What/How much/When should I feed my cat??

Question

I'm a new cat owner. my boyfriend and I recently took in a stray cat, neither one of us has ever had a cat before and we were wondering what and how much we should feed her. We've been feeding her special kitty wet food, one can in the morning before I leave for work and one can after I get off at five, but in between she will whine and pester us for more food and run to the fridge if one of us opens it because she thinks she's getting something. What food is best? I read online wet food is, however some friends told me that wet food is bad for her because it causes cavities. Some specific advice would be great.

Answer 1

Get a high quality cat food like Wellness, Innova, or California Natural and follow the directions on the bag. Cats are big over eaters and will act starved if they think it will get them more food. I feed my 6 house cats, ages 8.5 yrs to 10 months, California Natural Chicken & Brown Rice dry food 1/4 cup morning and evening and a Meow Mix Wholesome Goodness wet package for lunch. Wholesome Goodness is the only grocery store food I'd feed, if you read the label its actually a good food. My cats also love Weruva canned food, but its very expensive. A diet of dry and wet food will give your cat the most balanced nutrients. Also the wet will help keep her hydrated, cats usually don't drink enough water, and the dry with help keep her teeth healthy.

Answer 2

Depends on how old the cat is kittens need to be fed more often than cats. There is a disagreement about wet and dry food; some say that wet food is better because of the extra moisture and some say dry is better for the teeth. We feed our 3 cats twice a day about 2 cups divided between the three and they get a spoonful of wet food for a treat. That would be one cup in the AM and one in the PM. Read the bag or box of the kind of cat food you choose there are usually instructions on how much of that particular food to feed. You can probably feed a little less than they say as they are trying to sell cat food after all :o) I would recommend a premium kind of food not the store brands, they seem more expensive but you usually have to feed less because the digest more of the better foods. This also leads to less waste. Since your new kitty is a stray she probably wants to make sure she has enough to eat; she probably went without a lot if she was out on her own. She will probably get over the crying for food all the time when she knows for sure she is going to be fed regularly. Bless you for taking in a stray.

Answer 3

Heyx, leave out about 1/2 a cup full of dried cat kitten cat food ( my cats like felix best, top up when empty), also leave a bowl of water( which you should change daily). Also 1 can or sachet of wet cat food either in jelly or gravy  in the morning and 1 in the evening (felix, whiskers, go cat). Hope this helps :)

Answer 4

one half cup of dry food twice a day

Answer 5

Call a vet.

I usually feed my dog once in the morining and once at 5, when we eat dinner. rofl I just take a bowl (it says 2 qt. at the bottom) and fill it with food.

but it might be different with cats since mine dog is a st. bernard.

Answer 6

The average cat only needs about 200 - 250 calories/day. read the box as for serving size and calories per serving. Dry foods are made with plant based protein and are really to high in carbohydrates while wet foods are made with animal based proteins. Cats need animal based protein. This site is very informative and can help you make your decision.  

http://www.catinfo.org/

Answer 7

try leaving hard food out for you cat during the day.  my cat get a can of soft foot in the evening, but we also leave hard food out for him to munch on all day.  a diet of just wet food can be bad for the cats teeth, but it can be good for the cats coat.  hard food helps strengthen a cats teeth.  like i said try leaving hard food out during the day when your not home, or in between feedings

Answer 8

i give my cat meow mix hairball control

one - no more hairballs

two - its good for her

i mix about half a can of wetfood with some dryfood and mix it around so the wet "sauce" from the wet food gets on the dryfood therefore making her think there is more wetfood thus eating more and whining less

hope i helped ^-^

Answer 9

You should get a good dry food and follow the instructions on the bag.  The amount you feed the cat is based on their activity and weight.  If it is an indoor cat, you should get an indoor formula and likewise for an outdoor cat.  You should feed the wet food as a treat or just one meal a day.  An all wet food diet is expensive, since it takes more wet food for the cat to feel full and wet food is more expensive.

When looking for dry foods, make sure the first 5 ingredients are all "real".  You also want to be sure that 2 of the first 5 ingredients are meat and not meat by products or meat meal (like chicken meal or beef meal).  Rice is good to have in the first 5.  You want to make sure corn and gluten are not in the top 5 because, like rice, they are filler, only rice actually has some nutritional value to it.

Answer 10

Ah yes.  The wet versus dry food controversy.  That will strike up passions.  Look for cat food that has meat as the first ingredient, and I believe that for the most part, you do get what you pay for.  I have posted two links from the Cornell Vet School on feeding and selecting foods.

