Most veterinarians agree that homemade food is ideal for your cat. However, that might not be a doable task for pet owners regularly. So, the next best thing is, no doubt, wet cat food.
Once you filter out the best type of wet cat meal from the list of options available in the market, the next step is to determine the amount to be fed daily.
Do you ever think how many cans of wet food for a cat is necessary pet day?
One of the necessary is the best cat food bowl to feed your cat either wet or dry food. Having a good quality and suitable bowl makes the eating experience more smooth for cats.
Wet Cat Food: Does Your Pet Need It?
While dry cat food is cheaper, the wet meal is most definitely healthier, as per vet consensus. There are multiple reasons for wet food to be the go-to choice for cats. First, felines are obligatory carnivores & aren’t meant to ingest a lot of carbohydrates.
Second, the dry meal has a lot of carbohydrates as compared to wet food.
Consumption of dry food can also pack into the obesity factor. Moreover, cats do not drink up a lot of water & drive themselves towards dehydration.
The wet meal provides a good water supply to help support the urinary tract, kidneys, & overall health.
Does Your Cat Need Both Wet & Dry Food?
The first thing you need to do is determine whether your cat needs complete wet food or a bit of dry food as well.
While it is recommended that you feed a wet diet to your pet, some cats might also love to nibble on dry meal and start under-eating on a complete wet food diet.
Additionally, dry meal tends to be way more affordable, making it easy on the budget.
Feeding the dry and wet meal mix might require some math to reach the right number of calories and nutrition required for your pet. Derive a ratio that determines the right proportion of wet and dry food.
Wet Cat Food: How Much Does Your Pet Need?
The cat’s caloric requirements depend on various factors. The weight of the pet can determine the basic guidelines for the amount of food needed. It is important to check the cat’s current health and body condition.
For example, a muscular and lean cat with a large bone structure weighing about 15 pounds would require higher caloric content to ensure a healthy weight.
However, a cat weighing 15 pounds with a small stature and overweight/obese status would require fewer calories. An obese or overweight cat must be fed according to the ideal weight and not the current weight.
Activity levels and age plays an important role in ascertaining the caloric content needed.
A kitten requires a lot more caloric content than a senior or adult cat during its growth status. Several factors contribute to deciding the amount of cat food you need:
1. Age and Life Stage:
Senior and adult cats have different wet food nutrition requirements as compared to kittens. In addition, cats that are nursing or pregnant have varying needs.
2. Energy Level:
Felines that are playful and active tend to need a lot more caloric intake than the cats that spend most of their time taking naps.
3. Food Type:
Wet cat food comes in different proteins and other nutritional packaging depending on the brand you choose for your pet. You need to check in with your veterinarian or follow the recommendations provided in the packaging by the manufacturing to provide the right nutrition for your cat.
4. Weight:
If your feline friend isn’t at their ideal weight, it is ideal for giving them a larger or smaller portion depending on whether they are over or underweight. It helps them maintain and achieve the ideal weight.
5. Outdoor vs Indoor Cat:
Indoor cats don’t indulge in as many physical activities as compared to outdoor cats. So, it is ideal for feeding indoor cats fewer calories as compared to outdoor cats. Moreover, the climatic conditions also come into play.
For example, cats that live in cold regions would need more wet food in the winters to help keep them warm.
If you have issues determining the right wet food requirements for your cat, it is important to contact your veterinarian for an expert opinion.
In addition, if your pet is suffering from any health issues, they might need a specific diet to ensure the health condition doesn’t worsen.
| 5 Pounds | 10 Pounds | 15 Pounds | 20 Pounds | |
| Pregnant or Nursing Cat | 336 Kilo-cal | 603 Kilo-cal | 851 Kilo-cal | 1091 Kilo-cal |
| Lean Cat | 170 Kilo-cal | 280 Kilo-cal | 360 Kilo-cal | 440 Kilo-cal |
| Overweight Cat | 180 Kilo-cal | 240 Kilo-cal | 280 Kilo-cal | 310 Kilo-cal |
| Kitten | 200 Kilo-cal | 400 Kilo-cal | 600 Kilo-cal | 800 Kilo-cal |
It is better to go with the recommended numbers in the food packaging for your pet. The amount of wet food needed by your cat can be adjusted depending on the desired weight loss or gain.
