Cat how much wet food a day

Sharing your life with a cat is certainly rewarding. But being a pet parent carries with it a lot of responsibility, too, especially when it comes to determining how much food to feed a cat. Feeding cats is more complicated than simply ladling out a few kibbles here and there; you need to consider several factors, especially if you choose to give your cat wet food. As of , an estimated 60 percent of cats in the US are classified as clinically overweight or obese.

Overweight cats are at an increased risk for congestive heart failure, skin disorders, infections, diabetes mellitus, complications associated with anesthesia and surgery, hepatic lipidosis a potentially fatal liver disease , and some types of cancer.

Indoor cats, in particular, tend to burn few calories throughout the day, and they become bored, which we all know can lead to excessive eating and weight gain. Pet parents need to take a strategic approach to measuring out cat food to prevent or deal with weight gain in cats. For starters, have your cat evaluated by a veterinarian. A pet calorie calculator can also get you into the ballpark.

If your cat is severely overweight, your veterinarian may recommend a prescription cat food for weight loss; otherwise an over-the-counter weight control cat food should suffice. It helps do some math. Each can contains calories. A Calorie is a measure of how much energy is in food, and the energy used to do an activity. Wet food contains more water than dry cat food, which means your cat must eat more canned food to meet their calorie needs. A typical adult wet food contains approximately 28 calories per ounce, which is 1 calorie per gram.

The weight of food your cat needs each day will be less than if you were feeding your cat canned food. A typical adult dry food contains approximately calories per ounce, or 3. OK, Garfield, this is where it gets real! It is time to weigh your cat. This is because the amount you feed your cat depends on their size and ideal size. A set of scales that can accurately weigh your cat is a worthwhile investment. Place a carry cage on the scales, set the scale to zero, and then place kitty in the cage and record the weight.

Alternatively, record the carrier weight, and then subtract this from the combined cat plus carrier weight. A third method is to weigh yourself with and without the cat and calculate the difference — this works if kitty is not too squirmy! This factor can range from 0. Using this formula for an adult neutered 10 lb 4. This is an estimate of the number of calories that this particular cat would need to consume per day.

Remember though, every cat is unique, and depending on the lifestyle factor, the actual amount could range from to calories per day. Start with the basic calculation as the calorie needs for your cat i. Weigh kitty weekly, and adjust the amount of cat food fed up or down to keep kitty at ideal condition score. In other words, feed your 10 pound cat roughly calories per day.

After a week, check his weight again. Whatever amount of calories per day that keeps your cat at his ideal weight is how much you should be feeding. A good starting place is to find out how many calories your cat should eat from the feeding guide below or use the formula if you prefer.

For example, the table below shows a 10lb cat needs calories per day. Simply divide this number by the calories in the food, as shown on the package.

Blackie is a 10lb cat. He needs calories per day and his Bravo! Dividing calories by 28 equals 7. So, Blackie needs to eat 7. Sheba is a 3. Elsies Cleanprotein Chicken biscuit contains 4 calories per gram. Dividing calories by 4 equals So, Sheba should eat 45 grams of this food in one day.

You can also use this table to work out how much to feed your cat without doing the math yourself. Office Hours Our Regular Schedule. Monday: am - pm. Tuesday: am - pm. Wednesday: am - pm. Thursday: am - pm. Friday: am - pm. Saturday: Closed. Sunday: Closed. Featured Articles Read about interesting topics.

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We took Kitler to the vet for one visit just before the move. Yesterday someone from the office called to say they saw Kitler's picture on the animal shelter's web page. It was her!

She had been hit by a car and brought to the shelter.