free-feeding dry food is the biggest reason cats get fat (ie: like mine ). It is much easier to regulate her food intake with solely wet food. It has also been shown experimentally that dry food does not clean the teeth. Dry food doesn't even produce significantly less tartar than wet food. I'm basically trying to tell you that dry food is unnecessary and that it will cause more health problems (diabetes, weight issues, urinary tract issues, etc...). If you are worried about dental health (which you should be ), than you should brush your cats teeth because dry food doesn't clean her teeth.

 

[RichardMEL]

Thank you

 

[TAsunder]

It does depend on the food. Innova says 1 can per 8-11lb cat. My cats are 12 and 14lbs. I still feed them about a can a day, plus a few chunks of halo.

For 5.5oz cans, this works out to $2 per day ($0.18 per oz). I have a case of the 13.2 oz cans on order. Those are $28 for 24 cans ($0.08 per oz or $0.97 per day). By comparison, a bag that will last 4 months is about $20 as well.