How much soft food should a cat eat a day?
This article will discuss “How much soft food should a cat eat?”. We will also unveil some effects regarding whether soft food is better than dry food, whether should you should feed dry food to your cat and much more. Stay on this page, and you’ll know everything regarding the topic!
How much soft food should a cat eat?
Most of the time, an average-weight adult cat needs 4 to 5 ounces of wet food daily. If you want to calculate it accurately, you should know your cat’s weight and ask a veterinarian how many calories your cat needs to have in a day. Read the description of the can where the amount of calories in the whole can is mentioned. Calculate the amount accordingly.
For example, as wet food weighing 3 oz provides 73 calories, your veterinarian has advised 240 calories for your cat in a day. We can calculate the number of cans by dividing the number of calories required by the number of calories a can has:
240/73 = (no. of cans) 3.3
It means that your cat can have approximately three ⅓ cans a day. Sometimes a cat has more calories than the cans with gravy and chunks. In that case, you have to calculate the number of cans again.
Every company manufacturer has additional calories, so it’s better to calculate again the number of cans you feed your cat every time you change the brand. Because otherwise, you will end up having your cat obese and chubby.
Is soft food better than dry food?
Rehydrate your cat:
You should prefer wet food to food for many reasons, but you should keep in mind that it is costly and much messier when a cat eats it. As cats belong to the wild, it is their habit not to drink water other than their prey. Their water consumption is along with the meat they hunt as it is moist. Wet food keeps them hydrated.
Less bladder and kidney issues:
Dry food doesn’t have moisture, and cats do not have a habit of drinking water, which leads to stress on their kidneys. They produce more concentrated urine. Canned food ensures that your fluffy has enough water content in its food and won’t dehydrate. This way, there are fewer changes in kidney and bladder issues.
High in protein:
Dry food has a high percentage of carbohydrates; you can not manufacture dry food without flour. Meanwhile, wet food has more protein, so canned food is less likely to cause obesity in cats.
Should you feed both wet and dry food to your cat?
Dry food is cheap, and so is pocket friendly. Some cat owners like to feed both canned and dry cat food. Some cats like dry food and don’t eat wet food for the whole day.
If you are going to feed dry and wet food to your cat, you should keep in mind that you need to do the math to calculate the number of calories you are giving your cat in the form of both foods. The easy way is to find out the number of calories to be shown in the form of each food and cut them in half.
This way, you will be able to feed both wet and dry food to your cat.
Can you control your cat’s weight with dry food?
You can do that by splitting the dry food meal into several small meals. This way, your cat will neither be complete nor starving.
You can also use canned beans in your cat’s diet in bulk as it will make them complete and are low in calories, but if your cat has ever suffered from urinary crystals, do not add beans as vegetables alter the urine pH. There will be more chances of urinary crystal formation.
Do kittens need more calories than an adult cat?
Kittens need more energy and protein as they are in their growing stage. They have a higher metabolism as they are energetic and play for most of the time of day. Make sure that you are feeding your kitten a kitten-formulated diet high in proteins and minerals. Their muscles and bones are in the growth phase.
After six months of age, the nutritional requirements of the kittens drop as the growth rate slows down.
However, if your female cat is pregnant, you can shift it to a kitten diet after one month of pregnancy, as the mother needs high-quality food for the growth of her babies.
Conclusion:
This article discussed “How much soft food should a cat eat?”. We also unveiled some effects regarding whether soft food is better than dry food, whether you should feed wet and dry food to your cat and much more. We hope we have helped you decide what to feed your furry friend!
