Help feeding my civvie

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jkbank

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Hi All

Need some advice with timing & quantity of feeding my civvie kitty. All their lives, I fed both cats science diet dry, and they were free-fed, full bowls always left out. When one was diagnosed with diabetes I switched them both to canned, basically the low carb FF. Before Gem (the diabetic) died, I was feeding her multiple times a day and would kind of refill the other one's bowl at the same time. But he really didn't eat as much. So I'm a little confused as to how much/how often he should be eating. He weighs about 9#, I'm assuming he's at his ideal weight, been this way his whole life.
Any advice?
 
Do you NEED to change it? As long as he's not gaining weight, I can't see that it's much different than the dry way..

BIG HUGE HUG!!!
 
Thanks Lyresa. I'm not going to change the food, but he doesn't seem to need to eat as often as Gem did, or as much. I feel like I'm constantly throwing away food. Since I free-fed them dry for so long, I have no idea what a "normal" feeding schedule is for a non-diabetic cat. If I give him 1/2 can of FF in the morning, is that it til dinner time?? Seems like not enough. But if I put in more, he doesn't eat it.

As I type this I realize I sound pretty dense - if he doesn't eat it, don't give it! I guess I'm just curious what others do.
 
Copied from another post:

I'm feeding 11 civvies right now, and for the 3 in crates (1 for socialization work, 1 front declawed being picked on, and 1 prima donna marking her turf), its working out to about 1 oz per pound, divided into 2 feedings which are grazed throughout the day.

Thus, the 10-11 pound male is getting about 5.5 oz per meal of a mix of 1 can Wellness Core, 1 can Purina Special Diet, and 1-2 cans of Fancy Feast mixed togther. The 7 pounder gets 4 oz per meal, but often seems to have a bit left when I do fresh plates. The chubby 8 pounder nearly cleans the plate of her 4 oz each meal, but rally doesn't need more food - she's bored.

The other cats in the household are free to eat at will, too. For a total of 11 cats, 2 batches of this mix seems to work out with little left over. I'll note that if the fat and thus calorie content drops, I need to put out a bit more or I get squabbling right before dinner.
 
I feed my two cats (1 diabetic (14lb) and 1 civie (10lb)) in 1/4 can increments of FF. They each get 1/4 can at PS time, 1/4 can about an hour or two later, and then I leave out 1/4 can, when I go to work or go to bed for the night.
They also have an automatic feeder and frozen FF during the day, but that's mostly for the diabetic to eat.
 
I don't know if this will help as Sneakers is still on the juice- but she won't eat the food if it isn't wet enough. I am constantly adding water to 'old' food and then its like "Hey! Gravy!".

Since I also free-fed her with dry before hand I don't know anything feeding for canned, either. Sorry.
 
The whole herd here is on canned food...yep all 13 of them :roll: It kind of depends on the cat and their ideal weight what they all eat....Maxwell is a big Maine Coonish type boy and OTJ he tips the scales at a lean 17lbs (told you he was big) he gets 1 1/2 (5.5oz) cans of Friskies broken down into 4 meals, Autumn who is still on the juice but still very underweight and trying to catch up again now that she is being treated finally for her diabetes, eats 2 full cans of Friskies, and the rest average out to between 7-12lbs and they get one 5.5oz can of Friskies Pate. Since they all eat together except Maxwell and Autumn I'm sure some eat a little more and some a little less as they always have to try what is in the other ones bowl... :lol:

But on average to feed 13 cats we go through about 18 (5.5oz) cans of Friskies Pate per day....I'm sure I'm helping to keep my local feed store in business in cat food and litter alone..lol

But I mix about 1/4 can of water per 1/2 can of water, and feed 4 times a day. So far it has worked well for us and neither human has lost a limb or been eaten in their sleep. ohmygod_smile

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Thanks all, that is very helpful. I think I'm in the right range with Kooker.

LOL Mel! I'm impressed Maxwell is good with 1 1/2 cans, Gem at around 13 lbs seemed to go through a solid 2 cans a day, but I think a lot had to do with her diabetes being completely unregulated. I've been thinking of you - how are you doing? I hope you feel how much you are loved here.
 
