recommended amounts on canned food

Thanks Steve, that was exactly what I was wondering... it makes sense where
they are coming from too since I doubt many cat owners really pay that close
of attention about their cats food needs, so at least this way cats arent
being starved.


"Steve Crane" wrote in message
oups.com...

blueberries79 wrote:
I had to laugh when I was at the grocery store not a half hour ago.
I
stopped at the cat food isle (cant let Gabers and Oreo starve!!) and
decided
to look at all the different canned foods. Since there has been a
lot of
talk about the recommended amount for them, I decided to look at all
the
different labels. On just ONE brand, their packaging had 3 different
recommended amounts for adult cats. Not a different type of food
(like the
'premium' or 'gravy' or 'sliced cuts' but the only difference was
flavor.
Isnt there some type of standard these manufacturers are held to?

Blueberries,
There is a "standard" but that may not be much help. Under AAFCO
guidelines a manufacturer must suggest a feeding amount that will
provide sufficient calories for the 80th percentile. Imagine a bell
graph. A typical bell shape curve. If you can imagine a vertical line
about 4/5th of the way along the curve. (I wish I could put a graphic
here) Those cats on the left side of the line will be getting too much
food, those on the right getting too little. Thus the AAFCO regs pretty
much require an overfeed for 79% of the cats and an underfeed for 20%
of the cats. AAFCO thinking is that this will insure most pet owners
feed an adequate amount to most cats.
The AAFCO rules are then compounded by the caloric density of the
food. Foods can range very widely in terms of the number of calories
per can or per ounce. Assuming you have a 5.5 oz can. One food which
contains 91 calories per ounce versus another that contains 139
calories per ounce. The difference is really significant. The same 5.5
ounce can could contain anywhere from 500 calories to 765 calories.

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
On Fri 13 May 2005 08:08:09p, Gary wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav
roups.com):

I think a normal, healthy, active cat will regulate itself on
how much to eat, unless there are other factors, like having to
compete with other animals for food, etc.
snipped,
Sounds like a good amount to me. I think the key is finding a
variety of foods whether it be wet, dry, combo, that keeps the cat
at an even weight. Shamrock for example weighs 11 pounds. He
weighed 11 pounds when I adopted him, and every checkup he weighs
11 pounds. If only every cat were as regulated as him!

Chloe weighed about 11 pounds when we got her 6 months ago and still does,
sleeping most of the day. She has been tried on most of the tinned foods and
after one meal has rejected most of them. She stays indoors most days so no
feral food and seems almost to pick at her meals yet does one good tray dump
a day and the vet comments well on her fine coat and lack of illnesses.

Perhaps we humans fret too much. A cat will indicate if hungry
and take food if wanted. In the wild cats gorge themselves stupid then eat
nothing for days. If Chloe felt starved she would soon leave our home for a
better one. She now guards her territory in the garden and
will advance on larger intruders so she obviously doesn't feel unfit.

Icedog.