How much to feed a 4.5 lb cat?

On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 17:26:08 -0500, "MaryL"
-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:


"(WebElder)" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 21:39:23 GMT, Kiran wrote:

Our cat is only 4.5 lb, not 6 lb everybody guessed when our bathroom
scale was broken.

I have been feeding her 5.5-6 oz of canned food daily (either one
Friskies or two Fancy Feasts, split between two meals).

Now I think it may be too much. How much should she get? I could cut it
down to one Fancy Feast per day but that seems too little, or is it?

Please weigh in ... Hugs, purrs, thanks ...


Unlike Dogs,Cats will eat only what they need. Feed her what she will
eat. Take note of how much she consumes daily and base your feedings
on that amount (twice a day feedings are best)

If you do cut to one can per day,put a little dry food down for when
the munchies kick in.

Ray
WebElder


This is not correct -- it is a myth to say that cats will eat only what they
need. There are *many* overweight cats, and it is usually for the same
reason that we have overweight dogs and overweight people. That is, they
eat too much and possibly exercise too little. It is just as important to
monitor your cat's weight (and make appropriate adjustments) as it is to
monitor your dog's weight. That is also one of the problems with
free-feeding. It is impossible to know how much a cat consumes when he or
she is free-fed.

MaryL

My cats --
Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e




Actually it is less a myth than the fact that you are correct that not
all Cats are the same. I would say that in the case of overweight Cats
it tends to be more centered on their metabolism and activity levels
rather than how much they consume. Two identical Cats can consume the
same amount of food and both may show different weight gains due to
different metabolism rates and not necessarily over-feeding.

It is an exception to the rule that a Cat will "eat until it explodes"
(unless it has worms)...

they eat too much and possibly exercise too little.


In animals cases,where the display of suculant food is not the same as
for Humans,I suggest it is not so much for the "overeating" but the
"lack of excercise" and slow metabolism. (for whatever reason)

Indeed,I must admit,that if your Cat is an exception to the rule and
has very slow metabolism rates and few activities..then certainly
control the food intake.

I would rather free feed my Cats and have them a little overweight
than for them to be consistanly hungry and seeking food much the same
as you would not like to send your kids to bed slim,but hungry every
night.

Not to mention that being (within reason) overweight should not show
any ill-effects on the Cat. Many overweight people live complete happy
lives as do "slightly" overweight pets.

And by "Free Feeding" I don't mean 10 lbs of food,but whaever the Pet
will consume in one setting,with a little dry food left out for
snacking.


Ray
WebElder




I don't "Suffer" from Insanity..I rather enjoy it!

CATTS
http://members.tripod.com/~thewebster/catts.html

Home Page
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Laby...6/meshead.html

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 05:40:52 GMT, Kiran wrote:

Dr.Carla,DVM wrote:

: Clinically many vets follow the guidelines outlined on the chart copied on
: this website:
: http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/bscore.php

Her profile looks like between 3 and 4 in this chart, so a little
overweight.

I was feeding twice daily, one 3 oz can or 1/2 of the bigger can each
time, not only because that's what manufacturers seemed to recommend
but, to be honest, also because it is easy to manage such regime. But I
will change it to 2/3 of the smaller can or 1/3 of the bigger one.

I don't give her treats. Dry food only when I cannot be there at one of
the mealtimes. Only once when she was extremely attracted by the smell
of grilled chicken did I shred about 2 teaspoons for her. Otherwise it
is two square meals per day. But the square needs to be tad smaller.


Why would you deprive your kitty of "treats"? Your are mean lol
There is nothing wrong with a treat from time-to-time. Do you never
let your family have an ice cream cone?

You are going to have one thin,sleek but very unhappy kitty!

Come on...Cats love a treat. If it gets too fat,buy a treadmill.

Ray
WebElder
I don't "Suffer" from Insanity..I rather enjoy it!

CATTS
http://members.tripod.com/~thewebster/catts.html

Home Page
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Laby...6/meshead.html

WebElder wrote:

: Why would you deprive your kitty of "treats"? Your are mean lol
: There is nothing wrong with a treat from time-to-time. Do you never
: let your family have an ice cream cone?

Actually, we are extremists who have fruit instead of ice cream, and
water instead of soda. The kids, never addicted to soda actually don't
like the taste even if offered somewhere.

: You are going to have one thin,sleek but very unhappy kitty!

Why, she wouldn't know such junk exists! Among the nutritious foods
she gets, she will like some more than others and those she'll think of
as treats!

OK, we do eat baklava and Indian sweets a few times a year and I will
give her some treats someday as well, just haven't gotten around to
starting that. :-) She is quite happy about the foods she does get.

