How much to feed a 4.5 lb cat?

Kiran wrote:
Thank you for all the information. I think she needs fewer calories but
I am a little worried about calorie density. She has had no trouble
finishing a 3 oz can per meal (two meals a day); I am wondering if
having the right number of calories will leave her feeling hungry. High
calorie density is one reason I don't give kibble; I thought canned
food did not have this problem but that may not be entirely true.
Anyway, I am planning to try giving her 3/4 small cans per meal (3/4
large cans per day), watch her reaction, and take it from there.

In human situations, I would compensate for high calorie density foods
by adding soups and salads etc, but I don't know if there is a feline
equivalent.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder how many calories per consumed ounce do
cats get from a mouse? That's the calorie density canned-food industry
should aim for. :-)

As I recall, a mouse is like we humans, mostly water, so figure 78% is
the rough guide for the entire industry. Water is good. Now dry food
actually has less protein and very little water, 10%?, so most of dry
food is filler often. But some dry foods are good, well not so bad. But
I make sure the cat is drinking extra water. And that's hared. A cat is
a desert animal who used to get all her water from her food since there
are not may swimming pools in the desert.

I suspect as a wild guess that you are feeding your cat a wee bit too
much for a neutered, indoor, inactive cat. Probably 190 calories at
least, not including any dry kibble.

Do you have an accurate scale? Even a human scale that you weigh with
your cat might be good if it's one of the rare ones that is actually
accurate to about 0.2 pounds or better.

It's good to get on your cat's case now. Overweight sneaks up as a cat
gets older and is the surest way to have unnecessary diseases down the
line.

Do you have a vet you can discuss this with who is interested and not
completely incompetent?

Are you sure your cat weight 4.5 pounds? Why not post pictures of your
cat, standing and laying on her side and her stomach? Does she have a
little cat flap, a paunch near her hind legs? Theoretically most cats
should have a what, indent there, but almost all cats that are
overweight have a kitty flap instead.

You're right. Wet food is dense and more feline carnivore oriented. Its
only drawback is perhaps the teeth. But if you brush her teeth or give
her some dental kibble, like Oral Care, that should help keep her teeth
clean. You can clean a lot of her teeth on the outsides of the tooth
with even a thumb or a little cloth. Nothing fancy.

"Kiran" wrote in message
...
Phil P. wrote:

: ...

Thank you for all the information. I think she needs fewer calories but
I am a little worried about calorie density. She has had no trouble
finishing a 3 oz can per meal (two meals a day); I am wondering if
having the right number of calories will leave her feeling hungry.


You could add a couple of tablespoons of water to her canned food. Mix
together to make it a bit "slushy." The water will be good for her, and it
may make a normal amount of cat food seem more "filling."

MaryL

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 04:09:11 -0400, "Phil P."
wrote:


"(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.


I though that was what I just said.......

You can eat a ton of food without gaining excessive calories..just
depends on the food.

activity levels = daily energy requirements

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 04:07:08 -0400, "Phil P."
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.


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



Lack of activity.

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 in message
...
On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 04:07:08 -0400, "Phil P."
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.


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



Lack of activity.


Nope.

If that was the case, then according to your previous statement: ("cats only
eat what they need"), the cat would eat less because she needs less energy--
then she wouldn't be overweight to begin with, now, would she? LOL!

"(WebElder)" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 04:09:11 -0400, "Phil P."
wrote:


"(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.


I though that was what I just said.......


No, you said: "in the case of overweight Cats it tends to be more centered
on their metabolism and activity levels rather than how much they consume."
If a cat was a marathon runner with a DER of 1000 kcals/day and she consumed
1200 kcals/day- she'll still gain weight.


You can eat a ton of food without gaining excessive calories..just
depends on the food.

Maybe you can, but cats can't- even if the 'ton' consisted of entirely
protein. Excess amino acids would be deaminated and the keto acids portions
would be used for energy-- if the energy ain't used, the amino acids will be
converted to glycogen or fat.




activity levels = daily energy requirements


DER is determined by more than just activity level. A cat's DER is
determined by age, neuter status, and activity level.

"Kiran" wrote in message
...
Phil P. wrote:

: ...

Thank you for all the information. I think she needs fewer calories but
I am a little worried about calorie density. She has had no trouble
finishing a 3 oz can per meal (two meals a day); I am wondering if
having the right number of calories will leave her feeling hungry. High
calorie density is one reason I don't give kibble; I thought canned
food did not have this problem but that may not be entirely true.
Anyway, I am planning to try giving her 3/4 small cans per meal (3/4
large cans per day), watch her reaction, and take it from there.

In human situations, I would compensate for high calorie density foods
by adding soups and salads etc, but I don't know if there is a feline
equivalent.


The feline equivalent is fiber. You have to be careful when you add fiber to
a commercially formulated diet. Fiber dilutes the caloric density of the
diet and displaces protein and fat and other nutrients. IOW, added fiber
could cause the cat to
reach satiety before all of her nutrient needs are met. Commercial high
fiber diets are formulated to ensure the cat's nutritional requirements are
met before the cat reaches satiety.



Just out of curiosity, I wonder how many calories per consumed ounce do
cats get from a mouse?


5.25 kcal/g (DMB) in an adult mouse. 5.7 kcal/g (DMB) in an adult rat.


That's the calorie density canned-food industry
should aim for. :-)

Most canned diets aren't that far off. SD Turkey & Giblets = 5.18 kcal/g
(DMB)

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.

: 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!

I give my cats foods like cantelope, chicken gizzards or yogurt as
treats, which they love.

Lauren
(and Mickey & Meesha)

See my cats: http://tinyurl.com/76tg8

Kiran wrote:
" wrote:

I agree, manufacturers seem to recommend too much. Pre-packaged
portions also encourage over-eating (it is easy to serve one 3 oz can
rather than try to save what seems like a tiny amount), for my cat at
least although they may be just right for others.

Remember that feeding recommendations by law must be sufficient to feed
the 80th percentile of cats. Picture a bell curve - that means 79% will
get too much, 1% will get it right and 20% will need more. Feeding
amounts should never be accepted as absolute - they are only a place to
start.

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 19:34:30 -0400, "Phil P."
wrote:


"(WebElder)" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 04:09:11 -0400, "Phil P."
wrote:


"(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.


I though that was what I just said.......


No, you said: "in the case of overweight Cats it tends to be more centered
on their metabolism and activity levels rather than how much they consume."
If a cat was a marathon runner with a DER of 1000 kcals/day and she consumed
1200 kcals/day- she'll still gain weight.


You can eat a ton of food without gaining excessive calories..just
depends on the food.

Maybe you can, but cats can't- even if the 'ton' consisted of entirely
protein. Excess amino acids would be deaminated and the keto acids portions
would be used for energy-- if the energy ain't used, the amino acids will be
converted to glycogen or fat.




activity levels = daily energy requirements


DER is determined by more than just activity level. A cat's DER is
determined by age, neuter status, and activity level.


You been visiting those "expert" website again????


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