How much does a house bound cat usually eat?
Discussion
We have had our young cat for nearly a week now and I am a bit concerned that she doesn't seem to eating much.
She is 6 months old and has always been kept indoors, so for the moment we are keeping her inside too. Our previous cat (which was killed by a car last month) was the same age and was a cousin of this cat, and ate like a proverbial horse in comparison. However she was a very active cat who would chase about outside for hours.
The ex cat ate on average 4 pouches of kitten food a day but would have eaten more if given the chance. This cat eats perhaps half a bowl of dry food and a pouch per day. I initially put the lack of eating down to the fact that she had just been neutured the day before she came to us, and then the stress of moving to a new home.
I think she has settled in now and I hope she is happy, she has free run of the house (the previous owner restricted her to their kitchen only) and is always around for a cuddle or stroke by me / wife / kids so I don't think she's nervous or anxious.
I have tried various common kitten foods, Felix and Whiskas, and a couple of different dry biscuits including those that she has always had before, and fresh chicken and salmon, both of which she ate some of but not all that was offered.
She isn't a scrawny cat, and when my wife took her to the vets last week they said she was fine. She doesn't have worms and uses the litter tray several times a day.
Could it be that if she isn't using much energy she doesn't eat much? My experience with our previous cats is that they would eat much more than this one.
Should we be concerned?
I know cats are fickle and will only eat what suits them, but we haven't found anything she seems to want to eat except for the kids gerbil which isn't on the menu!
She is 6 months old and has always been kept indoors, so for the moment we are keeping her inside too. Our previous cat (which was killed by a car last month) was the same age and was a cousin of this cat, and ate like a proverbial horse in comparison. However she was a very active cat who would chase about outside for hours.
The ex cat ate on average 4 pouches of kitten food a day but would have eaten more if given the chance. This cat eats perhaps half a bowl of dry food and a pouch per day. I initially put the lack of eating down to the fact that she had just been neutured the day before she came to us, and then the stress of moving to a new home.
I think she has settled in now and I hope she is happy, she has free run of the house (the previous owner restricted her to their kitchen only) and is always around for a cuddle or stroke by me / wife / kids so I don't think she's nervous or anxious.
I have tried various common kitten foods, Felix and Whiskas, and a couple of different dry biscuits including those that she has always had before, and fresh chicken and salmon, both of which she ate some of but not all that was offered.
She isn't a scrawny cat, and when my wife took her to the vets last week they said she was fine. She doesn't have worms and uses the litter tray several times a day.
Could it be that if she isn't using much energy she doesn't eat much? My experience with our previous cats is that they would eat much more than this one.
Should we be concerned?
I know cats are fickle and will only eat what suits them, but we haven't found anything she seems to want to eat except for the kids gerbil which isn't on the menu!
ts don't half stink! Nothing to worry about, in my opinion, especially if your cat's okay in the vet's eyesIts normal, don't worry.
I was pleased you'd taken her before, upon reading here that she was confined to the kitchen in her old home; I'm delighted!
Cats need space, the can cope with living in a bedsit, so long as they have room to roam & play. They won't get that confined in a kitchen (unless, of course, it is the kitchen of a Stately Home that would need a cook, under cook etc to manage it!)
I was pleased you'd taken her before, upon reading here that she was confined to the kitchen in her old home; I'm delighted!
Cats need space, the can cope with living in a bedsit, so long as they have room to roam & play. They won't get that confined in a kitchen (unless, of course, it is the kitchen of a Stately Home that would need a cook, under cook etc to manage it!)
Lily chooses to spend the vast majority of her time indoors. She eats 1 pouch of wet food a day - divided into two feeds, one in the morning & one in the evening - and has kibble (Royal Canin Light) to graze during the rest of the time. The wet food, if it's to her liking, gets eaten as soon as it's put down.
No weight issues or health problems so I wouldn't worry unduly about yours if the vet's happy with progress.
No weight issues or health problems so I wouldn't worry unduly about yours if the vet's happy with progress.
Edited by paintman on Wednesday 16th December 22:30
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff