Feeding Guidelines fur Cats

 
Raw or cooked homemade food has a very high bioavailability and is very easily digestible.  The very fine powder of the food ingredients in our premix and the inclusion of digestive enzymes in our product further contribute to your kitty getting the most out of this food. The result is that most cats do not need as much food made with EZComplete as canned food they were eating.

Please note we provide general guidelines. You may want to consult your trusted veterinarian for your cat’s specific requirements.
 
How Much Should I Feed My Cat?

Kittens should be fed as much as they want to eat frequently.

• Weaned to 12 -14 weeks. At this stage, kittens should be fed many small meals a day and not restricted in amount.
• 12-14 weeks to 6 to 9 months. At this age, your kitten's stomach is large enough to be fed a minimum of four meals per day. The amount of food fed at each meal should continue to be unrestricted. They should not be moved to fewer meals per day until they are 6 to 9 months of age. At about a year, with your input, your veterinarian will be able to gauge growth rate and determine approximately how large your adult cat is / will be. At this age, cats are generally considered adult in size. 

How Many Meals for Adults?

Ideally adult cats are fed three meals per day: morning, evening, and before your bed time. But many people lead busy lives, and it will not harm your cat to feed two meals per day. 

 How Much Food to Feed My Adult Cat?
The average adult cat will eat about 4.5 ounces (125g) a day – but how much food a cat needs daily is dependent on age, individual metabolism, activity level, and health status.
 
The typical guideline is cats eating homemade food will consume between 2% and 4% of their body weight. Unless a cat is very active (or suffers from a gastrointestinal disease that causes malabsorption), eating 4% is quite unusual unless a large breed or a non-domestic cat. The younger and more active they are, the more they will need to eat. Generally speaking, cats eating homemade food will consume between 2% - 3% of their body weight to maintain their current weight. A typical indoor-only (adult) house cat will most often eat 2.5% - 3% of their body weight. 
 
How does this translate into amounts?
 
An eight pound cat (3.5kg) at 2% will eat about 2.5 ounces (70g) of food a day
(8 pounds X 16 ounces per pound = 128 ounces. 128 ounces X 0.02 = 2.6 ounces).
(3.5 kilograms X 1,000 grams per kilogram = 3,500 grams. 3,500g X 0.02 = 70 grams).
 
An eight pound cat (3.5kg) at 3% will eat about 4 ounces (105g) of food a day;
An (extremely active) eight pound cat (3.5kg) at 4% will eat about 5 ounces (140g) of food a day.
 
A ten pound cat (4.5kg) at 2% will eat about 3 ¼ ounces (90g) of food a day;
A ten pound cat (4.5kg) at 3% will eat close to 5 ounces (135g) of food a day;
A (very very active!) ten pound cat (4.5kg) at 4% will eat about 6.5 ounces (180g) of food a day.
 
A twelve pound cat (5.5kg) at 2% will eat about 4 ounces (110g) a day;
A twelve pound cat (5.5kg) at 3% will eat about 5 ¾ ounces (165g) a day;
A (tremendously active!) twelve pound cat (5.5kg) at 4% will eat about 7.5 ounces (220g) a day.
 
Find the amount of food that keeps your cat's weight stable. We recommend feeding your cat at 2.5% and up to 3% at first. It is best to weigh your cat weekly for the first four to six weeks to monitor whether your cat’s weight is stable, rising, or falling on the amount of food being fed. Adjust the amount of food you are feeding up or down in small increments until you find the amount that maintains a stable weight once you determine the amount of food - as you make it, with the meats you use - that keeps your kitty's weight stable.

If your cat needs to gain weight, once you know the amount of food that keeps your cat's weight stable, you can slowly increase the amount until the target weight is achieved.
 
If your cat needs to lose weight, once you know the amount of food that keeps your cat's weight stable, you can slowly decrease the amount until the target weight is reached. To understand how to help your cat lose weight on this high protein, high moisture diet, Dr. Lisa Pierson of www.CatInfo.org has a helpful article that discusses how to implement a safe weight loss program for your cat. Of course, we encourage you to work with your vet during any weight loss program for your cat.

How Often Should I Feed My Cat?

At Food Fur Life, we recommend feeding adult cats at least three meals a day. (Kittens should be fed frequently and as much as they want to eat). For adults, divide the total amount of food needed into three meals - they do not need to spaced evenly in terms of feeding times. Most people feed AM, PM and before bed. Why at least three meals?

According to How often should you feed your cat?

"According to the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, feral cats eat about 8 to 12 meals in any given 24 hour period. (1) Their behavior is geared towards small, frequent meals and they spend a great deal of their time actively hunting.

...a carnivore’s digestive physiology has incorporated hunger as an integral part of its healthy workings. Indigestible solids are retained in the stomach until digestion of other food products is completed and it is, in fact, hunger pangs which propel this material forth. If the cat is never allowed to become hungry, the regulation of waste movement is compromised, leading to discomfort, hairball regurgitation and other digestive motility issues.

...as the cat becomes hungry, bile acids in the stomach increase in anticipation of a meal. If this goes on too long or becomes concentrated enough, the cat is likely to become nauseous, provoking what many have termed “hunger pukes”, typically of a clear or foamy consistency. “Too long” varies with the cat, but can be as short as 5 or 6 hours without food. Unfortunately for some cats, this puking can start a spiral of discomfort that will throw a cat off food indefinitely.

...[Also] as Dr. Lisa Pierson notes on her site, CatInfo.org, the frequency of a cat’s meals impacts the PH of her urine. (2) ‘Post-prandial alkaline tide’ refers to the increase in urine alkalinity that follows the ingestion of a large meal, a PH change that can lead to the formation of painful and potentially deadly struvite crystals. Eating smaller, more frequent meals – mimicking their instinctive hunting behavior – naturally helps maintain a cat’s PH in the normal range.

Finally, a study published in the February 2014 issue of the Journal of Animal Science, “Effects of feeding frequency and dietary water content on voluntary physical activity in healthy adult cats,” (3) determined that more frequent meals had a positive impact upon feline activity, making weight loss and maintenance easier… an important fact given the 90% increase in feline obesity cases over the last five years (3)."

In sum, "Feeding at least three scheduled meals a day will go a long way toward keeping your cat’s digestive system healthy, strong, and working at peak efficiency!"