Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Shay on February 27, 2007, 18:23:32 PM
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Hi everyone! I'm new to all this but the site looks just fab - hoping you can all offer your pearls of wisdom on this one.
Charlie's an indoors rescue cat and my first! He's around seven/eight months old and I'm smitten. I was advised to give him a tea mug-ful of dried food (Hills) a day but the back of the packet says way, way less for a cat his weight so we've gone down to a quarter mug-ful a day as per packet instructions. It just doesn't seem enough though!! I give him half his quart in the morning, the rest at night plus a half sachet at night too because he seems so deliriously hungry. He gobbles the lot and sniffs around for more. From reading the forum I see that some of you have dry food down all day - does that mean you keep topping up?
Please help! Hate to think I'm starving my cat...
Thanks in anticipation!
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:welcome: to Purrs ;D
I think your young cat would be better on a mix of wet and dry, with dry being left down all day.
My large and greedy adult cats get I pouch a day each , half put down in the morning and half in the evening. They get dry food put down the same way and left out. When the first lot is gone they dont get any more until next meal time but they tend to graze so it usually is never quite empty.
I prefer then to eat a little often rather than two big meals all at once. ;D
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:welcome: to Purrs Shay
If your tea mugs are the same size as my tea mugs, a quarter of one doesn't sound enough to me. A lot of us on here favour a predominantly wet diet, to ensure adequate fluid intake and in Blip's case, that's a pouch in the morning, a pouch in the evening and dried left down all the time in case she's hungry (she rarely eats the dried, it's more of an insurance). I'm not sure about the amount for a growing kitten like Charlie, but someone better will be along in a minute :rofl:
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I'd be careful with hills, it is a good enough food but they can become overweight even when sticking to the recommended guide lines, A bit of wet food aswell would be great and make sure he drinks water..You could always put him onto hills maintenence light if you find he's getting abit tubby.
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When you guys say Hill's are you referring to Hill's ScienceDiet? Sorry so clueless but I am a Yank so I don't want to misunderstand what you are referring to.
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Think the names are slightly different in teh UK to the US, we have Hills Science Plan, which is just normal cat food and then Hills Prescription Diets.
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yes hills science diets we normally just refer to as hills.
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Hey everyone!
Wow! Thank you so much for all your quick and detailed responses - your advice is much, much appreciated as I'm so green to all of this!
I'll def be incorporating more wet food into his diet now and its so good to get tips on which kind to use.
Think it's Charlie who's going to be breathing a sigh of relief most though - his tummy won't be grumbling anymore.
Thanks again,
S
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Hi Shay, I have two kittens, one at 8 months old & one at 7 months. On working days they are given half a pouch each in the morning, with a tiny drop of dry food (approx. a dozen pieces of James Wellbeloved or similar). They then get another small handful of dry (JWB usually) around 4.00pm when the kids get home. At about 7.00pm they are given another 1/2 pouch each, then when we go to bed (around 11.00pm) they get a small drop of whiskas dry food. At the weekend they get a similar amount, but the timing & split of food may differ. They both seems to be healthy enough & not getting too heavy. I think if I left dry down all day, the bigger one would scoff the lot! Good luck with Charlie ;D
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Apparently most cats regulate their own food intake so I would err on the generous side unless there are obvious sign the cat is getting fat. The amounts on packs are only a guide and animals have different metabolisms just like us. Rather a well-fed kitty than a hungry one :catluv:
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I actually do disagree with cats regulating their food intake - we are at the stage where there are soo many overweight cats, so something is going wrong. And it is so incredibly hard to get them to lose weight once they have put it on. The guidelines are deliberately high so you will buy more of their food!!! It is easy to work out how much your cat likes to eat if you only have the one though.
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On working days they are given half a pouch each in the morning, with a tiny drop of dry food (approx. a dozen pieces of James Wellbeloved or similar). They then get another small handful of dry (JWB usually) around 4.00pm when the kids get home. At about 7.00pm they are given another 1/2 pouch each, then when we go to bed (around 11.00pm) they get a small drop of whiskas dry food. At the weekend they get a similar amount, but the timing & split of food may differ.
