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#1
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My "Tiger" eating enough?
Hi,
I have a pair of 4-year-old sister tabbies, Tiger and Shiloh. They both tend to be a bit "robust," so I feed them Iams dry for weight control. They each get 2 ounces twice daily. Shiloh is a voracious eater and finishes her bowl. Tiger, though, often only finishes around half a serving. She looks great, and her behavior hasn't changed. But I'm concerned that she's not eating enough. Do you think I'm being overly concerned? I'd love to hear from other cat lovers about this. Thank you, Joe |
#3
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Tiger's a "sleek" 10.5 lbs, Shiloh's a "heftier" 13 lbs. Shiloh has a
long body, so her weight's distributed pretty well. Still, I'd like to see them both around 9 or 9.5 lbs, but 8 months of feeding them Iams weight control has not done the trick. And I can't imagine feeding them less than the 4 oz total I give each of them daily. |
#4
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"ruffdiamond" wrote in message oups.com... Tiger's a "sleek" 10.5 lbs, Shiloh's a "heftier" 13 lbs. Shiloh has a long body, so her weight's distributed pretty well. Still, I'd like to see them both around 9 or 9.5 lbs, but 8 months of feeding them Iams weight control has not done the trick. And I can't imagine feeding them less than the 4 oz total I give each of them daily. I think you're feeding them too much. That's why they're not losing weight. Moderately active, neutered adult cats need about 45 kcal/kg/day. Iams Weight Control contains 346 kcal/cup (1815 kcal/lb-113 kcal/oz). You're feeding them 453 kcal/day (113 kcal x 4 oz) when you should be feeding them 214 kcal/day and 265 kcal/day, respectively. Phil |
#5
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Iams Weight Control contains 346 kcal/cup (1815 kcal/lb-113 kcal/oz). You're
feeding them 453 kcal/day (113 kcal x 4 oz) when you should be feeding them 214 kcal/day and 265 kcal/day, respectively. I appreciate the help, but I'm confused by your numbers. According to the Iams Wt. Control label, an 8-lb. cat should get 1/2 cup and a 12-lb. cat should get 2/3 of a cup daily. So if 1/2 cup equals 4 oz, then I'm giving them both a bit less than what Iams recommends. |
#6
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"ruffdiamond" wrote in message oups.com... Iams Weight Control contains 346 kcal/cup (1815 kcal/lb-113 kcal/oz). You're feeding them 453 kcal/day (113 kcal x 4 oz) when you should be feeding them 214 kcal/day and 265 kcal/day, respectively. I appreciate the help, but I'm confused by your numbers. According to the Iams Wt. Control label, an 8-lb. cat should get 1/2 cup and a 12-lb. cat should get 2/3 of a cup daily. So if 1/2 cup equals 4 oz, then I'm giving them both a bit less than what Iams recommends. Ahh, I see: you meant 4 oz by volume not weight. You're still feeding them too much. If the label recommendations aren't working, that means they're not right for your cats. Label recommendations cover all bases which are usually excessive for many cats and don't take into consideration the cat's neuter status. Neutered cats require 1/3 less calories (45 kcal/kg/day) just to maintain normal weight, and even less calories (30 kcals/kg/day) to lose 15% body weight in about 18 weeks. Cats shouldn't lose any more weight any faster than that. Weight loss in cats is a very slow process and must be approached very carefully to avoid very serious complications. A 10.5 lb. (4.77 kg) cat needs 143 kcals/day to lose 15% BW in ~18 weeks. Tiger is eating 173 kcal/day- 30 kcals/day too much. A 13 lb. (6 kg) cat needs 180 kcals/day to lose the same weight. Shiloh is eating 230 kcals- 50 kcals/day too much. There's one of the problems. The other problem is the type of food- way too high (43%) in carbohydrates. You'd have much better luck with a high-protein/low-carbohydrate canned food. |
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