How Often Should You Feed Your Cat
Posted by Angie on 1st May 2020
If you've adopted your first kitty cat, the first question you ask yourself is definitely about cat feeding. So, how often should you feed your cat?
Though a newborn kitten sucks milk from the mommy cat, And it just needs nothing else. After four weeks, he or she can taste wet-food. But, if you're wondering how many times an adult cat should eat and what the recommended amount of cat food is, you're in the right place.
When it comes to feeding your cat, there are too many things to know and questions to ask to get your pet to receive the right nutrients and food. However, before we go, it is necessary to know, how long can a cat survive without having food? Let’s spot it...
How Long Can A Cat Survive Without Eating Food
There may be several reasons why a cat owner asks this question. Maybe your cat refuses to eat, actually making you worry. Or maybe your cat is acting strangely. It looks healthy and fit, but the behavior does not reassure you. If your cat doesn't want to eat, and you don't know why.
So how long can your cat survive without eating anything?
According to an article by epicpetclub, a cat can survive anywhere from 24 hours to 48 hours depending on his conditions.
Like the rest of the animals, cats also need water to survive. Without that, their cells would live a few days at most before they completely shut down. Also, to make matters worse, cats take in a lot of the water they need from food. So if they inexplicably decide to stop eating or drinking, they could be in serious trouble.
In a nutshell, if a cat does not eat and drink, it may die after a few days. In any case, if your cat drinks even a little every day, it will be able to survive for at least 2 weeks.
Obviously, if this were the case, they would have several problems due to hunger (kidneys, for example). Still, common sense should have already led you to understand that you need a veterinarian, hopefully.
If your cat is sick and doesn't want to eat, it is reasonable to be worried. Sometimes, however, your feline is physically healthy and it’s simply a behavioral disorder issue. Some cats are quite picky and therefore refuse to eat.
How Often Should You Feed Your Cat
What do cats eat differently than humans? What are the right quantities of food to give, and at what time interval to give them? In most cases, it happens that too much affection tends to give too much food to your cat.
Excess in feeding is not only harmful to the cat's health, but it is aggravated if another element is added to too much food: the lack of physical activity, a phenomenon that generally characterizes the life of felines living at home.
First of all, you need to know that the cat 's food doses depend on the type of food, wet or dry, and the weight of your cat. Also, they depend on their lifestyle and any diseases.
By focusing on cat food, we try to find the answers to your questions: What are the recommended doses of cat food? In practice, how much should your cat feed? And how much food should a feline have available during the day?
★How To Calculate Food Doses For Your Cat?
Foodplays a central role in your cat's whole lifespan: figure out how much jelly or croquettes to give your kitty will be very simple if you follow some practical advice.
●If your cat mostly eats wet food, the exact dose of cat food is almost 40 grams/kg of body weight. So to give a practical example: if your cat weighs 6 kg, in general, you should provide your cat 240 grams of wet food per day.
●If your adorable cat loves only dry food, then the right amount of the cat food is around 40 grams/ pound of body weight, and the total divided by 3.
For example,
If it weighs 2 kg, between 25 to 40 grams of croquettes per day.
If it weighs 3 kg, between 35 to 50 grams of croquettes per day.
If it weighs 5 kg, between 40 to 60 grams of croquettes per day.
Virtually the same plan used to calculate how much-wet food must eat, but divided by 3 because dry food is dehydrated, consequently more concentrated than wet food. Hence, to achieve the same requirement, less volume is required.
The quantity or doses of food for cats are different for kittens and adult cats: the cat's feeding depends on the age of the feline. In general, it is possible to feed a cat only with croquettes, but it is not possible to feed it only with wet feed. The latter must constitute at most 20% of the total unless it is a complete food.
★Feeding The Cat Throughout The Day
The cat usually has the habit of making small repeated meals a day; therefore, especially if left alone at home, it may need to have food always available to eat when hungry.
It must be considered, however, that in a balanced cat feed, foods must have few fats and carbohydrates on one side, and must not be rich in protein and fiber on the other.
If we feed the dry cat food, this can be left available to the cat during the day, while if the cat eats wet food, it is better to avoid leaving it open, especially in hot weather.
★What To Consider Besides The Weight Of The Cat?
To calculate how often should you feed your cat, you will need to consider its weight, but also other factors:
●Does the cat live in an apartment and live a sedentary lifestyle with little movement? In this case, the cat burns few calories. Taking too much food could make him gain weight, with severe consequences for the cat's health.
●Does the cat live outdoors, for example, in the garden? In this case, the cat burns more calories and needs to eat the right amount of food for his lifestyle.
●Does the cat have special needs related to diseases, recent surgical operations, allergies, or anything else? Here, the type of food and the recommended doses are to be determined with the help of your veterinarian. Your cat's health is the first thing to consider when choosing the correct diet!
Remember:
These are generic tips; in general, our suggestion is always to contact your trusted veterinarian to establish the best cat feeding based on the needs of your four-legged friend.
Conclusion
Nutrition is the basis of your cat's well-being, and that offers your cat a healthy and long life. Always choose your loving cat's food carefully and decide whether to feed dry food enough or wet or both diet harmonious.
Useful Sources:
1.General. K. (2013) Manual Of Medical Medicine For Dogs And Cats By Elsevier.
2.Table Adapted From https://www.animalmedicalcenterofchicago.com/