"(WebElder)" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 21:39:23 GMT, Kiran wrote:

Our cat is only 4.5 lb, not 6 lb everybody guessed when our bathroom
scale was broken.

I have been feeding her 5.5-6 oz of canned food daily (either one
Friskies or two Fancy Feasts, split between two meals).

Now I think it may be too much. How much should she get? I could cut it
down to one Fancy Feast per day but that seems too little, or is it?

Please weigh in ... Hugs, purrs, thanks ...


Unlike Dogs,Cats will eat only what they need.


You're wrong. Otherwise, kindly explain why 30% of pet cats are overweight
or obese
if they "only eat what they need"?

"Kiran" wrote in message
...
Our cat is only 4.5 lb, not 6 lb everybody guessed when our bathroom
scale was broken.

I have been feeding her 5.5-6 oz of canned food daily (either one
Friskies or two Fancy Feasts, split between two meals).

Now I think it may be too much. How much should she get? I could cut it
down to one Fancy Feast per day but that seems too little, or is it?

Please weigh in ... Hugs, purrs, thanks ...


An average, healthy, adult, neutered, moderately active, indoor cat has a
daily
energy requirement (DER) of about 20 calories/lb (45 kcals)/day. Kittens
and young adult male, and intact cats have a relatively higher DER. How old
is your cat?

"(WebElder)" wrote in message
news

I would say that in the case of overweight Cats
it tends to be more centered on their metabolism and activity levels
rather than how much they consume.

That's an utterly ridiculous statement! A cat will certainly gain weight
if she consumes more calories than her daily energy requirement.

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
news:E_4Re.3887$Ix4.2278@okepread03...

"Kiran" wrote in message
...
Our cat is only 4.5 lb, not 6 lb everybody guessed when our bathroom
scale was broken.

I have been feeding her 5.5-6 oz of canned food daily (either one
Friskies or two Fancy Feasts, split between two meals).

Now I think it may be too much. How much should she get? I could cut it
down to one Fancy Feast per day but that seems too little, or is it?

Please weigh in ... Hugs, purrs, thanks ...

First, you need to get some accurate baby scales. Your cat is so small
that
you need scales that weigh in small increments so you can monitor her
weight
closely. I have Tanita, model #1583. It was fairly expensive, but Tanita
makes a number of accurate, easy-to-use scales. The model I have is a
baby
scale, has a tare function to eliminate weight of towel or carrier, and
has
a large footprint so it is easy to place the cat on the bed of the scale.
Once you have a good set of scales, you can experiment a bit to see if
variation in food permits her weight remains stable.


I absolutely agree- 100%. A good pediatric scale is probably the best
investment a caretaker could make in their cats' healthcare program. Slight
weight gains and losses are difficult to detect in a cat you see everyday-
Weight changes are even more difficult to detect long-haired cats. Subtle
weight changes are often early warning signs of disease.

The Tanita 1583 is an excellent scale and very easy to use. I have one
also. Simply toss a
treat on the scale, push the reset button, and your cat will jump right on.
After a few weighs, your cat will run to the scale when you crinkle the bag
of treats!

http://www.maxshouse.com/weighing_a_cat_made_easy.htm



I use primarily Wellness canned food. Both Holly and Duffy get 1/3 of a
5.5
oz can twice a day (total of 2/3 can per day for each cat), and their
weight
has remained absolutely stable. They also get a small amount of Wellness
dry every few days as a "treat" and an occasional small quantity of tuna
for
the same reason. Holly weighs a little more than 9 lbs., and Duffy weighs
a
little more than 8 lbs. A can of Wellness has approximately 190-200 kcal
per 6 oz. can. This means that my cats get approximately 65 kcal per
meal,
and it is maintaining them perfectly. In my opinion (and based on the
fact
that my cats maintain their weight on fewer than the recommended
calories),


I think the general recommendation of kcal per pound is too high,
especially
for an indoor cat that is fairly inactive. I think this is also true of
other pet foods. I have found that the "recommendations" given by most
cat-food companies is too high in calories and will cause weight gain.


Again, I agree- 100%. I think most pet food manufactures use the general
caloric formula for mammals to calculate their feeding recommendations-
which is too high for mammals weighing between 2 and 45 kgs. Also, many pet
food manufacturers don't take the cat's neuter status into consideration.
Neutered cats generally require about 1/3 less calories/day than intact
cats. These two factors alone can result in overfeeding by as much as 150%
(and increased sales).


At
the same time, I would like to point out that I am not an expert on this
and
am only working from my own experience.


