how much should a cat eat?

[Angeladeedah]

They're really enjoying it - they're quite fussy eatters but I have never had a problem with them eatting Hill's R/D.  I was quite surprised as thought it might be quite tasteless.

I might to change something else once this bag runs out - I've just bought a 5kg bag though so that's them sorted for a month.

[Millys Mum]

R/d is high carb which is bulky and filling but i dont think its the best thing for cats. If they eat less of a normal food it does the same job and they enjoy it more

[Angeladeedah]

I tried Kylie on r/d for months - she didn't lose any weight and the only difference I noticed were big smelly poos 

Funny you should say that - I run out of it not that long ago so bought some Whiskas dry food (which I don't really like to give them as it doesn't look like it would be any good for them, it just looks waxy) and I gave them the same amount that they would get in R/D.   And that month was the biggest weight loss he has ever had!

Think when the big bag of R/D I've bought runs out I might try them on something else and see what happens.  He's not really losing too much anyway just now.

[clarenmax]

Max has 2 pouches a day, one morning and one teatime, and has dry food down all the time, as his food moods can be changeable!

He's a big boy anyway, he was 5.5 kg but has lost a bit of weight recently, due to his kidney and thyroid conditions.

He's never been fat though, always heavy, but lots of muscle, my big bruiser boy 

[Sonnie]

All my three are totally different from each other!
Co-co is long and thin, but you can certainly hear him when he jumps off something!  (me thinks he is big boned!!) last vet check he was 5.04kg
Felix, is shorter and wider!!  He looks fatter because of his thick coat and he puffs his cheeks out alot! last vet check he was 5.45kg
Louie is the baby of the bunch! he eats healthily, and is the most active cat i have ever known, he has a belly on him but doesnt feel or look fat! he has a vet check tomorrow, so we will see what the "weigh in" comes in at!!
My three have a tin shared between them in the morning, with some sprinkle biccy's on the top, and the same in the evening.  They have biccy bowls too for through out the day, but rarely touch them! (apart from Felix who decided to gawge himself yesterday, then yak all over the kitchen floor  )

[Mark]

I tried Kylie on r/d for months - she didn't lose any weight and the only difference I noticed were big smelly poos 

[Angeladeedah]

I have one very chubby cat - who is currently see a nutrionist to help him lose weight.   And another cat who is normal weight.

As per their nutrionist's advice for my cats - they are currently on 60g each of Hill's Prescription R/D.  This is split into 2 meals - one at breaksfast and one at dinner.
I then give Ollie a pouch of wet food every other day as he needs a little extra since he doesn't need to lose weight (Harvey, the chubby one, doesn't really like wet food so it works out well).

[Christina]

shes not ribby really. you cant see her ribs, she just doesnt have much fat on her, an looks very thin when shes walking! i think by the sound of it shes ok. like i said shes healthy otherwise, and her furr is very soft and shiny. she is very active, always running around and climbing the curtains and trees, whereas my other cat whos older doesnt do much, and just sleeps alot. i think she must just be burning off all the food. i might try and giver her a bit more food, see what it does. i defo wont overfeed her though. my brother has a cat wos overweight, and i agree its not good. thanks for the advice. im sure shes fine. i might ask the vet next time she goes if they thinks shes a good weight, just to reassure me!

[2d]

Ours get fed the same - half a pouch each in the morning, and the same in the evening, and they get biscuits to graze on all day.

George is a little tubby, because he was overeating when Edward was sick, and just after we lost him - that's now stopping, and he's getting back to normal (if it weren't, he'd be going on a diet!).  Also, Edward was pretty much only drinking cat milk for the last couple of weeks, and George kept sneaking the leftovers while I was sorting out Ed, and before I had chance to move them       .

Magnus eats biscuits like a horse (or hungry cat), but never puts on weight.  He's very thin and lean.  Not skinny any more though - he was when he got here, but then he was a stray.

But George is a housecat (albeit one who runs up and down stairs all day), and older - Mags goes outdoors and runs about - and is generally younger and much more active.

George is at that stage where he'll play with you if he feels like it, but otherwise he looks at you with complete disdain, as though you've just asked him to eat his own poo or something similarly icky.   

[Janeyk]

I've had cats like yours, our first cat Penny was always skinny but as she got older she did get tubbier, cats do vary just like people but if you are worried I would ask the vet.  My vet has always praised the skinnier ones on being a healthy weight, like Byron who touch wood is very healthy for her age. 

[Beth]

Some animals are definitely built slimmer than others. Ginny is like a ferret really long and skinny, but what weight she does have is solid muscle so i think she's about right.

I prefer all my animals to be on the slimmer side anyway, we're so used to seeing over-fed animals that a normal healthy weight looks too skinny to most people. The amount of people who have told me that my cocker is too skinny he's not at all, he is super fit, and has a lovely well defined waist. As long as you can't see the individual ribs then she's probably fine.

[Kay and Penny]

I have one skinny and one tubby, and tubby eats less than skinny - but they are very different shapes - one long and lean, the other short and stocky - when they sit together they remind me of DonQuixote and Sancho Panza

both are as far as I am aware healthy, so I just put it down to genes and metabolism

[Millys Mum]

Is she very ribby? You should be able to feel them with light pressure
What do you feed her? A better quality food might help her, cats are like humans and do have different metabolisms so if she has the all clear from the vet id try increasing her food

[Christina]

hi all,
        i just wondered how much you should actually feed your cats?  my cats get half a pouch of wet food in the morning mixed with dry food, the same again  in the afternoon, and i put a handfull of dry down just before i go to bed.
the reason im asking is because my youngest cat is very thin. shes a very small cat anyway, and otherwise healthy-wormed and her coat is shiny. the vets have never commented on her weight, but she just looks so thin. theres absolutely nothing else wrong with her. she is very active, always running around whether shes in or out, so i was wondering if she needs more food? i have an older cat who came to me a bit underweight as she wasnt looked after properly at her old home , and i feed her the same amount of food and shes put loads of weight on and is actually quite porky now!
i know nobody can tell me if shes underweight or not as abviously you cant see her, but do you think the amount of food i give her is adequete? it just got me wondering as when my mom came over the other week she commented on how thin she thought my youngest cat was!