Cat feeding advice

[MissHarlen]

So we feed our cat 1/3 cup food at 11am and another 1/3 at 7pm but she is always begging for food about 4pm and 11pm. She always eats all her meal right away.

Should I be feeding her more? Maybe a 1/2 cup at each meal?

Edit: I am feeding her the recommended portions for a cat her age/weight. I can't just give her all the food at once because she will gorge herself

 

[boina]

You are kidding?

If your cat is fat, than no.
If your cat is slim, then yes, by all means, feed her more.
If your cat is less than 1 year of age, then most definitely feed her more.

 

[MissHarlen]

You are kidding?

If your cat is fat, than no.
If your cat is slim, then yes, by all means, feed her more.
If your cat is less than 1 year of age, then most definitely feed her more.

Sorry I know it seems like a silly question I just worry.
I definitely need to not give in to her begging.

 

[boina]

Sorry I know it seems like a silly question I just worry.
I definitely need to not give in to her begging.

In other words you have a rather chubby cat...

 

[MissHarlen]

In other words you have a rather chubby cat...

No she's super skinny but we only just adopted her last week. I think she has that starving anxiety that shelter cats get

 

[boina]

If she is really super skinny I would feed her more for a while until she's gained some weight. Super skinny sounds like malnourished and that's never good. You'll want to fatten her up until she's reached a healthy weight.
I don't measure my cat's food - they have cat kibble available all day round and only one of them is fat.

Actually I find it astonishing that you would limit her food when she's so skinny- why? Aren't you scared that you are really starving her?

 

[spiderbesideher]

We feed our cat 1/4 cup three times a day. A small bit more than recommended but he seems happy and is still slim. And constantly bouncing around, so no wonder he burns it all off.
We use Hills Science Diet and that is the recommended amount... would depend on what you use I imagine.
Ours was also a shelter kitty when we adopted him... just over the 2lb mark.

 

[ErinM31]

I would highly recommend feeding your cat a quality canned cat food (Wellness is one of the brands I feed my kitties). From all that I have read, cats do best with a low-carb diet and more moisture. Most kibble foods are grains and junk that cats shouldn't eat.

I have two female cats, 9 and 10 pounds, and split a 5.5 can of catfood between them twice daily and they've maintained a healthy weight for nearly a decade now.

 

[Ellenantula]

Poor skinny cat!

I agree with offering higher quality food and with feeding her more often until she reaches a healthy weight.
I wouldn't offer larger portions (then they just throw up) but smaller portions more often until she achieves a healthy weight.

 

[spotropaicsav]

Sorry I know it seems like a silly question I just worry.
I definitely need to not give in to her begging.

Don't worry, when I first had cats I had these same questions!

 

[MissHarlen]

We feed our cat 1/4 cup three times a day. A small bit more than recommended but he seems happy and is still slim. And constantly bouncing around, so no wonder he burns it all off.
We use Hills Science Diet and that is the recommended amount... would depend on what you use I imagine.
Ours was also a shelter kitty when we adopted him... just over the 2lb mark.

We switched to 1/3 cup 3 times a day and she seems happier

I would highly recommend feeding your cat a quality canned cat food (Wellness is one of the brands I feed my kitties). From all that I have read, cats do best with a low-carb diet and more moisture. Most kibble foods are grains and junk that cats shouldn't eat.

I have two female cats, 9 and 10 pounds, and split a 5.5 can of catfood between them twice daily and they've maintained a healthy weight for nearly a decade now.

We feed her Wellness grain free dry food but I might try supplementing wet a few times a week.

 

[miss moxie]

Grain-free cat/dog food actually isn't "healthier" for them. It's just something that took off when our society began to prize the gluten-free trend even though grain-free does not equal gluten-free. Some cats have an allergy to the grains they typically use (corn, wheat, etc.) and need a grain-free diet but typically they don't.

I feed all three of my boys 1/3 cup of Purina One Urinary Health dry food twice a day and two of them are over-weight despite only being fed twice a day, with their 'treats' consisting of a tartar-control food as recommended by my vet. I've heard neutered males can be on the heavy side though and their weights are consistent-- not gaining or losing much if at all. The third is the skinny one. He's also the most athletic. It's not odd to find him laying atop a 7 foot tall china cabinet.

Either way, I've had three handsome boys for many years (the oldest is 8, the twins are 5) now with only one having a serious medical issue that was caused by his anatomy rather than his diet. His bladder blocked up bad because he's got a very narrow urethra.

 

[boina]

Well, I slightly disagree with @miss moxie. Grain free is actually better for cats and not because of the gluten-free part (which, I agree, is nonsense). Cats are the ultimate carnivores, much more so than dogs. Long term studies have shown that cats do very well on a completely carbohydrate free diet - only protein and fat - but not so well on a high carbohydrate diet. Health problems from a high carbohydrate diet may arise earlier or later in life or not at all, depending on the individual cat, and may include chronic intestinal problems, skin problems and a predisposition for infections, because the immuno system is actually linked somehow with the intestinal tract and gets affected.

Since all dry food keeps its shape because of carbohydrates, even if it doesn't contain grain, adding some high quality canned food to the diet is actually probably a good idea.

 

[miss moxie]

Well, I slightly disagree with @miss moxie. Grain free is actually better for cats and not because of the gluten-free part (which, I agree, is nonsense). Cats are the ultimate carnivores, much more so than dogs. Long term studies have shown that cats do very well on a completely carbohydrate free diet - only protein and fat - but not so well on a high carbohydrate diet. Health problems from a high carbohydrate diet may arise earlier or later in life or not at all, depending on the individual cat, and may include chronic intestinal problems, skin problems and a predisposition for infections, because the immuno system is actually linked somehow with the intestinal tract and gets affected.

Since all dry food keeps its shape because of carbohydrates, even if it doesn't contain grain, adding some high quality canned food to the diet is actually probably a good idea.

You're right. I've actually spent a bit of time today reading about this from different sources and have come to a general consensus that my prior thoughts of too much protein causing harm was a misconception and it's actually too many carbohydrates that poses the problem.

I also had no idea cats had a lower thirst drive. I always see my boys drink daily so I've never really considered it at all. And who knew cats can rehydrate by drinking seawater? What fantastic creatures cats are.

This is a perfect example of why even a lifetime spent around a certain animal is nothing if you're not constantly educating yourself or re-educating yourself.

 

[spotropaicsav]

We made a switch to a higher quality food with less grain awhile back and it made a huge difference for our cats. Helped a lot with our Manx' bowel issues

 

[Marika]

Our cats get high quality canned food three times a day. They get kibbles (high quality as well) mostly as treats.