Food

[Shadow101]

My cat Shadow is a year and 5 months. We are feeding her a half a cup of food but i dont think thats the right amount. My dad said she ways 13pounds. Is that too much? I have been trying to cut back on the food but its not realy working my family feeds her when her bowl is empty. So, any suggestions?

[Lilavati]

Originally Posted by Shadow101

My cat Shadow is a year and 5 months. We are feeding her a half a cup of food but i dont think thats the right amount. My dad said she ways 13pounds. Is that too much? I have been trying to cut back on the food but its not realy working my family feeds her when her bowl is empty. So, any suggestions?

13 lbs doesn't sound like too much, depending on the size of the cat. That's a decent weight for a largish cat. Does she look overweight? Is the base of her tail thick and soft with fat? I've free fed my cats for years and not had any serious weight problems. But some cats will overeat . . . I think the first thing is to determine if you have a weight problem . . . there are some charts online that show you what they should look like.

[Maxy24]

Well Shadow is about the size of Neko wouldn't you say? At 10 pounds Neko is perfect (right now he's a bit over 10 so he's a bit chubby himself) so if i were you I would aim for 10. Since you added the Felidae you should be cutting back the food a little anyway since they get more from the better food. Both your parents are too quick to feed her when she whines though which is problematic since when you cut back she will whine a little but once she adjusts she should stop. Also switch her to two or three meals in the day rather than one. Use the same amount of total food everyday but give one half in the morning and one at night or even one third in the morning, another third when you get home from school and a final third at night. Think about it like if you ate a big breakfast wouldn't you still be hungry for dinner? this way she never gets really hungry because it's spread out. Also really work on exercise take at least 15 minutes everyday and get her to move! You may have to try different things from a paper ball to running around with a long string (don't leave her alone with the string though).

here is the chart, 5 is what she should be she is probably 7 Neko is 6 and Willie is 5. You should be able to feel but not see the ribs and the belly should not bulge out when looked at from above. (click the picture to zoom in)

http://marshallanimalhospital.com/chart_cat.jpg

[Lilavati]

That's the chart I was thinking of!

[Shadow101]

Thank you, she has a belly as for her tail it is a little think but not like huge. I will try 2 meals a day and get in more of a work out. Thanks for the help!

[Maxy24]

Yeah also remember metabolism makes a difference. Neko has the slowest metabolism ever. Willie has one equal to the speed of a race car. Willie is tiny and eats 1/2 cup a day and stay very lean. Neko eats a little less and is a bit on the Chubby side so amount is not everything I would not cut down Neko's food any more but I need to get him on an exercise program, maybe we can both track out progress with the cats lol. I'll weigh Neko and see how much we got to loose.

[Shadow101]

lol! I started with the two meals a day. She will get plenty of exercise and lots of play. Day 1 has started!