No matter how cat food I feed to her, she eats up everything and seems like she is ready for more. I usually feed her about half a can a day. Could I feed her more? She is by no means fat. She's very slender.
2006-11-30 14:01:11 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Half a can a day is not enough of a ration for a cat. Read the label and it will tell you that. You should also have some dry food that she can eat whenever she wants. She is probably too thin. You should be able to feel the ribs, but you should feel a good bit of muscle in between the skin and ribs.
You are probably not feeding your cat enough.
2006-11-30 14:08:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
Agree, research suggests that dry food leads to a higher risk of diabetes, thyroid issues, and urinary tract issues, among other things. That is because it has lots of carbs and hardly any moisture. A cat's natural diet, if you think about it, is very moist meat. A fresh kill would probably be around 70-80% moisture, more like canned food, and hardly any carbs. Some cats eating only dry food, won't drink enough water to make up for it and will be chronically a wee bit dehydrated. The carbs are a separate problem. Bladder crystals are more likely to form when a cat eats a fair amount of grains, which most dry foods are filled with. Plus a lot of carbs can contribute to irregular blood sugar, and eventually diabetes. If for some reason, a canned food only diet doesn't work for you, a little bit helps. Even a spoonful or two a day will be helpful.
2016-05-23 06:41:26 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the can is about the size of a small Friskies can, then you're feeding her too little. I feed my cat about 1 to two cans a day and leave out some dry food that he can nibble on all day, and he's very slender. I think it's okay to feed her more food than you're giving her. Good luck.
2006-11-30 15:39:38 · answer #3 · answered by Ashley S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The way I feed my cats is: dry food always on offer as well as fresh water always there and half a can of wet at night. The dry food is actually an "all in" food so I dont really have to feed them anything else but I do.
Cats need the dry food to prevent gum and mouth diseases.
At the cattery we also have dry food available all the time and wet food - can or meat - at night. The amount of wet food is actually less than half a can worth.
2006-11-30 14:32:57 · answer #4 · answered by Feline Female 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes! It is unhealthy and dnagerous to overfeed any animal.
That said, it doesn't sound like your cat is being over fed; she sounds like she could probably use a little more food! Her voracious appetite may be a hint that she's just a hungry kitty and needs a little more food! If you are unsure of how much you should be feeding her, check the can of cat food; there is usually a suggested feeding amount, based on the cats size.
For a more professional opinian, call your local veterinarian. They are generally more than happy to answer simple questions over the phone for free.
2006-11-30 14:09:04 · answer #5 · answered by mlle-fantine 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
From what you have described, your cat sounds like she may have a tapeworm; the clue is that she is eating a lot and not gaining weight! Please take her, and a FRESH sample of her poop to the vet as soon as possible to check for tapeworm and other possible parasites. Sometimes you can find little white segments of the worm on the floor or in the places Miss Kitty likes to sleep. They look like bits of white rice about an eight of an inch long. If you find those around (yuck, I know) then she has a segmented tape worm and it's best to take her to the vet for the appropriate meds--it's a cheap cure.You can get over the counter remedies, but I'd take her to the vet first if you can afford it. It may be another type of worm in her system.
I have done a LOT of research on this and have come to the conclusion that DRY food is just no good for cats. The idea has always been that dry food keeps the teeth clean, but it doesn't really. It actually forms a glue-y paste in their mouths and speed gum disease rather than getting rid of it as a lot of people think. Plus, if you leave a bowl of dry food out all day, it is like leaving an open cookie jar out for a child and you wouldn't do that, would you? Dry food leads to increased rates of diabetes in cats, it has recently been discovered.
You could probably feed Miss Kitty a whole can of food (the tuna-sized cans) a day: 1/2 in the a.m. and the other half at night. If she asks for more, distract her by playing with her or maybe grooming her. She may be eating out of boredom.
Time to get out the "high-tech" toys:
1) a string tied on to a stick to chase.
2) an empty brown paper grocery bag for hiding in and pouncing on the string, plus it makes a neat crinkly sound that cats love.
3) CATNIP!! And lots of it. Chewing on the dried herb is actually good for cats.
Would you consider getting her another cat as playmate/
companion? It's amazing how lively my 14-year old cat has become now that I have a 6-year old cat that came to live with us last year. He has added about 8 or 9 years of life to her and they are both in great physical shape. How do you think Miss Kitty would be around another cat? Its a judgement call.
Hope this helps. God bless you and Miss Kitty and please give her a hug for me.You are a good owner who has asked a great question.
2006-11-30 14:29:49 · answer #6 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
half a can is not enough for a full grown cat. you need to feed her the half can and leave dry food for when she wants it. You can buy balanced for her age or shape. I have never seen cats eat too much dry food but i think they would eat all the canned food they could hold until they get fat .
2006-11-30 14:10:04 · answer #7 · answered by La-z Ike 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
half a can a day? she must be starving. you should buy some dry cat food and feed her at least 3 times a day. that's how i feed my cat's and they aren't fat or hungry.
2006-11-30 14:15:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have free choice fed all of my small pets, including both of my present cats, with GREAT results. I use Purina dry food and a bowl that they can empty in 2-4 days. The dry food exercises their teeth and cleans their gums. Eating ONLY canned or wet food can cause an animal to actually lose their teeth!!! One of my mother's ex-husbands found that out the HARD way. He killed mom's german shepard like this.
2006-11-30 14:07:09 · answer #9 · answered by x_southernbelle 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
try feeding your cat in the morning and in the night. feeding her to much at the one sitting can cause her to throw up i think the amount u r feeding her is good so just give her a Little extra in the morning try dry food it will take her longer to eat
2006-11-30 14:21:59 · answer #10 · answered by ecyla18 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