Hi Karen,
I have 3 civies that all get different canned foods, but I feed them only 3 times a day. In the morning (used to be shot time), after work (again, used to be shot time) and then before bed. They rarely leave any food in their bowls. Josie is on FF and she weighs about 9 lbs. She gets 1.5 cans a day and her weight doesn't change. I hope this helps.

I'm glad to see you still on the board. I hope its getting a little easier for you.
 
Karen,

Like you I'm hanging in there and missing my baby girl, but just got to keep going because the rest of the furry family needs mom to be okay...Ya know what I mean? I pick up Musette's ashes tomorrow, I went to go get them today because I completely forgot that they are closed on Tuesday so now I have to wait until tomorrow. I think that is when the reality will all hit home, but luckily I also start me new job tomorrow evening so it will be a nice distraction to be too busy to think, and hopefully wear me out enough that I will just come home and fall into a coma.

Having Autumn helps a lot, since I still have to go through the daily routine of testing, feeding and shooting. Without Autumn here I think it would be much harder because the whole sugar dance becomes so second nature that I' sure I would miss it when if it was completely over.

Hope you and yours are coping well also.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
My older civvies get 1 three-ounce can FF twice a day, once in AM and then about 5 PM, or they share a can of Friskies pate twice a day. That keeps them at a good weight. They are not that active now.

Ilene
 
Here is one way to figure it from http://www.ehow.com/about_5459849_many- ... -need.html:

If you have an average cat, meaning one that's not a kitten, pregnant, lactating or overweight and not at an advanced age, figuring out calories is pretty simple.

Average cats needs about 20 to 30 calories per pound of body weight per day. So if you have a seven-pound cat, it needs about 210 calories a day (seven pounds x 30 calories per pound = 210 calories).

Calories for Older Cats
Once your cat is about seven years old, you may need to adjust its calorie intake. Just like humans, cats also suffer from a lower metabolism as they age. So if you feed your older cat the same amount you always have, you may notice that he or she puts on weight. To prevent this, gradually reduce the calories you provide your cat to about 20-25 calories per pound of weight. If you're having trouble getting your older cat to consume enough calories, try feeding him canned cat food that has been warmed a bit in the microwave, which makes it more appetizing.
 
Ele & Blackie (GA) said:
Hi Karen,
I have 3 civies that all get different canned foods, but I feed them only 3 times a day. In the morning (used to be shot time), after work (again, used to be shot time) and then before bed. They rarely leave any food in their bowls. Josie is on FF and she weighs about 9 lbs. She gets 1.5 cans a day and her weight doesn't change. I hope this helps.

I'm glad to see you still on the board. I hope its getting a little easier for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks, yeah, I'm still here lurking around! Things are OK, we as a family are at peace with the way things happened. I am waiting to hear from the vet for when we can pick up her ashes. I'm sure that will be another emotional time. Can't tell whether Kooker is feeling her loss or not, he seems OK for now.
 
MommaOfMuse said:
Karen,

Like you I'm hanging in there and missing my baby girl, but just got to keep going because the rest of the furry family needs mom to be okay...Ya know what I mean? I pick up Musette's ashes tomorrow, I went to go get them today because I completely forgot that they are closed on Tuesday so now I have to wait until tomorrow. I think that is when the reality will all hit home, but luckily I also start me new job tomorrow evening so it will be a nice distraction to be too busy to think, and hopefully wear me out enough that I will just come home and fall into a coma.

Having Autumn helps a lot, since I still have to go through the daily routine of testing, feeding and shooting. Without Autumn here I think it would be much harder because the whole sugar dance becomes so second nature that I' sure I would miss it when if it was completely over.

Hope you and yours are coping well also.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
Click to expand...

I totally understand…it's amazing the capacity we have to move forward. We are doing OK here. I too am waiting to pick up her ashes, and I expect that to be tough. My daughter is happy that we will have something tangible with us to remember Gem by. I was surprised, I thought she'd be freaked out!

Good luck with the new job!
 
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