Thats very similar to what I give my 2 6month old kittens Rhona :)
Sarah x
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My 6 certainly dont regulate their food, they scoff what they can and if i poured 2kg of food in bowls and went out for the day im certain it would all be gone!
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agree totally with desley.
i think there are still some cats who may regulate their food and stay naturally slim but more often than not they will over eat whether that be at 1 sitting or just generally throughout the day. The incidence of obese cats has undoubtly got to do with a much better nutrition nowadays and much more food around to feed them (think of what cats were fed on and how often going back 50 years etc..alot prob got one bowl of bread and milk put out to them once per day !) also even going back 20 years ago there wasnt a fraction of indoor cats like there are now.
I also agree with guide lines possibly being higher than they need to be for the very reason des gave...same with washing powder etc..you dont actually need to use the full amount they say but of course it is in their (the companies) best interests if you do LOL. also as in humans, if you overeat on a regular basis then your stomach does get bigger and there fore you will feel hungrier more.
If anyone has a healthy normal weight cat but they appear to be wanting a higher quantity of food than you think they need (good quality food im on about) then i'd advise to switch to a "light" version which would be lower in fat and higher in fibre etc and so slightly more could be given. of course boredom i believe can make cats eat more so that also needs to be looked at, and those little buster balls are great for some cats as they have to work to get their food.
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Hi again,
Ooooh - what's a buster ball? Like the sound of those. Where can I get one?
I suppose being new to this (and relatively new to Charlie himself) I'm not au fait with what he requires versus what he wants. He does race into the kitchen around his feeding time and skulks around me with feed-me eyes, plus continously paws the kitchen worktop so I know he's hungry but even after I've fed him sometimes he continues to slink at my feet etc. I guess in time, I'll know his behaviour better and whether he's "at it" or genuinely hungry and in need of more.
The folk at the rescue did say he was a big boned tom and I could expect him to grow pretty hefty- we've seen a difference in just the six weeks we've had him. He's now around 4kg so put on around 1 kg since being with us.
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I actually do disagree with cats regulating their food
I tend to agree, I think the majority of cats I have ever owner would just eat and eat and eat.
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buster balls were designed originally for dogs .. they basically are plactic balls that you can put their dried food inside and as they have little holes the cat (or dog) has to paw and roll it round for the dried food to come out bit by bit..obviously as they now make them for cats they have done them littler LOL
cody got one free with his food pack i got when i bought him but if i find whre you can buy them from i'll post back, other peeps might know already..im sure they are pretty accesable nowadays.
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Jess is 9 months old, and he has 100g of Hills Science Plan biscuits in the morning, they are down all day and usually there are a few left the following morning which we throw away, then in the evening he has a 100g ouch of Felix in jelly which he will nibble at, he licks off all the jelly and will some of the meat not alot, we usually throw half away.
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Jess's mum - do you mind me asking how much Jess weighs? Or is it rude to ask a lady her size?
(What a cute wee cat btw!)
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My 3 are all healthy weights for their various sizes and apart from being very fussy eaters, they are pretty good at self regulating. They get a pouch, small tin or foil tray (depending on which food they show favour to that day) for breakfast, then another at teatime, with good quality mixture of dried food (light or senior even though my cats are young as I don't want them getting fat) down all day in a bowl they all share. They usually leave a tiny bit of wet and the dry lasts for the whole 24 hours. If they have eaten all their tea by bedtime then they get a bit more wet food for overnight, but if there is wet food left then they just finish that off - the room where their food is has no heating and at this time of the year doesn't go off because it is like a fridge - they still choose to sleep in there sometimes though :evillaugh:
So they probably get about what the manafacturers recommend (if not more) and none of them have weight problems. All 3 are very active and usually play for several hours a day as well as spending a couple of hours outside strolling around and in the warmer weather they spend much more time out and about and chasing each other around the garden.
If they become less active as they get older then I will reduce their food to compensate and I weigh them regularly to make sure they are not too large.
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Jess's mum - do you mind me asking how much Jess weighs? Or is it rude to ask a lady her size?
(What a cute wee cat btw!)
