My cat is always hungry and overweight. How much should I feed her?

These are good questions, and I will try to help you as best as I can. The problem with judging how much a cat show weight depends not only on their breed, but their bone structure as well. Some cats are naturally bigger than others, and what is a healthy weight is individual per cat. American shorthair females can range in weight from 6-12 pounds, so it can be normal for some females to be at Luna's weight or even higher. That being said, however, she may be smaller in frame, and needs to be closer to the middle or lower end of the weight range. I certainly wouldn't want to say she needs to lose a certain number of pounds, and have her be too skinny. It's great that she has lost 1.4 pounds, and if she hasn't been seen by a vet since the summer, it may be that she has reached a better weight (sometimes cats only need to lose a few pounds to reach a healthy weight). I would recommend taking Luna back into the vet for an exam to see if she has reached a healthy weight according to them. Another way to tell is to look at her body condition score. This will help give you an idea of how she is doing weight wise, and the vet can confirm how much more she needs to lose. I will put a link to a body condition chart for cats: http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20cats.pdf As for how much to feed her, what you've been doing has clearly helped her lose weight, and I would continue to do that if the vet feels she needs to lose more weight. If she doesn't, then you can discuss with a vet a healthy diet for her. It's normal she will be hungry, dieting is not easy for either humans or cats :-)

Hi Ali! Thanks for using Pet Coach! I suggest you take her off the kitten food. Kitten food is very high in calories. I know that bag is labeled for up to one year but I usually recommend that kittens switch to adult food at 7-8 months of age. So, yes, adult indoor food would be indicated here. Also, do not just keep the bowl full - measure out the daily amount she needs based on the recommendations on the bag of food you are feeding; split into multiple small meals. Feed her to her ideal weight and not her current weight. Example: if she is 12 pounds and should be 9 pounds then use the feeding recommendation for a 9 pound cat. Always feed to the low end of the range the bag gives you especially since you are giving hearts and kidneys as well. You can also refer to this article for more tips: ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/are-you-feeding-your-cat-wrong/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Yes, you should definitely cut the food back. If she seems overly hungry when you cut the food back you may need to talk to your vet about putting her on a prescription weight loss diet. Prescription diets are low in calories (so they can eat more of it) and it is very filling (they are high in fiber). If she doesn't lose weight I would be very worried about her developing diabetes. Remember, you need to feed the amount of food recommended on the bag for their IDEAL weight. Ideally she should be between 10-12 pounds. The average indoor cat should have 20 calories per pound so you should only be feeding her 200-240 calories per day INCLUDING her treats.

It sounds like you're doing everything right. You didn't mention how long Sheena has been on that amount of canned food and if you have rechecked her weight. Cats tend to lose weight very slowly, so if you have changed her diet within the last 6 months, you may not be able to tell a difference yet. Unfortunately, some cats just have very poor metabolism and need very few calories. If Sheena is not losing weight, then you are certainly not starving her (even if she thinks you are). Be sure to pay attention to the number of treats that she is getting too because if you are feeding dry treats, those can significantly increase her calorie intake. Of course more exercise can always help too, so you might consider adding something like playing with a laser pointer into her daily routine. You might just need to be a little more patient with her weight loss plan, so don't get frustrated just yet. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is more likely she is bored rather than hungry. You should do some environmental enrichment for her and I would also suggest you get an automatic feeder that will dispense food every few hours (her daily amount broken up into multiple smaller feedings through the day). I would cut out the wet food all together. Some Feliway diffusers may help to calm her a bit as well. ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser ) ( thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats ) ( https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-5-Meal-Automatic-Dispenses-Digital/dp/B000GEWHNS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3LGP5X3KNCN9U&keywords=automatic+cat+feeder&qid=1563116991&s=gateway&sprefix=automatic+%2Caps%2C485&sr=8-3 ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Esther. It would be a good idea for her to see her veterinarian for laboratory work to ensure there is a not a disease causing her increased appetite. There are several that affect older cats causing hunger. If she is healthy, then it is a behavioral issue. Cats prefer to eat small frequent meals throughout the day. This will satisfy their needs better. You can divide her total calories for the day into 8 or so small meals. So maybe feed her several teaspoons of food many times during the day instead of just two main meals for her. This will allow you to control her calories while still meeting her needs. I hope this information helps!

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is best to feed for the recommended weight. So, for example, if April weighs 12 lbs but should weigh closer to 10 lbs you'd want to feed the amount for a 10 lb cat. I often recommend feeding even 25% less than is recommended for the idea body weight because most cats tend to be pretty sedentary. Feeding an all canned food diet can also be helpful for weight loss. There are also prescription diets available like Royal Canin Low fat and Hill's Metabolic that can help with weight loss. If you are concerned with April's weight after taking some steps to reduce her calorie intake, you can always discuss a prescription weight loss diet with your veterinarian.