Thanks to you, I have converted all 5 of my cats to wet food 1 year ago. 1/2 can 2 times per day. 4 domestic short hair and 1 feral. All went well, the overweight cat lost 8 pounds and did well and everyone else maintained weight. These are indoor and outdoor cats that live on a farm and you know Fat Oscar the big white one was your Biggest Kitty Loser contest.
The problem: All of these cats are attacking human food. They seem hungry constantly. They are eating food on the table when I eat, bread in wrappers on the counters, dog food during preparation for my 9 dogs on the farm. I don’t think 2 times per day feeding is enough to satisfy or sustain and have been feeding 3 times per day with winter weather rolling in. They live inside with come and go at will. Any suggestions?
Thanks from Cindy
I think what you have is 5 really healthy, hale and hearty cats who are burning up their food at a higher rate of metabolism because they do go in and out (since it is safe on your farm) and the weather has turned cold which burns more calories (just as you suspected). So it’s not how many times a day, but how much at each feeding. Have your tried giving them twice as much – a whole can each? Remember the true Cat Chat® rule is not just no kitty crack, and to feed twice a day, but to give the cats as much as they will eat in about a 15 minute mealtime. I’m not trying to bust your piggy bank but I’ll bet they are walking away from their food bowls still hungry. You can save money by getting the larger size of cat food cans and also explore Pet Food Direct, which gives my listeners a 20% discount and isn’t just super-convenient in bringing that cat food (and litter, etc) right to your door, but is often cheaper than the store. Try doubling their rations and let me know what happens. And however much you’re spending, please don’t swear at me under your breath! Because you will be saving on the vet bills you won’t have and having much happier, healthier cats who will live longer. And that is priceless, as the ad says.
Tracie
I am having huge problems with feeding my cats canned food.
I supplement with boiled chicken and rice as well……..
The cats have lost an enormous amount of weight and its starting to really scare me. They don’t have an extra ounce of anything on them.
They have eat plenty, its just that since I took them off dry food, the weight DROPPED off fast……….too skinny I think now.
Help????
Some cats drop weight more quickly than others when we get them off the carbohydrates, but that is not a sign of a problem. As long as they are eating a plentiful amount in two meals a day – as much as they want of canned food in about 15 minutes – and they are frisky and happy, you have nothing to worry about. Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins – the Official Vet of CAT CHAT – says we have all forgotten what a normal healthy cat looks like: they are thin,slinky animals, not round pudgy ones! You can supplement if you wish, but there’s no reason to: a mouse or two a day is all a cat would normally be eating, and that’s not much food when you consider the fur and bones! But if you want to tell me what they weighed before and how much they have lost in what time period, I can better guide you. But I really don’t think need to worry or view this as a problem unless they do not seem to be feeling well.
WARNING ABOUT FATTY LIVER DISEASE: Let me just add that seriously overweight cats who have been malnourished on dry cat food are often at risk for fatty liver disease, or hepatic lipidosis. Their livers shut down because they are surrounded by fat and cannot function. The way to clear their systems of these dangerous fat deposits is by feeding generous quantities of real meat – because protein binds to this fat and removes it from the body. However, when you make the switch off “kitty crack” you need to be certain you’re offering an unlimited amount of canned food at two feedings – or even three in the beginning, if the cat seems especially hungry. In no circumstance should the cat go without food for 24 hours – no cats do well with fasting but overweight ones cannot tolerate it, because of this tendency to hepatic lipidosis. So you must keep on eye on the kitties and make sure they are taking in lots of the canned (or raw) food. Cats who have been left to graze on bowls of kitty crack all their lives may already be on the verge of illness and you have no way of knowing it until you put them on canned food and can really see how much they are takingin at designated meal times.
Thank You for your response.
I have several cats—mostly “mutts” (don’t know the term for that in cats!)
anyway—-they weighed an average of 15-20 pounds for the larger ones and I have a couple who are tiny at 8-10 pounds………now they weigh an average of 10-15 pounds and 5-8 pounds………they “seem” healthy, but they are soooo skinny…….as in I can actually see ribs in some of them, they don’t have an extra ounce on them. Their sides are sunken in instead of “rounded”……
I do understand about the “kitty crack” as I have lost my feline friends before due to bad dry food—liver problems that showed up so late that the vet really couldn’t do anything to save them. That was horrible…
Also, when you say raw food, what do you mean? as in raw chicken?? what about salmonella? or do you somehow clean it? I know that my cats smell chicken (raw or cooked ) and they come running for it….but is it ok to feed raw???