Jess is a little man so he doens't mind :innocent:
The thing is I don't actually know how much he weighs the vet never weighed him, hust said he was doing fine and out of principle we don't have any scales in the house, :Crazy: his not light though but not too heavy if that makes sense :Crazy:
Sorry
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Jess's mum - if you are regularly throwing wet food away, it means you are putting too much down for him, and I would suggest halving the amount you give him - that is what I meant by knowing what your cat needs - if they wolf it and seem hungry, it is too little, if they regularly leave some, it is too much.
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not sure why'd you throw out dried hills if its only been there for less than a day...i just top it up and mix it (less waste...think of all the starving cats LOL)
des i'd say your right unless the cat is a natural grazer like cody, he never emptys a plate ever but i have to have food out all the time as he goes and eats a wee bit fairly regularily...he's always been like that.
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I did wonder why you would throw away dry, I rarely do.
I meant on the wet - I am sure it isn't the first time she has posted that he doesn't eat a full pouch, so if a cat regularly doesn't eat the amount given, it is too much.
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yes i'd agree bout the wet stuff. Cody only eats those little tins of hi life pate and most often he doesnt eat the whole tin so ive started halfing it (his dried food is most of his diet) so now this past couple of nights he's only had like 2 tea spoons of the wet (thats half the tin LOL) and even then he still has some left in the morning but i'll leave it till mid day ish and he does still go and have a pick.
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The amount we throw away varies that why I don't alter the amount we give Jess, I don't have a problem throwing it away. And for some reason Jess won't eat the left over hills biscuits he always wants fresh ones.
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hills (and other dried) is highly palatable due to the fat content (have you noticed the greasiness of the kibble) so i would imagine he's licked all the grease off and there fore its no longer so appetising..however if there was just a wee bit left and you mixed it with the fresh then it would be ok and it will all get recoated.
however if you dont mind throwing it away then no probs LOL..im obviously too grippy LOL
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His just so fussy, it makes me laugh, the £12.99 bag (I can't remember what the weight is) lasts us well over a month so I'm not concerned I'd rather he was happy and if he wants fresh food then so be it.
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I did wonder why you would throw away dry, I rarely do.
I meant on the wet - I am sure it isn't the first time she has posted that he doesn't eat a full pouch, so if a cat regularly doesn't eat the amount given, it is too much.
It isn't the first time I've posted that Jess doens't eat a full pouch but I don't see it as a problem. He isn't over weight he has plenty of exercise (despite being an indoor cat).
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Sorry, I was just using you as an example to show that you do get used to how much food your cat needs - if you have a cat that is consistently not eating everything, then you are putting too much down, so personally I would be adjusting what I put down, I dont like wasting food on a regular basis, but that is just me.
Lynn - take it you dont follow the rule about wet food should only be down for a certain time? How long do you think is OK for it to be left, I have had cats in teh past who would prefer the food I put down at brekkie at teatime, but everythign I have read said I shouldn't do that?
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MMmm desley ive not actually read or been informed of a certain length of time for that.
I think its probably abit of common sense really and i'd say defo depends on weather ie sweltering hot summers i'd be abit careful (so lucky i dont have that to think of lol)
with the older cats they get fed once per day at bedtime, a bowl of wet food and a bowl of dried food..all the wet is gone by morning (usually within 10 mins of putting it down) and usually they have abit of dried that lasts them throught the following day.
cody on the other had is a picker so this is really the first ive had to leave wet out i guess and like i said its the tiny hi life pate tins he eats (mainly the tuna one) and i give him it at bed time and theres always some left in the morning which i will leave till around mid day ish and he does pick through out that time. by then im normally wanting my work done and bowls cleaned etc so i will often at that point pass the plate down to the dogs for finish off. The food doesnt appear off or smelly in that time frame albeit abit dried out as he's problably licked all the juice out. Cody doesnt have "normal" tinned food as he doesnt like any of the types ive tried and will only lick the gravy/jelly etc.
having said all that if we have left over food and ive ran out of room in my fridge ive seen me store the leftovers in the oven and we eat it the next day with absolutely never any ill effects so i dont feel the time scale i have cats food out for is adverse. (just working it out and i'd say 16hrs max is probably the most)
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Will have to root it out then. I thought cats had to have their food split into two meals?
