Author Topic: Calories  (Read 2497 times)

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Offline Middle Child

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Calories
« on: March 29, 2012, 08:03:17 AM »
I am starting to truly doubt the calorie counts these food companies are saying their foods have.  If their listed calories are accurate my two over-9-pound cats are eating only 114 calories a day to maintain their current weights. :-\

Offline The Kittens

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Re: Calories
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2012, 05:19:28 PM »
The feeding guide, on the bag, is just that, a guide, a place to start. You have to adjust up or down, depending on your cat. Each cat is different.  Some cats have a higher metabolism, some have a higher activity level, and it depends, on what your doing with them. 

We already know this, from the horse world, the feeding guide is just a place to start, you adjust up or down.
For horses, there are like a zillion factors. If they are a easy keeper or a hard keeper, if they are a show horse, or just trail riding, if a show horse, are they campaigned heavy, is it a mare, is she bred, is she lactating, is she open, if it is a stallion, is he being used to breed, or is he being shown, or is he just open.  We got like a zillion different protein % and fat % combos to choose from, depending on how the horse is being used.

Bump is about as big as a horse, mol, but he only gets 1/8 cup each feeding, and that boy, ain't thin, its what his vet figured, he needed, and she was right on, based on the kcal count. Now, the feeding guide, recommends, for his weight, he should get 1 cup per day. For him, that is way way too much. But, its a good quality grain free food, that is higher in protein and fat, because he is a show cat. One kitten gets more, than the recommended amount, he has a higher metabolism, the other kitten gets less than the recommended amount, brothers from the same litter, both show cats, they each get a different amount.  :-* Bumpurr1 TexasFlag bumpgif     

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Calories
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2012, 09:29:38 PM »
I'm no talking about quantity.  I'm talking about listed calories.

 According to By Nature, for instance,  their 6 ounces Organic canned cat food contains 150 calories.  Since, in my experience an 'average' adult cat maintains a healthy weight on 180 calories, I was, at first, feeding my struvite kitty one can, plus.  It soon became apparent that she was getting fatter, in spite of increased activity, so I cut her back to 6 ounces, but she continued to gain. So I cut her back to 7/8 can.  She remained too fat.  I finally had to cut her back to 6/8 can a day, which is, if I can believe the information give to me by By Nature, only 114 calories a day.  She was eating 180 calories a day when she was eating the c/d kibble. (180 calories according to the Hills information)

I count calories rather than quantity now, because I feed so many different brands, and they all vary widely in calorie counts, if the information given out can be trusted. 

But I wonder.....

Offline Lola

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Re: Calories
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2012, 06:13:58 PM »
There's not too much on a pet food label that I believe.  Pet Food MFG have a LOT of room to "stretch the truth."
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Calories
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2012, 10:21:05 PM »
There's not too much on a pet food label that I believe.  Pet Food MFG have a LOT of room to "stretch the truth."

Oh boy, you said it.  Well I've got it worked out to a science, for now, but don't let the fates know or something will go wonky.

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