How to calculate the amount of food for a cat

In order for an unattractive kitten to grow into a healthy, active and beautiful cat, it is important to feed it correctly from its childhood. Irresponsible owners do not care about this and feed the animal food from the table, without even realizing that, for example, dairy products for kittens is better not to eat. Natural food when feeding is quite acceptable, but the difficulty is competent calculation of the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other elements important for the health of the kitten. Therefore, it is easier to buy ready-made food, in which all the necessary substances are already balanced.

If the cat eats only wet food

Few cats will refuse a diet that contains 85% meat and coats each piece with a delicious jelly or sauce. And many of them even ask for powders. If your cat is one of them, read on.

How many spiders per day depends on the pet's weight, season, activity level and physiology. Let's take a regular adult cat weighing 6 kg as an example. Let's look at Karmy's recommendations for feeding norms, which are on each package and on our website:

It turns out that our cat needs 5-7 spiders a day. If a cat spends most of its time in the apartment and sleeps a lot, 5 spiders will be enough. If the cat is often outside, runs a lot, plays with other cats, and there is a cold winter outside, then the number of spiders can be increased to 7.

This was the daily recommended amount of Karmy Adult food for adult cats over 1 year old. If you have a small kitten in the house, choose Karmy Kitten food, if a spayed cat – Karmy Sterilized. There are different standards for them, which you can also see on the package or our website.

If the cat eats wet food and natural food

Here it will be a little more complicated, because the owner will have to calculate by himself how many calories a day the pet gets with natural food.

For example, right now the cat gets 228 kcal per day. This is her norm and it should not be crossed. And if you want to vary the wet food, subtract from 228 kcal the number of calories in one spider. We recommend to give one package of wet food, and the rest of the calories get the natural food.

Karmy Adult has 81 kcal/100 g. The wet food in one spider is 80 g, which means it contains 64.8 kcal.

It turns out that the owner needs to rearrange the menu of natural cat food so that it does not exceed 163.2 kcal.

Note! If you combine our dry food with our wet food, and observe the recommended rate, you do not risk anything. Since there is a clear feeding schedule, the rations are balanced and complement each other. Therefore, pets will get the right amount of calories, proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins. But when combined with natural food, there is a risk of getting an unbalanced diet in which the cat will lack some nutrients or have an excess of others. We recommend consulting with the veterinarian.

Thus, the rate of wet cat food per day depends on the type of diet, weight, level of physical activity and season. Rely on the recommendations we gave in the article, consult with experts, and your cat will be the healthiest and happiest.

Some rules for dry food

When converting a cat to standard food, a number of rules should be followed:

• Do not alternate between natural foods and professional diets. A mixed diet increases the burden on the pet's liver, and the pet's stomach can't readjust quickly from one type of food to another.
• Buy premium and super-premium cat food, such as Purina ONE® dry cat food or other reputable brands.
• Do not use extra vitamins or other supplements, a quality diet contains all essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
• Provide plenty of clean water. Water consumption should be three times the amount of dry food eaten.
• Make sure you buy food with the cat's body condition in mind. Leading manufacturers make food for kittens, adolescent cats, pregnant, spayed or neutered cats and the elderly or frail. Therapeutic types of food are also available.

At first glance the recommended portion of dry food seems excessively small, especially compared to the daily amount of wet food or natural food eaten, but giving more than that is not recommended.

Calculating the amount of food depending on the type of food

Prepared cat foods from different manufacturers vary in nutritional content. In order not to get the dosage wrong, manufacturers place a table on the package of age and weight, as well as the recommended serving size for a particular pet.

Dry

Dry food is a pellet, similar in structure to the usual breadcrumbs. They contain meat, cereals and vegetable products. All components are dried by a special technology. The convenience of dry food is that they can be left in case the owners need to leave for a long time, for example, for a day.

Leaving a large portion in the bowl, the owner can not worry that the pet will remain hungry or food will spoil.

A disadvantage of dry products is the low amount of moisture, up to 10%. In this regard, it is very important that a kitten who is fed dry food always has access to fresh water. When choosing dry food try to avoid economy class products, choose premium and super-premium products. Many of them produce special foods depending on the age and weight of the pet, such as "For kittens from 3 months" or "For cats prone to weight gain". On average, the amount of dry food is calculated as follows.

Wet

Wet food can be found in pet stores in the form of cans or in bags. This variety looks like pieces of meat dipped in sauce. It contains different kinds of meat, poultry and fish, plant products and cereals. In this case, the food contains 10% more moisture than dry versions. In addition to the above ingredients, premium and super-premium foods include vitamins and other beneficial additives. Sometimes offered in pâté form. Kittens usually prefer wet food.

If the kitten's diet consists of both wet and dry food, it is important that the share of wet food is no more than 25%.

Feeding frequency

Small kittens, whose age has not yet reached 3 months, are recommended to be fed frequently, but in small portions. Next, the feline baby can be transferred to three meals a day. From 5 to 12 months, the pet should gradually get used to two meals a day. Usually it depends on the weight and breed of the animal, but cats are often larger than cats, and therefore female representatives of most breeds can be fed and once a day.