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I personally do no leave wet food down very long at all, usually it is eaten with a few mins however, if any was left after say 30 mins I would throw it away. Also the bowl would drive me potty if there were dried bits stuck to it. When we used to have a visiting hedgehog I used to put any leftover evening wet food down for that and just throw away any morning left over, although in all honesty it is usually eaten.
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with the older cats they get fed once per day at bedtime, a
Do you know I have never ever before heard of anyone feeding their cat once a day. You learn something new every day. I know many people feed a dog once a day but we always fed Badger twice a day as we didn't think it fair to feed the cats twice a day and our boy once a day.
cody on the other had is a picker
I personally call these cats rightly or wrongly 'grazers'
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We throw out quite a bit of food. As I prefer to laze in bed, it's become OH's job to feed the cats. As I've mentioned on another thread, it is virtually impossible to break any of OH's routines once established and one of those routines is putting down too much wet food.
I'd guess that the longest we leave it down to be about 12 hours and it gets chucked out. Less time in summer. Between the 3 of them, there is always 2 bowls of dry, 2 bowls of wet (equivalent of say 2 pouches a day) and invariably a treat of chiken. They all graze. I find they won't eat the wet food once it has dried out but Tom can be coaxed into eating wet food if you sprinkle some dry food on top.
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My two are 10 now, they get two meals a day, their main meal is in the evening with a smaller meal in the morning as I am getting ready for work. One of them can be a glutton and is fed IAMS light. I find that when I cut their food in the summer months, they accept it more easily knowing another meal will arrive in about 12 hours. Its quite amusing when the automatic feeder comes out, their watches are more efficient than mine. They practically sit there tapping their wrists as if to say 'where is it then?'.
:)
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just like to say incase i worded it wrongly before, Seb & fras get fed once per day BUT altho all the wet food is eaten very quickly there is dried food left and normally that bowl isnt empty until near their feed time the following day so they arent technically only fed once per day altho it is just the once i put food out. (does that make sense ??)
Yes Ela i class cody as a grazer too, thats defiantely what he is and if his wet food gets dried out too much i'll hand it over to the very pleased dogs. I have been considering stopping his wet food as really i feel it is a waste as yes he's eating some of it but only coz some sticks to his tongue when hes basically licking the gravy (well its not gravy in those little tins but want for a better word) thing is he expects and looks forward to it so i dont like to stop it either....mmmmm I'll have to have a think about that one.
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(does that make sense ??)
It does, obviously you have not got a cat like my Jessica who will eat and eat make herself sick and then start again till its all gone.
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I have 6 like your Jessica, so they get 3 meals aday, bit of a bind but theres no puking now :) :)
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ah but i have 2 far more revolting than that ela...if i happen not to be around at or near the time of frasers peuking session they will eat the regurgitated food...not thats YUK !!
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Jaffa's an eat til it's all gone kind of cat so he's fed 3 times a day. If I gave him a day's rations in the morning it would be gone before I'd left the house. No chance of throwing anything out as they both lick their bowls clean in one go. Then give me that "where's dessert?" look.
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where's dessert?"
My favourite feeling.
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I Feed my cats breakfast, lunch ,tea,and then there last meal (dinner ) before we go to bed and i always leave out a big bowl of dry food so they can snack on between meals , and some times they do have whiskas temptaitions and whiskas cat milk in the early evening as a treat , i often sprinkle some fresh cooked chicken on top of there dinner also , two of my cats always sit right by us when we are eating hoping they might get some ,how rude ! we ignore them to try and get them out of doing this but it doesnt work lol :rofl:
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Hey everyone - I've not been on the forum for a week now as work's been a bit mad but thanks all of you for your responses. Sorry it's taken me so long to say so.
Charlie's been having right good feeds of late. My partner's a keen fisherman and we discovered piles of his filleted trout in the freezer from summer that he's not got round to cooking up. Neeless to say Charlie's been having a field day licking his whiskers after a few slathers of fresh trout.
ps - Just had a look at the cat gallery too and have just been giggling until I cried - there are so many cheeky wee faces on there. What a great boost that was!!