Feeding Amounts

[Arkali]

We have three cats. Gypsy (diabetic), Emmy, and Buddy. Their weights are roughly 8 - 10 pounds for Emmy and Gypsy (though Gypsy's poor as a snake right now and needs to fatten up) and probably 14 pounds for Buddy. He's not overweight--he's just "tall" and lanky. Anyway, they're eating about 2 cans of Fancy Feast Classic Pate twice daily (4 cans total) between the three of them. I want them to be eating 3 / 6, but they aren't finishing the 2 cans, and I don't want to waste food.

So my question is, in your experience do cats start eating more as they get used to wet food? All three have eaten dry food up until now. Well, Emmy and Gypsy their whole lives since kittenhood. Buddy came to us at about 2 years of age and I suspect he ate wet food before--he was very vocal about asking for it and knew exactly what the sound of an opening can was. Anyway, today is day 4 of wet food. I'm hoping once they realize dry food is no longer a thing, they'll eat more wet. Has that been your experience?

 

[Beck and Philly]

I tried feeding my menagerie Fancy Feast twice a day and discovered every cat is indeed different. Some gobbled the entire can and wanted more, some refused to touch it, and others ate a little and walked away. I now buy Friskies and Fancy Feast pates to help those who dislike FF. I also found twice a day isn't enough for the light eaters. I now do "wet food mornings" and "wet food nights" with snacks in between. I do the snacks at 4 hour increments since I work from home.

Adding the snacks went against my vet's advice, but made a world of difference with one cat's vomiting. I think keeping something in the stomach must help with acid or something.

Good luck!

 

[Arkali]

Thanks, Beck! All three cats, even Emmy the Perpetually Grouchy, were lined up in the kitchen this morning, and all but the scraps of the two cans from last night were gone. I put out three cans this morning. I work from home too and I've been forking it up a little during the day so they can graze. So far, so good. Thankfully, all three are eating the FF now that Emmy's figured out dry food is off the menu.

 

[Idjit's mom]

I have to feed Idjit smaller amounts more frequently because he does the scarf then barf thing. He also loved his dry food, and sometimes it seems he doesn't get/feel full enough on the canned food. I have been cooking chicken breasts, cutting it up into relatively bite size pieces, freezing flat so it's in separate pieces, the storing in the freezer. I quick thaw in the microwave or over a bowl of hot water. The density of the breast seems to satisfy him or make him feel full, I think. Sometimes I give him a larger piece just to gnaw on and tear apart. (Makes him feel like mighty jungle cat with his kill perhaps?)

 

[Arkali]

Thanks, Idjit's Mom. I shouldn't laugh, but I got a giggle out of the scarf-n-barf thing Good tips on the chicken!