I know this is long, but these are the questions I have and I know that you have the answers to some of them!!
I so appreciate you Tracy!! I “stumbled” on catchat last year and got hooked!!
thanks again!! catzb
goodness……….I forgot to tell you in what time period they lost the weight……….it was over a period of about 3 weeks……I let them eat until they leave the dishes and go on to other activities and do this twice a day. I am feeding them turkey and chicken canned food, it is friskies.
thanks again, c
Hey there! Hooray to you and your “mutts” (they’re actually referred to as “domestic shorthair” although if they have long hair, the name changes accordingly!) Being slim and slinky is NORMAL for a cat – we’ve all gotten too used to seeing fat cats with padding everywhere. Having said that, if your cats are acting hungry, then you need to make sure you are feeding them AS MUCH WET FOOD as they will eat in a 15 minute meal time twice a day – cats will only eat as much as they need, they will not gorge like Labs and people! But it sounds like yours are satisfying themselves just fine. Try any of the brands and flavors As far as raw food goes, yes there are people who prepare their own raw chicken for cats but it involves getting a commercial food grinder since they must have all the bone ground in too- and then taurine added to balance the food. If you want to try raw food (considered the “gold standard” by many breeder s and cat fanciers) then go to one of the companies that makes it for cats and ships it to you frozen: Feline’s Pride is a favorite, but Oma’s Pride and Bravo are others. The food is checked for cleanliness and then flash frozen so the bacterial issues are avoided. Giving an occasional piece of raw chicken meat is fine as a treat as long as it’s kept refrigerated until the moment of offering.
I read that the rule is two 15 minute feedings per day, but when I try this my girl only eats about 1.5 oz of canned wet food at a time and then walks away and doesn’t come back. She’s overweight and I’m afraid that she might get hepatic lipidosis from eating so little, so I cheat and leave a healthy indulgence turkey and duck pouch out for her to free feed on all day while I’m at work. Is this bad ? What would happen to her if I didn’t give that pouch ? Would she be ravenously hungry at dinner and eat much more than 1.5 oz ? Or would she start to get sick after a couple days of undereating ?
Don’t worry Rick – as long as your girl is eating, then she’s fine. She will naturally eat as much as she requires at each of the two meals – and half of a can of cat food is a lovely amount. The only danger is in an overweight cat who eats NOTHING at all – then there’s that chance of fatty liver disease. But please keep in mind that he healthiest feeding program for a cat is to eat (the equivalent of a mouse, let’s say) and then her whole system needs to rest after digesting. Cats are not grazing animals – they are not pigs or sheep or cows who are ruminants intended to nibble constantly, being fattened for the dinner table! A kitty cat has a short digestive tract that does best if it has a chance to fully digest a modest amount of meat and then spend many hours resting on empty. Wait until you see how much weight she loses and how happy she will be on a natural routine.
My cat, too eats everything in sight! She is on prescription cat food, she’s not even close to fat. If allowed, she would eat a whole can of food within minutes, then throw it up. She eats through the foil of covered people food to get to the food. She eats the dog’s food (and throws it up). What is her problem?
James – Please have a look at the blogs on my website and especially THE CAT BIBLE to understand the fancy words on the labels of dry prescription cat food- you will be so upset when you find out you have been top dollar for bottom of the barrel highly processed carbohydrates and low quality protein. Cats are obligate carnivores and MUST HAVE MEAT – not a dried ft covered fried triangle of kibble. Your poor kitty is hungry – really really hungry – eating carbs all day long makes the blood sugar bounce up & down and the more they eat, the less satisfied they feel. Many cats whoa re starved fro real nutrition and real meat from a can gobble it too quickly and it comes right back up – it’s really common when making the transition off of Kitty Crack onto wet food. Feed her only one teaspoon at a time. Little bites at a time to help her slow down. And please do not let her have access to the dog’s food – it is not formulated correctly for cats and is not good for her. Your dog should be eating two meals a day – not a bottomless bowl of kibble – and his mealtime should not be invaded by an overly-hungry kitty. Trust me on this one – get the Kitty Crack out of her bowl and out of your house – literally so she cannot smell it which a cat can even through a bag. Transition her to wet food by feeding a teaspoon at a time twice or three times a day until she calms down. Stick to this for a week – it will fee like forever but in the span of her life it is a short time to invest in her future welfare.