If your pet seems very hungry & isn’t gaining weight, you can surely increase the diet quota.
Most wet food brands come in 3-ounce cans & the recommended feeding amount is 1 can/day for every 3 or 3.5 pounds of weight.
However, each brand’s nutrition component can vary, and hence the recommended amount can vary.
A healthy and happy cat will stay active and maintain a steady weight. Conversely, if your cat is underfed, it will act grumpy and show lethargy due to lack of nutrition.
Why Should You Measure Your Cat’s Wet Food Intake?
You might ask why it is important to give a certain amount of wet food to your cat. With humans, overconsumption of any food, whether wet or dry, can lead to obesity.
Every extra pound your feline friend carries could lead to a negative effect on its health.
Obese and overweight cats are prone to:
- Heart issues
- Infections
- Skin disorders
- Diabetes mellitus
- Anesthesia complications
- Hepatic lipidosis
- Surgical complications
- Cancer
Feeding wet food to your pet isn’t as straightforward as opening the can & pouring it out in the feeding bowl.
It would help if you considered the calories burnt throughout the day. For example, cats might eat excessively when they get bored. So, as a pet parent, you need to keep this in mind as well.
Then, you need to devise a strategic plan to measure the amount of cat food you need to give them to maintain the weight while imparting the right amount of nutrition.
How to portion the wet cat food?
When it comes to feeding wet food to your cat, it is important to portion it. You can either feed the recommended portion by dividing it into several segments or feed it in one go.
Most cats love to eat their food throughout the day instead of eating a single meal. So, you can divide the food into two or three equal parts.
A minimum of two meals is recommended, but it depends on your cat’s requirements, activity level, age, and other factors. It would help if you also kept in mind the treats given during the training or playtime.
It could also contribute to the overall calories consumed by the cat.
The goal is to stick to the caloric intake recommendations and go beyond or below the mark. Underfeeding can lead to a lazy cat that might gain weight in the long run due to a lack of physical activities.
On the other hand, overfeeding can also bring on similar consequences.
How to Assess Whether Your Cat Loves the Wet Food Diet?
Once you have determined the amount of wet food to be fed to the cat, you need to check certain aspects and behavioral traits in your pet to ensure they love it.
- Check whether your cat leaves any food in the bowl. Also, keep an eye on whether they wake up at midnight and search for more food. If this happens, your cat might need more food.
- If your cat swipes the meal bowl clean yet gains a lot of weight, it might be ideal for getting in touch with the veterinarian to check for any underlying issue.
- Check whether your cat is eating happily while maintaining weight & activity levels. If so, the meal portioning is adequate.
- If your cat sniffs and turns away from the bowl, the wet food might not be boding well with the pet. Try to change the diet and see whether they like it or not.
As a caring pet parent, you need to know how long it takes for a cat to digest food to offer more and to maintain a healthy interval between food times.
To offer something premium, learn how to make your cat food and if you have a dog at home, then knowing why cat food is bad for dogs help you to keep your both pet healthy.
Conclusion
When feeding wet food to your cat, it is important not to let the meal sit out for too long. Doing this can make the food go bad and lead to various health issues in the cat.
If your pet doesn’t consume its portion in an hour, place it within the refrigerator and serve it in the next feeding schedule. Cats love warm food, so try to pop one in the oven for a few minutes before serving it in the bowl.
Make sure it isn’t too hot, or the cat might burn its tongue and refrain from touching the meal at all. However, during hot summers, you might stick to food that is room temperature or slightly cool.
Your cat might not love anything warm while the climate is hot and humid outside.