How much should you feed your cat?
It is important to ensure that your cat has a regular feeding routine, and once you have decided when and where to feed your cat, it is important that you give it the same level of food and at the same times each day so that it knows when it can hope to obtain food. Cats do not cope very well with change, and any change to their routine could lead to them becoming stressed.
How much you should feed your cat is always different for every cat, so there is not one simple answer to this question. It is determined by your cat’s weight, age, whether you feed your cat wet or dry food, and whether or not, if you have a female cat, she is pregnant. It is also determined by the number of nutrients in the cat food you have purchased.
A healthy adult cat weighing 8 pounds requires approximately 30 calories per pound per day, so would need 240 calories per day.
It is prudent to ensure that you do not give your cat more dry food than it can eat in one sitting – this will cut down on the amount of food that goes stale and has to be discarded. This will also help you to determine how much food your cat is actually eating, thus it can help you to determine if anything is wrong with your cat, so you can take it to the vet if required that much more quickly.
How do I know if my cat is becoming obese?
If you feel your cat may be becoming obese, you can adjust its portions accordingly. If you are unable to feel your cat’s ribs or to make out a ‘waist’ between your cat’s ribcage and hips, it may be becoming overweight, but if you can see its backbone and ribs through its skin, then it could be underweight.
It is generally recognised that a cat is said to be obese if its weight is 20 percent over its ‘ideal weight’. If you are in any doubt as to whether or not your cat is obese, you should ask your veterinarian during its next annual checkup to check its weight.
Your vet usually notes your cat’s weight during every visit, so it would be easy for them to check if your cat has put on weight over the years. They will also be able to advise you what your cat’s ideal weight should be.
If you wish to know the weight of your cat, and cannot always get to the vet, you could first weigh yourself, and then weigh yourself whilst you are holding your cat, and the difference in these two weights is the approximate weight of your cat. This is a good way of tracking your cat’s weight per week; if you have put your cat on a diet, it should only lose about 1 percent of its body weight each week.
If your cat is obese, it is at greater risk of suffering from heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease and diabetes. It is generally accepted that obese cats have a shorter lifespan than those who are not overweight.
A study in 2011 showed that over 50 percent of cats were obese or overweight. (https://www.petmd.com/news/health-science/nws_multi_US_pets_obese_too-10815).
How do I treat this obesity?
Cats can become obese if they eat too much and do not have enough exercise, just like a human. Your cat is more likely to put on weight as it gets older because it is no longer able to exercise as much as it did in the past.
My cat, Bess, is slightly overweight, and the vet has told me that I should not feed her so much now she is older, and should only feed her approximately ½ a can of cat food per day because now she is 7 years old, she does not need to eat as much.
One problem I have found is that I feed her crunchies because they help to clean her teeth, but they do tend to make her put on weight. I have been advised by the vet to cut down on the number of crunchies I give her as well.
If your cat is an indoor cat, like my cat, Bess, it is much more difficult to get it to exercise. You should try and ensure that your cat plays as much as possible, even setting aside time in your day to play with your cat to encourage it to keep moving.
It is prudent to build up the intensity and frequency of these sessions each day. You can also buy your cat toys to help to keep it mentally and physically stimulated. You can also keep a record of when and how much you feed your cat – this will help you to stick to the diet plan.
If you put your cat on a diet and wish to keep a record in this way, you should include everything you feed to your cat, even the items that are designed to help with the health of your cat’s teeth, because they can have a high-calorie content.
Another way of cutting down your cat’s food is to put food in a feeding device that requires your cat to work to get to the food. One option is to place food inside a cardboard tube so that your cat has to put its paw in to obtain access to it. You could also try placing the cat’s food on a plate and hiding it in different areas of your home so that your cat has to hunt to eat.
If your cat shows signs that it does not want to leave the house, you could try placing it on a lead and taking it for a walk, so that it is able to exercise.
Can my cat go on a diet?
