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If you’re wondering ‘How much should I feed my cat?’ then you’re not alone. Even as nutritionists, we recognise that feline nutrition can be tricky. Luckily at Burns, we try to make it easy if your cat is proving to be one of the more complicated ones! Below you will find the top things to consider.
You should base their feeding amounts on their ideal weight and not their actual weight. Unsure what their ideal weight should be? Your vet can help you with this and we also have a handy chart.
We tend to stay on our kitten food until 9 months old, at this stage they should be fine to move onto our adult & senior diets for cats. We have different feeding guides for kittens, adult and senior cats so we need to follow this accordingly.
There is no particular age when a cat becomes a senior but when they start to slow down, we will look at reducing their feeding amounts, but our standard cat foods are suitable for both adult and senior cats.
They may do, the Burns diets tend to be suitable for most cats, but we may need to adjust their feeding amounts accordingly. Outdoor cats will often be burning more calories, especially in the colder weather so will need to be fed off our adult feeding guide.
Indoor cats may need to be fed off our senior/ neutered feeding guide even if they do not fall into these categories.
With any cat, we want to monitor their body condition and adjust accordingly.
The breed of the cat doesn’t really matter too much when choosing a food. We need to look at the individual cat and consider their health and lifestyle.
This is personal preference and the best option depends on what your cat prefers as well as what fits your lifestyle best.
Free Feeding is when you distribute your cat’s allowance in the morning and they can choose to eat this at any point.
Of course, if your cat is greedy-guts and likely to devour the whole thing in one, this may not be the best option. Conversely, if your cat has the ability to self-regulate their mealtimes and graze throughout the day, free feeding is a viable option. This is all down to appetite and every cat will be unique.
Scheduled Feeding is feeding your cat at set mealtimes with their daily food ration spread out between meals is another option. Ensure your cat eats at least two meals per day because cats usually prefer to eat little and often.
We all enjoy giving treats to our cats but moderation is key! Your cat will need a bit less food to account for any treats as they should be given within their daily feeding amounts. Treats or extras should not make up more than 5% of your cat’s diet.
It’s important to remember that the amount your cat eats will change if they have an upset stomach or digestive problems. If your cat has any health issues, we recommend contacting your vet for advice on how much you should feed your cat and what type of food they should eat.
| FEEDING ADULT CATS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Weight | Adult (9+ Months) | Senior | Neutered |
| 2kg | 35g | 25g | 25g |
| 3kg | 45g | 35g | 35g |
| 4kg | 55g | 45g | 45g |
| 5kg | 70g | 55g | 55g |
| 6kg | 80g | 60g | 60g |
When feeding kittens, we base their daily feeding amounts on their current weight as well as their age so you will need to keep increasing this as they grow. We recommend moving to adult food at around 9 months old.
| FEEDING KITTENS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Approximate Age | Body Weight (kg) | Daily Feeding Amount (g) |
| up to 5 weeks | up to 0.5 | up to 35 |
| 5-10 weeks | 0.5 - 1 | 35 - 55 |
| 10-20 weeks | 1 - 2 | 55 - 70 |
If you would like more nutritional cat advice, then feel free to get in touch! Our friendly and knowledgeable team of nutritionists are here to help support you and your cat and ensure they stay fit and healthy.