Some cats are content to eat several times a day, and other cats are browsers, and want tiny meals many times per day.  Most cats will not overeat, and will maintain their weight.

That she goes to the refrigerator is her way of training you to be her servant.

My suggestion is to put out some dry kitty chow, along with a fountain to encourage drinking more water, and she can nibble at will of the dry food, and then look forward to the wet food twice a day.

Oh, and the idea that you have to provide tremendous variety is simply a way of getting a finicky kitty.  Cats need quality food, and if they like one type, they can be perfectly content with that for the rest of their life.

My oldest current cat is approaching 14 years, on dry kibble with a wet food treat, and only knows one kind of dry kibble.

Answer 11

I read figure about 25-30 calories per pound of the cats body weight.  Here is a calorie chart below for you to review, it is best to keep as much GRAIN away from you kitty as you can, make sure the first 3 ingredients are NO GRAINS and the first 2-3 are meat/ better to be main muscle not by products. GOOD LUCK! kittes are the best pets!  

Answer 12

What your giving her is enough for a cat. But maybe buy a bag of dry food to leave a little bit in case shes hungry in between. This is what my sister does as she feeds wet food twice a day. I free feed dry food to my kitties. Its all up to you. Dry food is more convenient tho.

How much depends how much she weighs and if she has any problems. If you decide to feed dry food it should say on the outside of the bag how much to give her. If you choose to stick with wet food, 2 cans a day is fine. Although if you choose to do both (dry & wet) everyday you should maybe feed 1 can of wet a day (1/2 in the morning, 1/2 in the evening).

As for what food is best is a personal opinion. Some people are fine with feeding grocery store brands, while other people buy from credible Pet Stores and others buy from the Vet's Office. My personal opinion on the subject? Dry food all the time with the occasional can of wet. I've always been advised that dry food is best for their teeth and wet food is good for their gums. As for the brand of food, I feed Nutrience Supreme. I get it at a Pet Store. Its cheaper then the Vet stuff but still a high quality brand. My kitty has a plaque problem and the "Supreme" is targeted at that. Theres lots of type of food for the Nutrience brand. I also have my kitten on it. If your kitty has a hairball problem, weight problem, decay problem, etc etc.. theres lots of types of food to choose from that can help the problem(s).

Just keep an eye on how much she is eating. Different breeds of cats actually required different amounts of food. I free feed my kitties meaning they have access to a full bowl of food at all times. This is fine for some cats but you can't do it with any cat as it may result in overeating and a fat cat. Which of course, is very unhealthy. If she's maintaining a certain weight but still seems hungry, give her a little more a day.

Hope this helps! Have fun with your kitkit! :)

Answer 13

I only feed my cats twice a day, like you, once in the morning, and once before work.  I've heard that wet food is bad, but I also heard that dry food is bad too because of the fact that is dry and could be uncomfortable.

Nothing is good in excess.  I give them dry and wet, and I mix it up in what order if give it to them.  Sometimes wet in the morning and dry at night, sometimes dry morning and night.  And sometimes I mix the dry and the wet together with a fork. They seem to like wet food better, but they also seem to enjoy the dry food.

As for brands,

I got my cats addicted to natural and organic cat foods such as Newman's, Castor & Pollux Organix, Blue Buffalo and Harmony Farms.  They actually won't even eat food that isn't natural or organic, and if they do eat it, they always throw it up!!

There's a section in the pet isle at all the grocery stores near me  (such as Stop and Shop and Shaws) that have only natural/organic foods for your pets.  They are a little more money, but I love my cats, and they deserve to eat well.  I eat well and it would be unfair if I didn't treat them the same.  Also, you only have one cat, so the large bag of dry natural cat food is around $12-14, but it will last you at least a month maybe.  The wet natural cat food is about $1 a can.

I also give my cats greenies because it's good for their teeth!  I left a link for a free sample.  I request a free sample every other month or so, in addition to buying them.  Make sure you click on Cat so you don't get the dog food.  My cats LOVE them and they're good for them and their teeth!

Good Luck!!

=^.^=

Answer 14

Dry food is the best for their teeth.  Just like us, if they only eat wet food, they will get gingivitis.  We get 9 Lives cat food with urinary tract health.  That's what we fed our cat that lived to be 16.  We also leave a bowl of food out all the time so they can eat what they want of it.  Cats don't eat more than they need and they like to be on their own schedule.  Cats are *extremely* independent and act like they're doing you a favor letting you take care of them.  If you get one of those food dispenser things, you'll never have to worry about keeping her dish full, and she will thank you for that. :)   Well, I hope it works out!

"Dogs have owners, cats have staff."