Expert: KC - 12/17/2007

Question
I have recently been adopted by Kiki, a lovely orange and white 6-month old kitten.  I feed only holistic, human grade pet food to my cats and they are all the better for it.  I just need to know how much I should be feeding my little guy.  He now weighs 8.5 lbs. At present he gets about 2 tablespoons of wet food morning and evening plus some dry crunchies (also holistic) whenever he wants some.
Many thanks.
Michele

Answer
Hi Michele!

How excellent!  I am so happy to have someone ask a question who is already using a truly premium food...human-grade, by-product free, and organic is definitely the best for their health.

For all of my cats, I have found that one method of feeding seems to work especially well.  I am very against letting cats (and dogs) graze all day by leaving out canned and/or dry kibble.  Carnivores have a digestive tract which is built for digesting larger meals less frequently and allowing them to constantly nibble on feed leads to obesity, dental problems, can cause bouts of diarrhea, intermittent constipation, and increase the chance of them developing feline diabetes.  

At 6 months of age, Kiki should have no problems eating two meals a day.  Younger animals do need more frequent feedings but by 6 months of age, two a day is perfectly adequate.  I do occasionally offer my cats dry kibble as treats, raw chicken and/or beef, tuna, or holistic treats.  However, these are limited to a morsel or two at a time and never left out.

If you follow the two a day feeding schedule and never leave food out, quantity is never a big concern because the cat will only ingest enough per meal until he is full.  Calorie-wise, if you feed a combination of moist/dry, raw/dry, or strictly raw at each feeding then you do not have to worry about them eating so many calories that obesity becomes an issue...this is usually only a problem with an entirely dry diet (in particular when the dry contains grains which are bad for cats and loaded in sugars).  

Each morning and night, roughly 12 hours apart, I offer each cat 1/4 to 1/2 can moist food or I offer an ample amount of raw.  *If you ever feed solely raw, make sure you supplement it with a product such as Platinum Performance Feline, as cats need many essential nutrients that raw alone cannot provide...although an entirely raw diet is excellent when properly supplemented.
Immediately after the cat walks away from the canned food, I offer dry.  The minute that they stop eating or leave the bowl all food is picked up until the next feeding.  I have found that this reduces obesity, leaves the cat stuffed after meals, produces regular litter box habits, eliminates intermittent vomiting, etc.  
So, basically, don't worry about quantity that you give per feeding now...but about the time that they are left with the food.  If your cat starts gaining too much weight you can definitely cut back on the amount OR the time in which he's allowed to eat.  A 6 month old kitten, at 8.5 pounds, is only going to eat as much as he needs to get full and you want to encourage him to fill up at twice a day meals so he won't be hungry in between...and thus produce a more natural carnivore eating habit.  You'll notice within just a few days to weeks just how much it takes to fill him up.  After he's a year old and fully grown, you'll know just exactly what his food requirements are for a day.  Then, if he starts gaining weight (by eating more) you will know just exactly what he was eating when he was maintaining a healthy weight...if that makes sense.  Just take a note of it every few months...as I do for all of my cats which helps me calculate how much food to buy per month.      

Hope this helps!