? Food

Hi
I am wondering what to do about feeding Silver. He is hungry ALL the time and I know that is because he is not regulated yet. What can I do about it? I hate seeing him getting thinner. He eats his meal and still mews for more. What should I do?

 

what are you currently feeding? How much? how often? (PS can you add what food he eats to your signature?)

 

Sure I’ll try and update signature when back on a computer. Using my phone.

I feed him Fancy Feast usually 2 cans a day but I’ve added in some fish fillet yesterday. I know many say too much fish not good but fish variety FF is all both my cats will eat. They turn away from the other kinds. After 11 years with only fish FF they don’t seem to have come to any harm.

 

how much does your cat weigh? is she under weight? over weight? or just right? Do you do a can in the morning and a can at night, or split it up some other way?

 

He’s on that big side. Last time he was weighed at vet he was 14lb but that was two months ago and he’s thinner now. Yes I do can am and pm after his shot.

 

You can feed more often ....it's actually easier on the pancreas to deal with multiple small meals than big ones......just make sure you take the food up 2 hours before shot times so you get a Pre-shot that's not influenced by food.

At 14lbs, the place to start on calories is about 260 per day. 2 cans of FF is only about 180 (depending on flavor)

I'd add another can per day....maybe half around mid-day and half before bedtime

 

I can’t feed more often. I am not home to do a mid cycle feed. He gets fed before work and after work and I’m gone 12 hrs in between.

 

If you are not able to feed more often just add half a can to his meal in the morning and save the other half for his meal at night.

I free feed Mogee on FF. It's carbs are so low I feel it's okay. As @Chris & China mentioned and taught me in one of my posts, I just take his food away two hours before his pre shot (usually don't have to take it away because it is all eaten).

At that weight he should need more than 2 cans. About 2.8. So 3 would be perfect.

 

He’s now definitely not 14lb anymore. Vet told me to cut his food back. I think I’ll stick to 1.5 cans plus the fish at night.

 

What a lot of people do is make "cat-sicles".....add water to the food, put into ice cube trays and freeze. When frozen, pop into a baggie and stick in the freezer.

Most cats won't eat frozen food because it doesn't smell (of course there are always exceptions!!...only way to know is to try it when you're home) but in a few hours, it'll defrost and offer him a "fresh" meal.

I know your budget is stretched, but you might want to try to save a little for an Auto-feeder like the PetSafe5....you can program it to open and offer meals anytime you want, and you can also have it "open" to an empty container 2 hours before shot times so you know he hasn't had any food.

They've saved the sanity of a lot of people here....especially those that can't sleep at night due to hungry kitties!!

 

Cats that are unregulated need more food then normal because they are not able to utilize the nutrients properly. They are literally starving even though they are eating. My cat who was 16 lbs and not diabetic ate 4-5 cans a day. I would think a 14 lb cat would need at LEAST 2.5-3 cans a day.

 

He’s not 14lb

Chris I hear you re the pet food timer. But I have two cats and the other needs to lose weight so I can’t keave food down. I’ll increas Silver’s food a bit. I was thinking I should.

Thanks everyone.

 

Even if Silver was only 11 lbs, he would need about 2.5 cans of FF a day. (13.5 x weight + 70)

@JanetNJ mentioned the need for more food when unregulated. I have no idea how many calories are in fish you are adding. It may be enough, may not. Either way, an extra half can may help with all the meows .

Wishing you luck!

 

So did your vet tell you what he SHOULD weigh? Is he overweight? Even if he is you don’t want him losing too fast. That can lead to fatty liver.

You might want to invest in a digital baby scale. They cost about $40 and well worth having. Sometimes Amazon and eBay have them even cheaper.