Weight/Food Question

Finally been able to use the scale we ordered to weigh Victor so we can buy wet food and start the switch to it, so I was hoping you guys could help me in figuring out how much we should feed him. I know it's supposed to be based off how much he weighs, which is 12.7 pounds. I'm not sure if he is actually overweight anymore as he used to weigh more than that (at one point he was up to 21 pounds), and I don't know if there's any way to find out ourselves if he's still overweight or not. But any advice about how many times we should feed him a day, and how much, would be greatly appreciated. We will most likely be going with just Fancy Feast Classic or Friskies Pate.

Also, how often should we weigh him?

Thanks, guys

 

The rule of thumb is about 20 calories per pound of ideal weight. Look at the can to see how many calories it is.

 

Look in this chart for Friskies pates: https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
The calories per 5.5 oz. can (regular size, not large size for Friskies) are listed in the right hand column.

This body condition scoring chart can help you evaluate his current size: https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body condition score chart cats.pdf

You could try weighing him once a week.

 

@Kris & Teasel @JanetNJ I happened to stumble across this thread about Fancy Feast and Friskies and was wondering if it's anything to still be concerned about? http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...y-feast-and-friskies-and-purina-foods.192386/

I admittedly have an obsessive-compulsive/paranoid mentality about any kind of stuff like that, so I'm now quite a bit worried about switching Victor to one of these and just want to know what you guys think.

 

I haven't had any issues with the food.

 

These foods are fed by many members with no problem. I wouldn't worry about it. Friskies and Fancy Feast pates are on Dr. Lisa Pierson's list (I gave you the link above) as being acceptable (and economical) choices for diabetic cats. She's a knowledgeable vet with expertise in feline nutrition. The high end wet foods are very expensive and dry food in general is best used as a treat only.

Make sure you slowly transition Victor from his current dry food to wet food. Mix the two starting with a small fraction of wet and increase that fraction over a week or so until he's getting only the wet food. Once he's eating only wet food, experiment with adding a tablespoon or two of water to it to increase his hydration. It'll help with his hard poop issue.