To make sure that your pet develops the habit of eating at a certain time from childhood, it is recommended to adjust it to your regime. For example, if the owner gets up at 8:00 am and comes home from work at 6:00 pm, then in the morning it is recommended to feed the pet immediately after waking up, while the evening feeding session is better shifted to a later time, for example, at 8:00 pm. Moreover, no one is immune to force majeure, and if the owner will be delayed at work or in traffic, the pet will not starve, because he is used to eat dinner at 8 pm.

If he hasn't eaten his dinner in 20 minutes, put it away.

It is not advisable to leave food in the bowl until the next feeding. If it is wet, it will spoil quickly, and dry pellets constantly in the bowl can lead to overeating and weight gain in the pet, and this, as noted, threatens serious health problems.

FEEDING RATE CALCULATOR

Answer a few questions to get a recommendation for your pet's optimal food allowance.

The feeding chart on the back of PRO PLAN® packs is an average point of reference for determining the daily food allowance for a cat or dog. So when you enter your pet's information into this calculator we will be able to give you a much more precise recommendation. So don't be surprised if the result you get doesn't exactly match the package, the calculator result is best for your pet.
Keep your pet in perfect physical shape by adjusting the daily portion according to the activity level, physical condition and individual needs of your dog or cat. Keep an eye on your pet's health and consult your veterinarian regularly.

Dry Foods.

Most owners give their pet dry cat food. This type of food has several advantages.

1. It is balanced in composition. Pressed pellets contain essential meat proteins, vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, and taurine. If you make up a diet of natural food on your own, you may have problems.
2. Individualized Approach. On the shelves of pet stores there are a variety of lines: dietary, for kittens, cats with sensitive digestion, spayed, patients with dental calculus.
3. Easy to calculate. The package indicates the recommended frequency of feeding and the amount of food depending on the age and weight of the pet.
4. Long shelf life.
5. Saving the owner's time.

Dry food should not be mixed with natural foods. The body secretes different enzymes to digest raw meat (by-products, fish) and pellets. Combining them will increase the burden on the liver and pancreas. Mixing balanced pellets with natural foods will lead to an overabundance of some substances and a lack of others.

Make sure your cat has access to clean drinking water, because dry food does not contain liquid. Some pets prefer to drink from wide and deep bowls. Change the water every day.

Don't switch from one type of dry pellets to another abruptly.

Which Food is Best

Dry food lines are divided according to price and quality into economy food, premium food, and super-premium food.

Everyone knows "Whiskas", "Kite-kat", "Friskies", "Felix". Bright memorable packages with a contented cat's face, a relatively low price. Advertised feed economy class more meet the standards of competent marketing than quality nutrition. Although in terms of composition they contain the necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals, low-grade raw materials are used for production.

The main sources of protein are not meat and by-products, but feathers, hooves, animal bones and cereals. Economy food contains additives that are not on the package, which improve the taste of the product (like monosodium glutamate in fast food) and are addictive for cats.

Wet food

Wet food has about the same composition as dry food, plus it contains water. Suitable for pets who are not allowed to eat dry pellets for health reasons (urolithiasis, tartar), and cats who are not inclined to drink much liquid. A significant disadvantage is the high price.

The general rule is 1-2 times a day. You can give the cat a portion of dry food in the morning and wet food in the evening. Kittens are fed 3-4 times a day.

Norm of wet food per day

Depends on the specific product, the age of the pet. Super-premium is the most nutritious, so less per serving is needed. Averages (grams of food per day) are shown in the table below.

How much food does a cat need per day?

Every time a cat comes into the house, the owner has a question: is it eating right and how much food does it need?

We should note right away that the selection of food and its dosage should be approached individually. Different breeds require different amounts of calories, proteins, minerals and vitamins. A diet sufficient for quiet British cats is not enough for active Abyssinians, and for large Maine Coons you need much more than for small Munchkins. In addition, each animal has its own food preferences and peculiarities, which depends on the individual metabolism, energy expenditure.

So how do you determine how much dry food a cat needs per day? If your cat eats a dry, ready-to-eat diet, calculating the amount per meal is quite simple: the Royal Canin food package shows the daily dosage of food depending on the cat's weight and activity level. You can look up the recommendations for the norms not only on the package, but also on our website.

On average, a cat can go to the food bowl up to 16-18 times a day. This is why cats are characterized by the so-called buffet type of feeding. If the cat has an increased appetite, divide the daily portion of food into 2 to 4 servings.

Observe your pet. You may find that the recommended amount is not enough: then the cat's coat becomes dull, it becomes thin and is constantly looking for food. In this case you should slightly increase the daily amount. It is better to give your cat a large portion, weigh it and, if the cat doesn't finish, weigh the rest. Subtract the smaller portion from the larger, and you have the optimal amount of food for your cat.

Cats rarely overeat. However, it is common for castrated animals to have an increased appetite. You will notice that the cat is getting too much food if it gets fat deposits in its lower abdomen, becomes less mobile and more lazy. If this is the case, it may be advisable to reduce the quantity of food or decrease the caloric content of food. For such cats, Royal Canin has a specialty cat food for weight control. For example, Sterilized.

