How much should a healthy adult cat eat? and how much do yours eat?

[Soupie]

Yes me again :oops: sorry you will be fed up at this rate! Pousse doesn't seem to eat very much - probably just less than one pouch of meat a day with a little whiskers crunch topping ( I always clear dregs out before next meal) and a couple of mouthfuls of her Royal Canin and 8 dentabit biscuits a day and it is a bit of an effort to make sure she eats this.

The last indoor cat I had was a rescue off the street who I rehomed after he was well again to a home in the country and he would eat between 2 and 3 pouches a day and dry food :smt102

He was younger and I'd say more active but she still seems to eat little and is underweight by a condition scoring as I can't weigh her :oops: she doesn't seem to struggle when chewing either. She is having a vet check on Friday.

So how much do yours eat and how old are they and how active? :)

[Fran]

Hi, I have eight cats and they all eat different amounts. I have a couple of really greedy cats and a couple that just about eat enough to survive! I agree that one pouch per day doesn't sound like a lot for an adult cat though..Have you tried experimenting with different foods to see if there is something that really takes her fancy? I can recommend Natures Menu, it comes in pouches in a few different flavours. One of mine (Siamese is a very fussy eater but goes mad for Natures Menu) I think you will have a clearer picture of whether she is underweight and has any problems when she has had her vet check..

[Kazz]

Hello Cleo is 24 and she is not that active but eats small and often, once she settles down she may not the biggest of eaters, Cleo never has been but has always been healthy.
Karen

[Elaine]

We wont get fed up so stop worrying:D
It doesnt sound like she eats alot but all cats are different. My old boy Winston certainly ate more than that, even later in life and with CRF. There were times he would go off his food so in order to encourage him to start eating again I would try all sorts.
Adding a little boiled water to his food. Some strong smelling foods such as sardines. Boiled chicken or poached fish, serving them warm. Keeping some of the water I had used for boiling/poaching and using that to add to food etc etc.
But please try to relax until you have her checked at the vets. Your vet will be able to advise you better with regards to getting a little weight on her. She may also begin to eat more once she is settled and feels more secure.
You are the one we will be worried about if you dont stop worrying about her:lol: .
At the present you are doing all you can for her and more.

[dandysmom]

My almost seven moggy eats two 3.5 tins or pouches of wet food a day, plus a small handful of dry as a treat (with gravy over it, as she has had cystitis) three times a day. She is not very active; weighs 14 pounds...not fat, just a big cat. I agree that Pousse isn't eating a lot, but sure when you discuss this with your vet, she/he will give you some feeding guidelines. And don't worry, you're doing the best you can,,,and don't hesitate to ask questions; we're here to help if we can!

[Mags]

Cassie eats about 3/4 of a tin of Whiskas a day ......... ocassionally she has a small sprinkle of biscuits on top of it...

Ask as many questions as you like Soupie ......... believe it or not but some of us learn from other peoples questions too! :cool:

[Kim]

Not sure what to add that hasn't already been said. Try not to worry though all cats are different. Sasha & Sidney always seem to be eating, yet Misty eats just enough to keep him alive! Agree with experimenting with different foods. My cats wont eat food that has been down for longer that 1/2 hour! I have a bowl of complete food available all the time. If Pousse can tolerate it, some whiskas or felix milk may help her put on a little weight.

[Soupie]

Thanks everyone

I try to keep the food fresh and the dry food is changed completely once a day with her "wet" food bowl being washed and having fresh in it twice a day.

She loved her Whiskers and attacks it with gusto but just doesn't eat much. I'll try and experiment and also try her on some cat milk.

Two things she will never turn down are her dentabits and her whiskers salmon temptations :lol:

[Mags]

Cassie will just play around with the Whiskas in jelly or gravy but always clears her dish with Whiskas Supermeat............

[tilly]

I have two cat who are going on ten and Tilly who can be picky and not eat is eating about 3-4 pouches a day I am trying to fed her up as she is on the thin side and can go off her food fairly regularly so when she is eating I givce her as much as she will eat.
Buster is rather fat at the moment and eat two pouch a day but would happily eat more and has been known to polish off what Tilly has let if I don't pick it up quick enough.

Don't worry about asking lots of question it shows that you are doing the best you can and care alot for Pousse.

Sally

[Kobster]

My cats are fed 1/3 cup of dry food each per day, between meals they steal food off my pate, tear open and devour half a loaf of bread, steal food out of the dogs bowl, and break into the cat food bin for a snack.

They like eating. What can I say.

If your kitty doesn't want to eat more, and she needs to put on some weight, how about switching to something that has more calories and protein per serving. Your vet probably caries something like it.

[Kay]

It may be an idea to feed her smaller meals of what she enjoys but more often throughout the day. Her stomach may not be able to handle a lot of food in one go. Just a thought.

[Soupie]

It may be an idea to feed her smaller meals of what she enjoys but more often throughout the day. Her stomach may not be able to handle a lot of food in one go. Just a thought.

I am out of the house from 7am to 6pm so her "meals" are 6am half a pouch and crunch topping. I then refill her bowl with another half a pouch and she always has a bowl of dry food and fresh water for during the day.

She then gets another half pouch in the evening with more dry food and has her dentabits for her teeth then.

If she eats all that she has another half pouch for the night. So technically "four" meals" although she doesn't eat it all but is averaging 1 and a half pouches a day.

For her dry food she now has RC Active Mature mixed with Iams fish variety which she is eating happily :)

and the good news is that since the weekend she has filled out and put on weight :smt023 so I am feeling happier!

She's off to the vet this afternoon too for her checkup :smt023

[alexgirl73]

Great to hear!!! Hopefully the vets will give her a nice clean bill of health later. xxx

[Fran]

It all sounds rather positive Soupie :D Do let us know how she gets on at the vets x

[Elaine]

Excallent news Soupie. Good luck at the vets too.

[Erin]

we had a hell of a game with jerry and food!!!!
hes a very fussy kitty!!
we went through kitekat,felix,whiskers and whiskers dry but he wasnt having any of it,so i took him to the vet who said that he was fine its just that cats are fussy eaters,she suggested just leaving the dry food in the bowl constantly and putting wet food down a couple of times aday,she said that he WOULD eat when he was hungry....but ohhhh no,jerry had other ideas....after 3 days of not eating a thing i tried him on gourmet pearl pouches the most expensive food at our shop and he loved it :roll:!!!!So now hes on 2 pouches of gourmet a day and i leave whiskers complete dry down all the time that he knibbles at through out the day.what can i say hes like his mummy and has expensive taste ;)