How much cat food should be given weekly?

Question

We have a cat, her name is Kaylee. And my boyfriend raised her since she was tiny enough to fit in his hand. Well once he got home from college, his mom started allowing his little brother and herself to give her people food.

Now she's fixed and everything and I know that they get a little belly, but she's getting bigger.. and this school year we want to put her on a diet. I need to know the proper measurements for her cat food.

Answer 1

Half a cup put out in the morning, half a cup in the evening (if all the morning's portion got eaten throughout the day).  Fresh water every day.  If she's an indoor kitty, they should buy the type made for less active cats and STOP feeding her people food!  CATS ARE CARNIVORES.  They do not want or need the table scraps, regardless of whether or not they eat them.

Answer 2

Cats are all different, just like humans and other animals.

A large built big boned cat will weigh more than a small boned petite cat.

I have big and tall built cats that are a muscular and healthy 19 pounds... and on the other end of the scale I have a teeny tiny boned cat who weighs in at a meer 7 pounds yet she is very healthy too. Based on their individual body structure I could never compare them.

It's best to assess your cats weight by it's body condition and not compared to other cats.

Here's a chart to help you do that...

www.purina.com/cats/health/BodyConditi...

Once you determine if your cat is overweight, you need to be aware that there is NO such thing as dry "diet" food for cats. Dry foods are filled with carbs that make your cat fat. You can't make a dry food without carbs, so there are no dry diet foods.

The proper amount to feed per cat/per day should be about 5.5 ounces of wet (high quality grain free canned or Raw Meat/Bones/Organ) food.

The calories in that amount of food are sufficient for most "normal" sized cats. Of course a highly energetic cat will need more food to keep it healthy, and a lazy cat will need less food to keep it from getting obese. But 5.5 ounces of wet food per day is a good place to start.

Here is a fantastic site that will help you help your cat lose weight!

www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm

Answer 3

First off, as tempting as it is you must stop feeding her people food.  That alone can contribute to weight gain, and our food doesn't always supply them with the proper nutrients that they need to live a healthy life.  A cat being overweight can take off years of its life, just like humans.  There are many low-calorie cat foods that you can buy on the market.  I had to put my fat kitties on Cat Chow Indoor Formula.  The instructions on feeding quantities and schedules are on the bag.  It depends on the size of your cat and their activity levels.  They love it, and best of all, they're finally beginning to lose some weight.  Hope this helps.  :)