Daily allowance

When a kitten is two months old, he is already ready to eat dry food. It is important where he eats his food. This should be a specific, unchanging place, dry and clean. If the kitten has to eat where everyone is constantly walking around, where there is no quiet environment for him, it may affect the eating behavior of the cat. Therefore the necessary conditions for eating are quiet and calm in the place where the cat has its bowl.

Important! If you have several cats each cat should have its own bowl.

If the cat is still small – 2-3 kg, the portion size should be from 30 to 50 g. It must necessarily be a product with a balanced composition. A cat weighing 10 kg, which is of course a large weight, should not eat more than 105 g of dry food per day: this leads to obesity.

The table is a guide for the owner. It is also very important to feed correctly in terms of frequency. If the baby is less than six months old, the kitten should be fed four meals a day. If he has outgrown this age, the food can be three times a day or even two times a day.

Experts do not advise owners of kittens to mix dry food with natural food – for the digestive tract of kittens is an excessive load. In addition, it is important that there be water in the drinking bowl all the time. Vitamin supplements for kittens should only be given as recommended by the veterinarian.

Adult cats are characterized by two meals a day. If the breeder decides not to limit the cat's food, and his bowl is always full, this will lead to obesity and imbalanced eating behavior. Then, when the cat shows signs of illness, breeders catch up and start feeding by the tablespoon – but it was easier to feed the kitten correctly from the beginning. An adult cat weighing 4-5 pounds needs about 55-70 grams of dry food a day.

Do not leave your cat without food! Two hungry days for an animal entails serious health problems.

Feeding peculiarities of pregnant cats

Pregnant cat is very important to eat right – quality regular food provides her with energy, which means that the animal will survive pregnancy well, cope well with the birth and feeding of offspring. Attentive owners, as a rule, when they find out that a cat is pregnant, seek an unscheduled consultation with the veterinarian: they need to make sure that everything is going well and ask a few questions about the cat's diet.

It is not necessary to change the cat's type of diet during this period! The body, getting used to the new food, will experience stress, which the cat doesn't need right now.

If you notice that the cat is eating with more appetite, this is normal. Already in the third week of pregnancy, the cat starts to put on food. Gradually the norm of the daily ration doubles, and this is also normal. Do not forget that access to water for the pet should be constant.

In the dry food of a pregnant cat, the following components are key.

• Calcium. If there is not enough of it in the food, there may be problems with lactation, with bone and dental diseases.
• Animal protein. And the cat itself needs it vitally, and the future offspring is also important – without it they can not be born healthy and viable.
• Vitamin A. A valuable element for visual acuity, maintaining healthy skin and coat.
• Vitamin E. Responsible for regeneration issues, maintaining the health of the sexual system.
• Vitamin K. Responsible for blood clotting, which is extremely important on the eve of childbirth.
• Fiber. Optimizes intestinal function.

Some owners are alarmed if a cat refuses dry food on the eve of childbirth. In most cases it does not portend anything bad, on the contrary, this way the animal prepares for an early delivery.

How do you know when a cat is short of food?

A bowl of food for your pet can be left for the whole day, but you should not fill it to the full daily quota at once. In case you go away from home and there is no one to feed the cat, you can give it half of the daily ration and give the rest in the evening. Also note that it is necessary to arrange for her unrestricted access to water.

The body of these animals poorly tolerates cow's milk, contrary to popular belief. Therefore It is worth restricting your pet from the consumption of dairy products.

Lack of food for the pet is reflected in its loss of weight and activity. But do not forget that food, on the contrary, can be plenty. Pets are less mobile than outdoor animals, so they require a more modest diet, it is quite easy to overfeed them.

What do new owners need to know?

New pet owners need to make sure that the pet is healthy and happy. Cats, unlike dogs, can be quite finicky when it comes to food, and if they don't like a dish, they won't eat it even if they are hungry. That's why it's it's important to find a balance between the cat's nutritional needs and their preferences.

When one brings home a new cat, it is important to continue feeding it the same amount of food and schedule to which it is accustomed, and then gradually, literally by the tablespoon, switch to a new food and a new schedule.

A cat's sensitivity to thirst is significantly less compared to that of a dog. They do not voluntarily drink water like dogs do.

But when cats don't consume enough water, they can develop urinary tract infections, just like humans. Feeding your pet high quality wet food ensures that they get water when they eat.

If the owner follows all the recommendations, but is still concerned that the pet is not getting enough calories, it is advisable to examine the cat's back. If vertebrae and ribs are visible, it indicates insufficient nutrition, then the amount of food needs to be increased. But there is also a risk that the pet is just sick and needs to be seen by a veterinarian. If it's okay, you just need to change the diet and find a different food for him.

Note that different animals can eat different foods – some eat only certain foods, while others eat everything. That's why If you have found a certain type of food that is good for your pet, that meets all you need in terms of calories, nutrients and other parameters, you should try to use itand only occasionally make changes to your pet's diet.

About what and how to feed the cat, see the following video.