Feeding proportions for wet and dry mix diet

[keziah]

Hello Members,

I give Figo a diet of wet as well as dry food. He gets half a pouch of Natures Menu wet food in morning and the rest half in evening. Also I leave a bowl of dry food out for him all day for him to munch on which is usually Royal Canin or James Wellbeloved. He also gets a few bits of treats now and then. Figo is one year old and weighs about 4 and half kg. Can you please advise me about the amount of food that I am feeding him. Is it ok or should I give him more of wet and less dry? What proportions of wet and dry diet do you feed your cat? I just want to make sure that I am neither over feeding him nor under feeding him. Thank you for your help.

[meep]

Hi Keziah,

I'm currently asking a few questions about this too but just to let you know, I've got two boys who are both about 6 kilos (we just got them two weeks ago!) and they don't look overweight and are still very active.

I feed them each one sachet of wet food in the morning, one sachet of wet food and night, and always have dry food available during day and night.

Cats do self-regulate and monitor their food intake. The dry food never gets finished but it does go down, and sometimes they'll scoff all the wet food and look for more, other times they'll eat half then fall asleep. I think it depends on how active they've been!

All I can suggest, is monitor your cats as they are all different. Cat food boxes usually specify how much of their food you should give your cat. I would say what you're feeding just now sounds about right (are the Nature's Men pouches quite big? If not maybe half isn't quite enough?) but just weigh Figo regularly and see whether he's constantly begging for more food and running to his food bowl whenever you enter the kitchen.

I hope that wasn't too vague! It sounds like you're on the right track though :)

[Jac]

Hi Ya
I tend to leave dry food out all the time. (with a constant water sourse) If your cat's are used to a constant sourse of food they wont over eat. It's normally cats that have been fending for themselfs that do that as they were in a position that they didn't know where there next meal was coming from.
Sounds like you have the balance right. Each cat/kitten is an individual just like us.

[keziah]

Hi Keziah,

I'm currently asking a few questions about this too but just to let you know, I've got two boys who are both about 6 kilos (we just got them two weeks ago!) and they don't look overweight and are still very active.

I feed them each one sachet of wet food in the morning, one sachet of wet food and night, and always have dry food available during day and night.

Cats do self-regulate and monitor their food intake. The dry food never gets finished but it does go down, and sometimes they'll scoff all the wet food and look for more, other times they'll eat half then fall asleep. I think it depends on how active they've been!

All I can suggest, is monitor your cats as they are all different. Cat food boxes usually specify how much of their food you should give your cat. I would say what you're feeding just now sounds about right (are the Nature's Men pouches quite big? If not maybe half isn't quite enough?) but just weigh Figo regularly and see whether he's constantly begging for more food and running to his food bowl whenever you enter the kitchen.

I hope that wasn't too vague! It sounds like you're on the right track though :)

Hi Meep, thanks for the input. The Natures Menu pouches are just the regular size pouches that you get for any cat food, but because I buy them in separate pouches from the pet shop, I dont get a carton, so I dont know the feeding instructions. However Figo doesnt beg for more food, as there is always dry food out for him to munch on and its the same with him as it is with your cats, that is, some days he tends to eat more and somedays he will just nibble and leave the food. I think you are right when you say it depends on their activity level as well. Do you think I should switch to 2 sachets a day?

[keziah]

Hi Ya
I tend to leave dry food out all the time. (with a constant water sourse) If your cat's are used to a constant sourse of food they wont over eat. It's normally cats that have been fending for themselfs that do that as they were in a position that they didn't know where there next meal was coming from.
Sounds like you have the balance right. Each cat/kitten is an individual just like us.

Thanks Jac,

Yea I do think that because he has always had a constant supply of dry food out for him besides the wet food that he gets in the morning and evening, he doesnt go hungry anytime. He doesnt overeat, except when we give him treats ofcourse :)

[meep]

Hi Meep, thanks for the input. The Natures Menu pouches are just the regular size pouches that you get for any cat food, but because I buy them in separate pouches from the pet shop, I dont get a carton, so I dont know the feeding instructions. However Figo doesnt beg for more food, as there is always dry food out for him to munch on and its the same with him as it is with your cats, that is, some days he tends to eat more and somedays he will just nibble and leave the food. I think you are right when you say it depends on their activity level as well. Do you think I should switch to 2 sachets a day?

Hi Keziah,

Not a problem, I've asked so many questions on here I feel I should give some advice back too!

To be honest, I don't want to give a definite answer to up-ing the wet pouch quantities. I believe that generally more wet food is better than more dry food (a diet composed soley of dry food can increase the chance of kidney infection etc.) so, as I said, I use the dry food as an in-betweener but make sure they always get their two main meals a day.

I recently weighed both my boys, and they're about 6 kilos each! The felix box says that an average cat (3.5kilos) should get 3 wet pouches a day. Now I'm only giving my boys 2 a day each, and they're almost twice the weight that Felix based this guide on. But they don't look for more and sometimes they don't finish it all.

So I would say, if your kitty seems happy with half a pouch morning / half a pouch night and dry food in between, maybe leave it at that, but perhaps weigh him frequently to make sure he's not losing too much weight.

I've had cats all my life, and my parents always used to feed our old cats two wet pouches a day each, so that's what I based my line of thinking on, but I don't think there's any right or wrong answer... You'll know if he's still hungry and wants more by the amount of meowing, purring, and following you around he does!

[keziah]

Thanks Meep that was helpful. I will keep a watch on Figo's weight. Last I weighed him, he was 4 and half and looks healthy and active. I do not know what the ideal weight for an adult exotic short hair cat is and there isnt much information available online about it as well, so it is a confusing at times whether to up or lower his proportion of food. I guess I will try to up his wet food intake a bit and see how he likes it. I have noticed that the days when he gets more wet food, that his intake of dry food becomes low automatically which is a good thing and shows that he is not overeating.

[meep]

To be honest, Keziah, just from what yo've posted, Figo has nothing to worry about! It is about trial and error, but you're obviously keeping a close eye on him and only have his best interests at heart, so I'm sure you'll notice if either puts on a little or begins to lose weight or is too hungry. And it's def a good sign that if theres more wet food he eats less dry, a very sensible cat ;) Good luck with him and his food!

[keziah]

To be honest, Keziah, just from what yo've posted, Figo has nothing to worry about! It is about trial and error, but you're obviously keeping a close eye on him and only have his best interests at heart, so I'm sure you'll notice if either puts on a little or begins to lose weight or is too hungry. And it's def a good sign that if theres more wet food he eats less dry, a very sensible cat ;) Good luck with him and his food!

Thank you Meep, yes my mind is at ease now that I am not under feeding him. I will keep an eye on his weight. Thanks again :)