Today, most veterinarians recommend feeding wet foods for cat rather than dry foods. Being a pet owner has never been so simple, it is like having to take care of a child. You will have to be more responsible for your cat by choosing the right wet food for them. And best of all, you should consider calculating how much-wet food you have to feed them in each portion. In this article, we will provide with information on wet food feeding guide that you can have a better understanding of your cat’s needs.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF FEEDING WET FOOD AND CALCULATING THE AMOUNT OF FOOD FOR CATS
There are several reasons that the veterinarians recommend that cat owners should feed their cats by wet food. First, cats are carnivores, and their diets should not be in high carbohydrates. Damp food provides more protein, and fewer carbs, and generally provides more meat than the kibble one. That is the reason why it is often more expensive than kibble. Most dry foods have a higher carbohydrate than that in wet foods, and consuming dry foods is very easy to make your cat obese.
However, being overweight is not just a matter of weight, it also leads to a variety of other health problems in cats, such as the risk of heart failure, infections, skin disorders, diabetes, liver fat and some types of cancer.
Besides, cats are not the breed to drink lots of water, and their bodies tend to be dehydrated. And of course, you can understand the importance of water in the body. Wet foods provide cats with more water. As a result, it supports the urinary tract, kidneys and health of cats.
Wet food will make your cat easier for your cat to swallow and improve the digestion. If it is a kitten or an old cat with several missing teeth, then chewing thoroughly and digesting the kibble can be a challenge. In this case, you should select wet food to help your pet. Wet food makes it easy to transition from milk or formula to solids, so it is quick to eat and suits your kitten’s stomach. It is also suitable for cats with sensitive stomachs, cats recovering from diarrhoea or constipation may also be helpful with the moisture in wet cat food.
As a whole, wet cat food may be better for your cat. Your cat will benefit from the moisture and low carbohydrate content of the food. Moreover, feeding your cat is more complicated than just feeding your cat randomly, as long as the pet feel full. Especially for cats that are less active or tend to eat a lot, you also have to invest in a slow cat feeding station to help them move to consume calories. Therefore, pet owners must build a reasonable plan and strategy to avoid obesity and improve the health of their cats. However, you must choose which foods for your cat. Before deciding, you should consider both advantages and disadvantages to find the most suitable type for your pet.
WET FOOD CAT FEEDING GUIDE
Based on body weight
The number of calories that your cat can receive may base on its body weight. The vet will help you determine your cat’s body weight and see if it tends to gain weight or obesity. In case it is obese, they will recommend some wet foods. They will also help you determine the ideal weight for the cat and have a diet to reach that perfect weight.
You should also consider your cat’s physical condition. For instance, if the cats are thin but muscular, and the skeleton is big with a healthy weight, then they will need more calories to maintain this weight.
When using wet foods, you should carefully read the calories guide that a three-ounce can provide, so that you can know with your cat’s body weight, how much you can feed them.
Based on ages
Cat’s age and flexibility also play an essential role in determining the calories needed for them. A growing cat needs more calories than an adult or old cat. The number of calories should be more for an active cat that tends to play with and usually does physical activities. In contrast, fewer calories will be suitable for a sedentary cat. A cat that is pregnant or breastfeeding also needs more calories to stay healthy and produce enough milk for the kittens.
Cat wet food portions
According to all the recommendations on the portions to feed cats, the pet owners and the vat agree that splitting the diet in one day will always be better than you allow them to reach food whenever they want.
So how often should you feed them and how much in once? You can watch the feeding instructions of wet foods or discuss with your veterinarian to match the status of your cat. But overall, the frequency of feeding should be at least three times per day, and if you can divide it more, this is better for your cat.
For example, if your cat designated by a veterinarian with consumption of 240 calories per day, and each 3-ounce can of wet food provides about 72 calories. Then you can divide it into three servings with about one 3-ounce can for each time. The number of calories in each can vary depending on the pet food brands.
If possible, you should note the way you feed and see your cat’s responses over a while.If there is unwanted weight gain or loss, you can adjust to increase or decrease in food intake for the most suitable portion. You should also subtract the calories of any other food or dry food that you have provided to your cat for the most accurate results.
CALORIES CHART FOR THE TYPE OF CATS
Kittens
200 calories a day with 5-pound cat (after weaning)
Lean Domestic Cats
170 calories a day per 5-pound cat with slim body
280 calories a day with a 10-pound cat with slim body
360 calories a day with a 15-pound cat with slim body
440 calories a day with a slim body
Overweight Domestic Cats
180 calories a day with an overweight 5-pound cat
240 calories a day with an overweight 10-pound cat
280 calories a day with an overweight 15-pound cat
310 calories a day with an overweight 20-pound cat
Pregnant/Nursing Cats
336 calories a day with a 5-pound pregnant or nursing cat
603 calories a day with a 10-pound pregnant or nursing cat
851 calories a day with a 15-pound pregnant or nursing cat
1,091 calories a day with a 20-pound pregnant or nursing cat
Check out: CALORIE CALCULATOR for cat
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Can I combine both dry and wet food for my cat?
Although experts recommend that you should feed your cat with wet food because it seems to help your cat better, however, some people believe that dry food also plays a functional role in feeding the cat. Therefore, you can also mix dry and wet food for your cat, as it will also be useful in many ways. However, you should also pay attention to calculate the calories of two type of foods because they are different.
What is the pros of dry food in cleaning jobs?
Dry foods seem to be more convenient for you to clean your cat feeder than using wet food, and it also helps to limit your cat to litter the feeding area.
Can my cat get bored with the same food?
Just like humans, your cat may feed up with a portion of food for a long time. And the most noticeable expression is anorexia. As mentioned above, you can combine dry cat food or change to new ones. However, you must ensure that the new type of food does not have any allergenic components to your cat.
The best-wet cat food on the market?
Based on many reviews and comments from cat owners, we can suggest some right wet foods for cats such as Purina Fancy Feast Creamy Delights, Sheba Perfect Portions Pate, Meow Mix Seafood Selections, Wellness Complete Health Grain -Free Pate for Kittens, Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Urinary Tract Health Formula. However, you should carefully review the ingredients to make a choice that suits your cat.
CONCLUSION:
In short, feeding your cat is essential for your cat’s growth and as well as keeping your cat healthy. Choosing the right wet food for your cat’s condition and using the methods we have mentioned above will help make your cat healthier and happier. Hopefully, with this article, you will have a more in-depth idea of wet cat food and apply it correctly to cats.