How much do you feed your cats?

[slleipnir]

Just curious what everyone feeds their cats everyday? I'm unsure how much I should be feeding my two. I don't want to overfeed, but I don't want them to starve, either.

[catnapper]

Too much! LOL

I would only give about3/4-1 full cup but hubby seems to think thats too little and he claims they would starve on that. So they get almost twice what they should get and they look it too.

[Zippy]

a free feed nutro and they get nutro wet food once a week :D

[krazyaboutkatz]

I used to free feed but now I can't or some of my cats would starve. I feed them about 1/2 cup or a little bit more each a day.

I know this doesn't sound like much but I feed them 4 small meals. They get 2 in the morning and 2 at night. They also get no more than 6 pieces of feline greenies every night. So far their weight is good although Starr's lost some weight so he could stand to gain a pound or two.:)

[Catlady711]

Just curious what everyone feeds their cats everyday? I'm unsure how much I should be feeding my two. I don't want to overfeed, but I don't want them to starve, either.


Each cat may require a different amount of food, based on her current body condition, activity level, and age among other things. Kittens up to 1 year old need kitten food, cats 1-6 years need adult food, and cats 7+ years need a senior food because of protien requirements.

Click HERE (http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1398&articleid=660) for a picture chart of body shapes to tell if your cat is under/over weight or just right for starters.

Measure out how much food your cats are getting now for a week. Don't change the amounts just measure it.

Then check the feeding information on your cat food. Many companies will overestimate the amount of food needed. Make sure it's a good quality food, although some will debate what exactly that means, but basicaly stay away from the cheap generic or store brands of foods. Go with name brands, purina one, iams, science diet, nutro max, chicken soup for the cat lovers soul, eukanuba, etc.


If your cat is just right continue with whatever you've been feeding her.

If your cat is underweight go with what the bag says or just slightly above depending on what your week long measuring says.

If your cat is overweight cut back on the amount the bag says by a bit or a little less than what your measurments said.

If your cat is obese switch to a 'light' or 'weight control' food and feed just slightly less than what the bag says or from what your previous measurements said.

[Logan]

Audrey, I have always done free feeding. Mimi and Butter always ate the same food when she was living and neither of them ever got too fat. But, I do think it depends on the animal. If I tried to free feed my dogs, they would explode! LOL!!

Logan

[Taz_Zoee]

I free fed Taz for the first few years of his life and then stopped when he began to gain so much weight. But even after regulating the amount he ate he still reached 21.5 lbs. Right now he weighs only 15.5 lbs. and I feed him about 3/4 cup a day. I even had him on "light" food for overweight cats and that didn't help him loose weight either, so he is just a BIG cat.

[Sevaede]

The boys get half to three quarters of a cup, each, every day. I've had to stop free feeding and had to do it in turns. They were eating more than their share (dipping into Isis' share) and gaining lots of weight.

Isis is a small cat and just doesn't eat that much. She is given the same amount as the boys but only eats about one quarter of a cup of food.

[carole]

Well according to the vets all my kitties are overweight,Ash is 6.7kg,(he is a large built cat,) Lexie 5.3 Ellie 4.4 and Nikki 4.3 i knew Ash and Lexie were, Lexie could loose a kg thats around 2.2 pounds and Ash as well, maybe more, but my two newbies are also now, but only by a few grams,they were very thin when i rescued them,anyhow they are all on controlled portions now and sometimes i give them a little bit more if they appear hungry, because just like we humans they have hungry days too.

However according to the vet and what it says on their biscuits feeding allocation they are only to get 60grms a day to loose weight, and 75 if they are already just right, that is only like quarter of a cup, however i give Ellie and Ash wet food a small amount in the morning then quarter of a cup of biscuits, lexie has her special diet of 60grms a day, but she does sneak bits and pieces,which she is not allowed,but not too much, and then Ash usually gets a small amount of fresh chicken mince on top of his allowance as he is a larger cat than the girls and he loves his fresh meat,so far they seemed to have maintained their weight, although Lexie has lost some but mainly that was because she was not eating her new biscuits,so i guess i am still overfeeding them, but honestly i dont want to cut down anymore , i think i will keep at it and hope for the best, and see a weight reduction soon.

[Kalei]

We just always have a bowl of cat food on the floor for them, that way they eat whenever they want, and both are cats aren't fat and are as healthy as ever!

[ShylanHal]

Mine is kind of like a controlled free feeding. I fill their bowls once a day, and only enough for that days few meals that they have. They normally end up with leftovers anyway, and since it's dry food for the most part, I just fill it the next morning over top with a slightly smaller portion.
They're both slightly underweight, though not grossly, and it's funny, because they do that to themselves. I give them plenty of wet and dry food, spoil them rotten, and they're both about a pound underweight each. Well, Echo's only a few ounces underweight, but she's also a kitten.
BUt they are healthy as horses and fit as kings, err.. queens, or a warrior or sommat, and while they have less fat, I think that's mostly because they're so friggin active!

I personally think controlled free feeding is one of the better ways to go for slightly lazy people like me. :P I have a horrible sense of time, and so I'd always get their meal times messed up otherwise, in what would prolly be the best way to feed your babies, so I just give them their three meals worth each morning when I wake up and they still get the food that they need and no more, but they get to choose when they eat.

[critter crazy]

My Loki is free fed, all the cats i have ever owned is free fed. :)

[catmandu]

Theres too many Cats here to do anything but fill up the empty dishes and water bowls when empty.
They go through about 8 Fancy Feasts and 4 Small Nutro Canned a day.
And lots Of Whiskas Temptations.

[Catsnclay]

I use to free food for the longest time, then finally realized that all my cats were a little over weight.

Now, since all 3 are on different diets, I feed breakfast, a little for Yoshi & Lcuky for lunch, while Fluffy does get a full lunch. Then dinner, and Fluffy once again gets some just before we go to bed.

Yoshi & Lucky are pretty much healthy cats ~ Fluffy on the other hand is 18+ years of age and in kidney failure, so I have been told to feed him when he is hungry! We want him to stick around as long as possible!! He is our old man!! :)

[Danegirl2208]

i free feed raven..she eats when shes hungry :) My last cat was on a scheldule because he gained weight so quick. I swear that boy had a Bottomless Pit for a stomach :p But i havent has a problem with raven, shes such a lean little girl.

[jenluckenbach]

1/4 cup of dry food twice a day. (so = a total of 1/2 cup per day)

[lute]

PiddyBob eats outside most of the time so I just pour out some food since the other 3 neighborhood cats eat here too.

[emilysgk]

I free feed and Snow stays pretty thin. Her weight seems to change slightly (going by looks) from average to a bit on the thin side. She is also still very young at about 1 1/2. I think some cats, as people, just have weight issues. I also think age has to do with it, the older the cat, the more prone they are to being overweight. I could be wrong on that, just my opinion from experience over the years.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

If your cats are overweight/obese - don't feed the recommended amount for the weight they are, but for the weight they should be.

I fill a bowl for my cats once a day and they do great. Amadeus is a little chunky, but not overweight... yet... LOL!