A question that many cat owners ask their veterinarians when inquiring about proper pet care procedures is “How much should I feed my cat?”. This may seem to be a relatively simple question, though the answer is actually a bit more complicated. The proper food portions for a cat are fairly relative, and depend on factors such as age, weight and overall health. In some cases, the specific breed of a cat may have some impact on the type and amount of food that is best for their overall health. Being informed about the proper proportions in which to feed your cat is very important, since it can determine a significant portion of your cat’s overall health.
AGE
Your cat’s age is a relatively important factor in determining how much you need to feed your cat. Depending on your cat’s age, they may need to eat a smaller or larger portion of cat food. In addition to this, a cat’s age also determines how often per day they will need to be fed. Cats in their “kitten” stage (which is defined as cats that are one year of age or younger) will usually require a specific cat food formula, proportionally different amounts of cat food, and more frequent feeding. An average adult cat will usually need to be fed twice per day, though some cat owners choose to only feed their cat once per day. In general, most commercial cat food companies will include a guided feeding chart on the packaging of their product. This chart is usually fairly accurate, and should be used as a general reference when trying to decide how much to feed your cat. However, this chart should not be used as a replacement for the advice of your veterinarian. If your veterinarian instructs you to only feed your cat a specific amount, you should refer to this advice when deciding how much to feed your cat.
WEIGHT
A cat’s weight plays an important part in deciding how much, how often and which type of cat food formula they need for optimum health. Because of the many commercial cat food companies who “bulk up” their cat food formulas with high-carbohydrate filler ingredients, more and more cats are becoming overweight when fed lower-quality food. Because of this, it may be necessary to adjust how much you feed your cat if they are overweight. It is general knowledge that it may be beneficial to feed an overweight cat slightly less than a cat of average weight. However, it may also be easier to split an overweight cat’s food portion up into smaller meals throughout the day. This will allow a pet cat’s metabolism to remain constantly active, and may help an overweight cat to become much healthier.
BREED
In certain cases, it may be necessary to adjust your cat’s food portions based on their breed. Just as all humans have different metabolic rates, this is also true for cats. Some cats may gain or lose weight when fed a specific portion, so it may be necessary to adjust how much they are fed. In general, being observant about your cat’s health is the best way of ensuring that they are receiving the proper nutrition.