Although putting your cat on a diet is something we immediately think of if a cat is overweight, it is always important to consult your vet beforehand. They will be able to help you to determine what sort of food you should be giving your cat, and also what quantity of food would be best. Your vet will also be able to monitor your cat’s weight loss to determine if the diet is working correctly, and can also help you to determine your cat’s ideal weight.
If your cat is on a diet, you should not feed it treats at any time. These treats are high in calories but lack sufficient nutrition. If you want to give treats to your cat, it would be better to only give them to them occasionally.
As with any diet, results will not happen overnight but handled correctly, your cat will gradually become healthier and can live a long and happy life.
Should I feed my cat wet or dry food?
Dry food lasts longer than wet food, and portions are much easier to measure out. Cats do not normally like their dry food to be soaked with water, because they like to crunch dry food.
Wet food can be served from single-serve pouches, so you do not need to measure the food out before giving it to your cat. This makes giving the food to the cat that much easier. Your cat will drink less water because of the water content in the wet food, and will normally eat more in the one sitting.
Whether you feed your cat wet food or dry food is completely up to you, but you must ensure that any dry food you feed to your cat is low in plant proteins because your cat will not be able to digest these properly. It is best to give your cat food that is high in animal proteins.
If you are unsure what is in the cat food you give to your cat, it is prudent to check the ingredients before deciding what food to give to your cat, or even consult your local vet for advice. If you buy a lower quality cat food, your cat will need to eat more food to obtain the same amount of nutrients, so may become overweight, which can lead to it suffering from health problems later in life.
Should you choose to feed your cat wet food, you must ensure that the food contains as little ‘fillers’ as possible, and is predominantly made up of meat.
Some matters you must bear in mind when giving your cat dry food is that although dry food can help your cat’s teeth because it has to chew more and that in turn helps clean your cat’s teeth, it could make it prone to suffering from obesity. If you are not very careful, and only feed your cat dry food, it may not obtain as much nutrition as a cat who eats both wet and dry food.
If you feed your cat dry food alone, it is advisable to ensure that your cat has access to water because you must ensure that your cat drinks more water to compensate for the fact it is not obtaining this moisture in the food. In the summer months, it is imperative to ensure that your cat always has access to water as it can become severely dehydrated.
Whether you feed your cat wet or dry food, the food should be of a good quality with high-quality ingredients. Although this food is initially more expensive than lower quality food, this cost will probably be offset later because you may not need to pay so much for veterinary services in the future.
It is always possible to offer your cat both wet and dry food; I always give my cat, Bess, a mixture of both wet and dry food and that seems to work very well for her, but each cat is different. You are advised to experiment to see what works best for you and your cat.
Can my cat eat human food?
Whilst some cats are quite content to eat wet and dry cat food and do not wish to see any real change to their diet, some cats enjoy eating human food. These cats consider that cat food is not sufficient for an animal like themselves. Some cats are simply curious about the food you are preparing, sometimes jumping up to satisfy that curiosity.
You should never let your cat on the kitchen worktop whilst you are preparing food, and should also not allow your cat to eat scraps. This could also lead to dangers, which I discuss in my article: how do I keep my cat off the kitchen worktops.
Some drawbacks to giving your cat human food are that they can come to expect it, and it may even make them reject their own food. My first cat, Patch, because I occasionally gave him human food at the table, began to claw my leg for food whenever we had lunch. I vowed when I got other cats that that was never going to happen in the future, so have not given any of my other cats’ human food again.
What human food should I never allow my cat to eat?
Some foods you must never give your cat include cow’s milk because a cat is not able to digest it properly. Cheese is another human food that must never be given to your cat because many cats are lactose-intolerant, and cannot process dairy foods. Other foods you must never give to your cat include:
Chocolate
Chocolate is very dangerous for your cat to eat, so you must immediately take your cat to the vet if it inadvertently eats any to ensure that any damage is minimised. Giving chocolate to your cat could lead to it suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle tremors.
