How much tinned cat food should cats be given daily ?

Answer 1

Depends on the KIND of canned food. Some brands are such crap, I'd rather feed my cats old boots.

I feed my cats two meals of soft food a day (half a can each from 12oz. cans so they both get about 12oz. of food a day). I sometimes keep kibble down in a small dish for them to snack on (this is usually a weekend thing because if sleeping in and going out). But on a normal day, I feed them breakfast around 8 in the morning, then dinner around 8 at night.

I switched my cats from hard food diets because of the things I read here: http://www.catinfo.org

A lot of people are going to tell you to only give soft food as a "treat". This couldn't be more off base. Cats need more moisture than that, and since they're designed to get most of their water FROM their food (a mouse is about 78% water), it's best to give them at least SOME canned food EVERY day. Especially males since they're more prone to crystals in their bladder.

Brands you might want to check out: Wellness, Natural Balance, Nature's Variety, Wysong's, and Innova Evo. Nutro Max Cat isn't too bad, either, but not as good as the others. Please avoid Iams, Science Diet, Whiskas, Nine Lives, etc. They're horrible foods. A good guideline is this; if the ingredients list of full of the words "by-product" and "corn" avoid the food entirely, opting for something a little more nutritious.

Wet food will NOT mess up the cat's digestive system! Why are people so stupid? Wet food is actually easier for cats to digest than kibble.

And NO, it won't make their teeth rot. Dry food doesn't do anything for their teeth anyway! Read the website I gave you....it explains the whole thing.

Answer 2

If that is all the cat eats (no dry food) then one tin is usually enough per cat. Only top quality though - no cheapie stuff. Our cans here are mostly 5.5 ounces. Sounds like you have more than one cat. For one cat half in am and half in pm. When you open a can and are using only half of it put the other half in a pyrex or glass dish for the evening meal. When the can is opened the meat will develop an "off" taste and the cat might not want the rest of it. It doesn't need to be refrigerated unless the temperature is really high. If it is chilled in the fridge you can warm it to room temperature in a hot water bath.

Answer 3

I would disagree that cats over 3-4 weeks (when they are only just weaning anyway) shouldn't have wet food. Cats that are only fed dry food and also have a pre disposure to kidney failure (which many cats will as they age) can become seriously dehydrated.

If your cat is an adult cat, two meals a day of around quarter of a 400g tin (so half a tin every day) should be plenty. If your cat leaves food in it bowl untouched after feeding, you are offering too much - I'm sure your cat will tell you if he or she is still hungry if you aren't (mine certainly do!)

It is advisable to also offer a high quality complete kibble (dry biscuits) for your cat to eat as the crunching helps remove plaque from their teeth and keep their gums healthy.

Many wet cat foods out on the market are a bit rubbish and are full of additives, sugar and very little meat. The best food I have found (and which I feed my boys) is Natures Menu cat food which contains 70% meat. This food also comes in pouches so is easier to serve than tins (but more expensive unfortunately).

Answer 4

You do not say how old your cat is. All pet food manufacturers make food for the various ages, i.e. kitten, youngster, middle-aged (5-7) and senior 7+. Cats fed solely on soft food can develop all sorts of nasty problems such as heart and obesity as you mention, but because some of them contain salt, they can also have kidney problems. Their teeth need hard food to keep them clear of plaque - not only is it painful for the cat, but the Vet's bills will be expensive. My 2 cats aged 11 and 9 are fed on Hills Science Diet Senior which they love, and I change the flavours to keep them interested. Try your local Vet as they have health sheets which you can show your Mother. She is not being kind, she is putting its health in danger. It might take several days for the cat to adapt, but try putting a small amount of hard food down with a very little of the soft food and leaving it. Gradually increase the dry food until you can stop the tinned stuff. When the cat is hungry, it will eat.

Answer 5

I used to give my 5 cats Whiskas dry food all the time. Then my one male cat who was only 2 years old got a stone in his urinary tract that nearly killed him. During this ordeal I spent a lot of time at the Vet. She told me it was because I feed them only dry food. She says that cats get their water in nature from their food. They don't consume a lot of water like dogs do. Therefore one needs to feed them mainly tinned/canned food and supplement that with dry food. The urinary tract stones formed due to the lack of moisture in his diet. Now I feed 5 cats 1/2 tin in the morning and 1/2 tin in the evening and add a bowl of dry food every 2nd day. I haven't had any problems for 26 months now.

Answer 6

My cats get about 1/3 of a standard sized tin (or 1/2 pouch each) every day at tea time. But their staple diet consists of dried food that promotes urinary tract health (very important for toms) and because they do not have a weight problem, I simply refill the dried food bowls when they near empty. I've learned what my cats consume on average so it's easy to place about the right amount in each day. But there is always a bit of dried food and lots of fresh water available for them. (If your cat has a weight problem, food must be better regulated of course.)

Answer 7

If you follow what Katrina has suggested you won't go far wrong, canned food is good for cats, I don't know where these stories about it being bad for digestive systems comes from, feed dry food as well so that the cat has variety, my cats have dry food down all day (changed each morning) and have 3 meat (canned) feeds each day also, the last cat I lost was 22 years old (almost) when she died and her death wasn't food related!! A wild cat doesn't eat dry biscuits, it eats rabbits/mice/birds etc and gets it's teeth cleaned eating their bones (sorry but it's a fact).
Feeding dry food on the other hand is quick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

Read the instructions, it should have feeding guidelines printed on the label. Many labels will be different, as it depends on the quality of the food. A sure sign that you aren't feeding enough - the cat is too thin and ribs are showing or are easily felt. Feeding too much? Can't feel the ribs, rollie-pollie fat. You need to maintain a healthy weight to prevent health issues like diabetes. If you still aren't sure, consult your vet.

Answer 9

My cats are very very healthy, the vets says so too, that's not just my opinion, and they survive on half a tin of cat food a day. They have regulr brands like Felix and Kit-e-kat - I don't feed them rubbish. They have dry cat food too for rewards - ie if they come in when I call them!

Answer 10

Cats should get dry food daily - with wet canned food only once in a while as a treat.