how much and how often should i feed my 8 year old cat?

Question

we have only had her 4 weeks she seems to be asking for food quite a bit. she has a 85g tin in the morning, some dry food during the day then another tin in the evening

Answer 1

Cats love to be spoiled (who doesn't!). She may be asking for attention by feeding her extra, Then again, did she come froma home that starved her, or did she live out on the streets and have to search for her food when she was younger?? That always makes a lasting impression on the kitty.

Has she been seen by a vet for a complete physical?

If you leave dry food out for her during the day, leave a SMALL portion, as overeating is a major cause of health problems in kitties.

I don't know what you are feeding her right now, but I assume it contains ingredients that satisfy her nutritional requirements.

Answer 2

Oh, they're little beggers! Your cat will outright LIE to you about how much food he really needs.

Feeding suggestions on product packages are an ok guideline, but you have to consider your cat's weight and adjust up or down as necessary.

I'm too lazy to convert 85g to ounces, so I'll just say that a total of one can per day - 5.5 to 6 ounces - is about right for the average cat.

As for the dry, I wouldn't give more than a handful, which comes to something like 1/4 to 1/3 cup per day.

But that on top of the canned might be a bit much - you could scale back to 2/3 of a can per day if it looks like he's gaining weight.

Answer 3

That sounds pretty reasonable. For comparison, here is what I feed my 9 year old neutered male: 1/3 of a 170g tin of food in the morning and same again in the evening. I don't give him dry food. If he is acting really, really hungry, I may increase that to half the tin. In the winter when he is less active, and starts to gain weight, I will cut that back to 1/4 of the tin. We do give our cats occasional treats of meat and a little bit of vegetables from our own meals, but this is maybe 2 times a week. And sometimes their treat is a small amount of juice from the meat we cook.

Each cat is different, and even one cat may need different things from one week to the next. Hope this helps.

edited to add: wet food is very important for cats, because they are designed to obtain their liquids through the prey animals they caught in the desert. I've learned the hard way, through my cat developing urinary tract disease, to keep them hydrated by feeding the wet food.

Answer 4

Has she been treated for worms? They could be 'eating' some of her food. Or she might just need to have her stomach getting used to less food - you should make it 2 meals as 1/3 cup dry food for breakfast and leave fresh water out all day and a tin for dinner.

Answer 5

Let your old cat graze on low energy food for geriatric cats. Older cats often dont like large meals but prefer to eat a little bit a lot. It is best therefore to leave food down all the time. Your older cat wont demand food all the time and will not eat as much as before because it has choice.

Answer 6

That seems normal. It's always recommended to leave a bowl of dry food out at all times because then they aren't constantly asking for food. Plus, plenty of water. Cats know when to stop eating, so they're not going to over eat.

Answer 7

I just checked the can of Artemis I put out for my three cats this morning - it is 5.5 oz - 15.5 grams. On that basis it seems startling that your cat would be eating 170 g
of meat a day, plus dry food.

Are you SURE you are right in your statement? My cats eat around 6 oz of meat each a day (raw and canned meat)- no dry food at all.

Answer 8

I'm going to go out on a limb here as most of the answers are the opposite of what I've been told. I have had cats get fat from overeating and was told by the vet not to let them graze all day. I feed my cats twice daily. Portions are dependent on what type of food, different brands may have different nutrient levels.

Cats are creatures of habit. If's she eight and you've only had her four weeks, chances are she's trying to train you to meet her established standards. Don't let in. I adopted a cat that cried to go outside everyday. Eventually she stopped.

Good luck.

Answer 9

1-2 times of wet food and set out a bowl of dry food

Answer 10

Hello..cats rarely overeat so unless the cat has a weight problem, which is very rare, it's best to just leave some dried cat food out @ all times cuz they are nibblers throughout the day & night..also of course away from any dogs !! Take Care :)