Grapes and Raisins
Grapes and raisins are also on the banned food list because digesting this food can lead to your cat suffering from kidney failure. It is best to ensure that your cat is never able to access these foods because even if your cat does not show any symptoms outwardly, there is no knowing what they are doing to its insides.
Onions and Garlic
Although your cat may be fine if it eats onions and garlic in very small quantities, you should ensure that it is never able to eat a clove of garlic or green onion because digesting these foods could cause your cat to suffer from anaemia.
Tuna
You must be careful when you feed tuna to your cat because although when tuna is made into cat food it is fine for your cat to eat, tuna sold for human consumption can cause steatitis if is given to your cat on a regular basis. Giving your cat tuna could lower its levels of vitamin E, the presence of which is essential for your cat because it helps to protect your cat’s cells from oxidative damage.
Dog Food
You should never allow your cat to eat dog food. Cat food contains protein, arachidonic acid, taurine and vitamin A, whereas dog food does not have the same amounts of these. Cats need plenty of vitamin A and protein to live, whereas dogs do not need the same levels.
Taurine and arachidonic acid are produced by dogs, but a cat cannot create these nutrients, so they must be present in the food it eats. If your cat does not have the right levels of taurine, it may develop dental issues and heart disease.
Raw Eggs
Although you can feed your cat raw eggs, it is best not to because of the dangers presented by salmonella and E. coli. You do not want to your cat to become sick, nor do you want to run the risk of bringing these organisms into your home. When your cat passes faeces, organisms such as these could remain present in its faeces, which can be very dangerous.
What human food can my cat eat?
Meat you can feed to your cat include skinless chicken, liver, lamb and lean beef. Cats are obligate carnivores, so need meat to help them to live. You should, however, ensure that the meat is cooked thoroughly before giving it to your cat. If there is any fat on the meat, you should cut this off because cats find it hard to digest fat, it adversely affecting their stomachs.
Can I feed ham to my cat?
Ham is another food you may be able to give to your cat, but it can be risky because cheaper ham can be very high in sodium and preservatives. These can be harmful to your cat because it could lead to it suffering from hypernatremia, which can cause high blood pressure and bad regulation of the heart.
You should only feed your cat ham if it is a finer cut, prepared fresh and unseasoned. It should only be given to your cat in moderation, however, because although it is of better quality, a high amount of sodium is still present. You must ensure, however, that you never feed your cat raw ham under any circumstances because of the risk of salmonella and other bacteria present in raw meat.
Can my cat eat vegetables?
You can feed some vegetables to your cat, but it is best not to give it too many because it is an obligate carnivore. Adding some vegetables to your cat’s diet, however, could help keep its weight down if it is overweight. If you do decide to feed some vegetables to your cat, they should be cooked without any form of seasoning.
What vegetables are safe for my cat to eat?
Carrots are good for your cat because they contain many minerals and vitamins such as beta-carotene. They should always be cooked and chopped well, however, to prevent your cat from choking.
If your cat attempts to eat any plants you may have in your house, feeding it steamed broccoli may be a good choice because it may stop it from eating your plants.
Green beans are an excellent source of fibre, so may be fed to your cat instead of treats. This is especially good if your cat is overweight.
Can I feed bread to my cat?
Bread is another food that you are safe to feed to your cat, but again this food must only be given to your cat in small amounts, no more than a small cube. Bread is high in carbohydrates, and as such fills your cat’s stomach, not leaving room for you to feed your cat foods high in protein. You should never feed your cat bread that is high in salt if it suffers from heart or kidney disease.
Bread can be used to hide medication away from your cat and may be just the thing you need if, like my cat Bess, your cat refuses to take medication.
If you wish to give your cat human food, it is best to check with your vet, who will be able to give you advice regarding which human food is safe for your cat to eat, and which you should never give it. You should only ever feed your cat approximately 20 calories of human food, the rest being made up of commercial cat food, which is developed especially to keep your cat as fit and healthy as possible.