Cats are simply amazing. They just tend to eat and hover around. No matter how much they play, these heavenly creatures tend to sleep a lot. Due to this reason, many cats with a good diet tend to gain a lot of weight. However, many kittens with insignificant diet, they tend to become weak. This weakness can pose great health hazards and can be easily seen in the form of laziness, sicknesses, and irritation.
Cat Food Is Not Measured
Many cat parents do not measure the food intake of the cat. Instead, feed the cat on approximations. This is also very dangerous since you are not feeding the cat as per its body weight value. We have presented a case study with an example that can help you control your feline’s calorie requirements.
Determine the Weight of Your Cat
Initially, you must determine the weight of your kitten to determine if it is underweight or overweight. This can be done relatively quickly if you have a simple weighing machine. For this purpose, hold your cat and subtract your weight from the total weight on the weighing machine. This will give you the weight of your cat. Let us say your weighing machine shows a value of 160 pounds, and your weight is 150 pounds. Consequently, the weight of your cat will be 10 pounds.
Determine the RER Value
The next step corresponds to determine the calorific calculations to determine the resting energy requirements (RER) of your cat. The tables for RER are readily available on Google. For example, a cat with a weight of 10 pounds corresponds to an RER value of 390.
Determine the Daily Energy Requirements of Your Cat
After that, it is essential to determine the Daily Energy Requirements of your cat. No general rule can be used to determine the energy requirements of your cat. For this purpose, it is necessary to decide on the activity level of your cat.
Different Values of activity factors are available that help you to determine the RER value of your cat.
The Typical Values of energy levels for cats include the following
- Neutered adult cat= 1.2 x RER
- Intact adult cat= 1.4 x RER
- Inactive Cat= 1 x RER
- Weight loss for cat= .8 x RER
- Weight gain for cat=1 .8 x RER
- Kittens with 0 to 4 Age Group= 2.5 x RER
- Kittens with 4 to 1 Month= 2 x RER
Now let’s say that you have an inactive cat that has a RAR value of 200. Then, the calorie requirements of your cat will account for 1 x 200= 200 calories per day.
A General Rule of Thumb
A general rule of thumb describes that the energy demand for a cat is normally 20 to 33 calories per pound for an average cat. For example, a cat with a weight of 10 pounds will weigh 200 pounds if we don’t include the cats’ energy level. Moreover, it is advised that the calories intake of cat treats should account for less than 10% of the total calorie intake of cats’ meals.
Visit a Vet if a Cat Does Not Gain Weight
Cat Feeding, when done quantitatively, can have a significant effect on your cats’ health. If you feel that your cat is not eating correctly, you must visit a vet for clinical advice.