You're certainly more informed about feline nutrition than the vast majority
of vets! Ask most of them for feeding advice and they'll just tell you to
read the label! LOL!

Phil

Phil P. wrote:

: An average, healthy, adult, neutered, moderately active, indoor cat has a
: daily energy requirement (DER) of about 20 calories/lb (45 kcals)/day...

I have been going by weight-based recommendations on the cans and am
not fluent in this language. I was about to guess that a 4.5 lb cat
needs 20x4.5 = 90 calories, but I am not sure what 45 kcal/day means.

BTW, how many calories are there in one oz of Friskies or Fancy Feast?

She is fixed, almost 2, less active than should be but is too smart to
remain interested in any toy I bring for more than a few days. Once she
realizes it is not a real mouse/bird, she loses interest!

Kiran wrote:
WebElder wrote:

: Why would you deprive your kitty of "treats"? Your are mean lol
: There is nothing wrong with a treat from time-to-time. Do you never
: let your family have an ice cream cone?

Actually, we are extremists who have fruit instead of ice cream, and
water instead of soda. The kids, never addicted to soda actually don't
like the taste even if offered somewhere.

Curious... how do you feel about soda-water ?

Kiran wrote:
Phil P. wrote:
: An average, healthy, adult, neutered, moderately active, indoor cat has a
: daily energy requirement (DER) of about 20 calories/lb (45 kcals)/day...

I have been going by weight-based recommendations on the cans and am
not fluent in this language. I was about to guess that a 4.5 lb cat
needs 20x4.5 = 90 calories, but I am not sure what 45 kcal/day means.

BTW, how many calories are there in one oz of Friskies or Fancy Feast?

Friskies or Fancy Feast runs generally around 95 kilocalories per 3
ounces or 85 grams' can. Most manufacturers are vaguely in this area.
Some have less than this. What concerns me about
Purina/Nestle/Friskies/Fancy Feast [all the same conglomerate company]
is the huge variety of over 60 or more types. If you follow the thread
earlier I had with Phil P., he lists a few, handful of Fancy Feast that
are low in phosphorus and other things. This is not a bad thing. Most
of Fancy Feast is high in protein which is probably good but also high
in phosphorus, way over .80% as dry basis matter [divide as fed by .22
which is the usual percentage of dry stuff in the cans. Almost all of
Fancy Feast is 78% water, hence 22% of .22 is the non-water content.]

A small cat may live a very long time if you do not overfeed her.

I like to use just a little kibble of Science Diet Oral Health, or
there is a Purina equivalent, to clean her teeth after wet food. Just a
little since this is very high in calories and just 4 or 5 is about 12
calories which already is about 10% of your little cat's need.

Check the tummy and ribs. Have a vet show you how. No tummy hanging
down. With a little effort, feel the ribs.

Also a little red laser pen might get your cat running a bit.

Or I am thinking of making my cat walk to get fed. Move the dish around
or just hold some kibble and have her walk. Exercise for both of us. I
even have her jumping up on the sink for her food. Up and down. Then
she gets fed up, so to speak.

If you call Purina, they will tell you how many kilocalories are in a
can. Well, it takes a bit of doing since they have to look up the
information. 1-888-CAT CHOW (1-888-228-2469). You can also ask them for
the special covers for their tiny cans and they will send you one so
you can put it back in the 'frig. PetValu makes little plastic covers
which do all three sizes of cans, the 3 ounces, the 5.5 ounces, and the
14 ounces.

I really don't know why manufacturers cannot put the number of
calories, technically kilocalories, on their products. This just seems
so profoundly stupid and unhelpful given that the number one problem of
pets is obesity, like hence diabetes, and so forth. Just the same as
with humans, at least here in the USA.

The one thing I like about Science Diet which is www.hillspet.com is
that they list everything on their web site, As Fed, Dry Basis Matter,
even the pH content of their foods which is 6.2 to 6.4, slightly
acidic, so helpful to prevent urinary problems. And of course the
kilocalories of everything they make. Just the listing of all
information is a good thing. Royal Canin will also list but no one is
as extensive as Science Diet I have found. Royal Canin though will make
a vet available if the question is complicated.

I myself keep coming back to Science Diet because the wealth of
information and their expertise is impressive compared to the other
companies. I use their Turkey and Gibblets for canned food. Their food
is not organic and has some things that are processed but in general
they are ahead of the curve. So far, I trust this company more than the
others.

Purina can be good but it's so huge and their products so varied, that
you have to be careful. So far, most of their Fancy Feast is not up to
"my" specs. But some are.