Hi Tracie,
HELP> I talk to you about my yellow lab with allergies and started her on the hamburger, rice, carrots and she seems to be itching less, we got cut off the other day when I was trying to ask you how long she should stay on this and besides platinum performance, omega 3 what else should she be getting. If not the homemade food is there another food that I can buy?
I’m having a similar problem. I have 2 9-month-old cats who eat canned food. They both love it, but always seem hungry. I split a large can of food between them twice a day, but they still cry for more and try to eat mine. I’m worried about feeding them more because my vet told me they were overweight, and this was after they had been eating wet food for a while. They are indoor cats, so they’re not running around outside burning calories. Thanks for your help!
Lauren- First you have to realize you have teenaged cats who are still growing and might be going through a growth spurt. It might help to think of them like teenaged boys who come home from school and want a huge sandwich and then eat a big dinner and then want pizza at 10 PM! It may help to give them three meals a day if your schedule allows it.If your vet told you they were overweight, I wonder if s/he is aware that cats get fat by eating the highly processed carbohydrates of dry food? And that cats eat as much as their bodies need and they will not get fat when eating quality protein. So if you had them on Kitty Crack for awhile before switching to wet food, it is a shock to their system and part of their hunger is from a withdrawal to carbs. And what brand or flavor of canned food are you feeding? There are numerous canned foods that are packed with carbohydrates (they are basically canned versions of dry food with water!) so the cats will remain unsatisfied and won’t lose weight, either. Please check out my website for blogs and Q&A’s on how to read a label and protect yourself. Eventually their hunger should diminish and their bodies will adjust and start burning fat – one of the beauties of feeding a quality canned food is that the protein actually packages up the fat (much of it packed around your cat’s liver) and eliminates it from her system.
I waited these 12 days to reply to you because that’s about the right amount of time to put a dog on an elimination diet that cleans her body out of the mediocre ingredients in her old food. Congratulations on taking the time and making the effort to cook fr her and to be committed to her long-term health. Now that you have already seen the benefit of giving quality ingredients, you can switch her a quality dry dog food, but it’s only going to be half of what she eats. HALO has some fantastic kibble made from great food sources. You also might want to get some 5-day free samples from SmartpakCanine.com of their own brand of kibble called Livesmart that comes in chicken or lamb, or you can get any of the food from Wellness or Newman’s Own put in “Portion Paks” by Smartpak to keep each meal’s portion fresh and the right quantity. For optimal health and longevity You’ll want her to stay on the Platinum supplement and the Nordic Naturals fish oil capsules indefinitely no matter what you are feeding her. And then the other half needs to be a quality protein either from a can or your cooking – chicken, beef, fish scrambled eggs, cottage cheese and/or yogurt.
Thank you Tracie! I feel much better about feeding my cats more after reading your reply. I have been following your 15 minute rule, and they seem much happier!
I alternate feeding them Wellness grain-free varieties and Trader Joe’s Turkey and Giblets canned food. (The Trader Joe’s really helps my budget!)
I have found your list of approved cat foods and will be searching for those kinds as well. Thank you so much for all you do!
Thank goodness those cats are feeling satisfied now – otherwise they might come after me! Another super price on quality food is the whole line of Soulistic canned food made by my favorite cat food company, Weruva, just for PETCO. The price cannot be beat and the ingredients are all the high quality that Weruva uses for their signature food.
I am new to this whole cats need to eat canned food idea. It sounds very interesting though. My cat is “slim and slinky” but eats mostly dry food…and I will occasionally feed her tuna as a treat. The Soulistic brand sounds like something to consider trying out.
I’m having BIGGEST KITTY LOSER contest on my new radio show DOG TALK & CAT CHAT on WOR 710 in NYC – any cat 14 lbs or heavier can join the contest. Everybody gets a coupon for $20 worth of CAT ATTRACT litter just for joining the contest. And all they have to do is give up all dry food – no more kitty crack- and feed only good quality canned food (no more than 10% carbohydrates)