How much do I feed?

[Tia's Mom]

My kitty Tia was always feed dry food prior to becoming diabetic. She is a small Siamese approximately 6 lbs. I have began feeding her Fancy Feast pates but I am unsure how much she should receive in a 24 hour period.

 

[BJM]

Figure out how many calories you were feeding of the dry.
Get the calorie count of the canned you want to feed.
Calculate how much of the canned food will provide that amount of calories.

 

[Squalliesmom]

Here is a formula for a rough estimation of calories: weight of cat x 13.5 +70 = number of calories needed for maintenance. My cat is 14 lbs so for him it would be 14 x 13.5 (189) +70 = 259 calories per day, more or less. If your cat is underweight, use desired weight in place of actual weight in the formula.

 

[Alexi]

Has your vet given you a target weight? I have recently switched food and it is difficult to judge, I have done an approximation using the formula and allowing for the guidelines on the tin have started with what should be 'about right' and weighing her every week to check she is maintaining her weight. If her weight drops I'll give a bit more, if up then a bit less. I am checking to see if she clears her bowl but she is now ravenously hungry most of the time which I think is the Caninsulin so for me weekly weights seem to be the best way to judge. I also keep an eye on her body condition as she was underweight when first diagnosed and very bony but she has filled out a bit and now looks like a slim cat. Given the choice she would happily eat all day which makes me feel guilty when I say no to extra food.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

A rough estimate would be one FF can AM and another PM. The periodically weight Tia and adjust amount to get to/maintain desired weight.

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

If 6lbs is her ideal weight, I would start with 2 cans Fancy Feast per day--either in the AM/PM as Larry suggested or a half a can 4x a day, if you can manage it (diabetics do best with frequent meals. If she starts to gain weight over her ideal weight, slowly reduce the the amount of food you're feeding until you hit the right amount. Metabolisms and activity levels can make a big difference even with cats that are the same weight, so there is a bit of trial and error involved.