Cat Food 101: What, When, & How Much to Feed Your Cat

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Best Cat Food: • Top 10 Best Cat Foods ...
Best Wet Cat Food: • Top 10 Best Wet Cat Fo...
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Studies cited:
Royal Canin article on feline hydration and drinking habits: vetfocus.royalcanin.com/en/sc...
Normal glucose metabolism in carnivores overlaps with diabetes pathology in non-carnivores: www.frontiersin.org/articles/...
McGregor H, Legge S, Jones ME, Johnson CN. Feral Cats Are Better Killers in Open Habitats, Revealed by Animal-Borne Video. PLoS One. 2015;10(8):e0133915. Published 2015 Aug 19.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Feeding behavior of the cat fed laboratory and commercial diets: www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Video Navigation:
0:00 Introduction
0:21 This is Not a Product Recommendation Video!
0:53 tuft + paw Sponsorship
1:17 Feline Dietary Needs
3:55 What to Feed Your Cat
6:54 How Much to Feed Your Cat
7:49 How Often to Feed Your Cat
9:13 Conclusion
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[@AllAboutCatsYT]

😻Get 10% off tuft + paw products with coupon code ALLABOUTCATS10: allaboutcats.com/link/?href=https%3A%2F%2Fshareasale.com%2Fu.cfm%3Fd%3D879102%26m%3D87575%26u%3D1446115%26afftrack%3D 🥩Download the Complete Guide to Feline Nutrition: allaboutcats.com/free-ebook ✔Join the inner circle email list: allaboutcats.com/all-about-cats-inner-circle??

[@whiteknightcat]

You've got one dating site spambot in comments so far.

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

@@whiteknightcat Hey, thanks for mentioning that. I went through and deleted some of those, and I think KZbin ended up catching them as well.

[@garydunn6990]

I can't download the feline nutrition ebook. Please check into that...thanks!

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

@@garydunn6990 Hi Gary, I just learned about this issue, and I've asked our team to get it fixed ASAP. For now, here you go: allaboutcats.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/feline-nutrition-guide.pdf

[@walterco7701]

LOL, I don't think it matters how much I feed one of my cats, he's convinced I am starving him.

[@k.r.99]

Let me guess, orange cat? 😭

[@walterco7701]

@@k.r.99 Orange and white, in fact. ;)

[@k.r.99]

@@walterco7701 that's what i meant. Most orange cats have some white areas :) We have the same type American Wired Hear with short tail and he constantly asking for food and climbs on the dinner table if unoccupied

[@michaellewellyn9080]

@@k.r.99 beat me to it ...by a week, lol. My orange has trained me that 3:00 am is a required feeding time.

[@Rafaela201907]

What really works is to play with them before. They get tired, they eat a good meal and they sleep for a long time with a full belly. If you just feed him and leave... He will be asking for more all the time. He needs to get tired like he would if he was trying to catch his prey. 😊

[@ChrisJohnsonChannel]

Had my cat for about a month now.. I was feeding her dry food( I looked at the ingredients and was surprised with the low quality) but I stop and started feeding her wet… wet food food is soooo much better for them. I feel guilty now for giving her dry but I never had a cat before and I am still learning what’s best for my Daisy 🌼

[@tennismaroc]

They need both actually

[@seagirl0384]

You can also use the dry as treats, or for some of those puzzle toys. Rather than throwing it out!

[@ChrisJohnsonChannel]

@@seagirl0384 yea good idea 👍

[@pocketchangecirca91]

ya me either and i'm , well lets just say not young, never had a cat, never wanted one, actually hated them, then i found a family of cats in a culvert and kittens came out started playing with me. so i took care of them adopted 3 had the mother fixed and got the other 5 adopted out to coworkers.

[@sundaystorms5171]

What if the people who gave my cat at the rescue shelter only reccomended dry food?

[@Leathelight44]

I’m adopting a cat this months! I’m super excited and I wanted to make sure I’m the best cat mother this time around! I can’t wait I’m so excited.

[@heather4219]

I adopted my cat from a shelter, she loves dry and wet food. Binx tells me what she wants, if I put dry food down she sometimes meows and I know she wants wet food. It’s funny how cats tell you what they want and I love to make her happy!

[@halfrutter2226]

My girl gets a meal of raw meats including innards, egg, lactose free cottage cheese, and a liquid supplement of oil and vitamins. Snacks are dried small shrimp and pieces of sardines. She’s almost 18 and has always been in great health!

[@k.r.99]

That's not an ideal diet for your human daughter ... but for cats it sure is good.

[@samsunguser3148]

​@@k.r.99😂

[@Sledgehammers_Nail]

God your cat eats better than me

[@Irenialv]

I am a completely new cat owner and this is helpful! we adopted a 4 years old cat (or were adopted by him really) and he wakes me up every single day at 5 am on the dot for food and now I understand!

[@jessicafrandi4516]

We litterally feed our cats the same time we have our breakfast and dinner. We prepare a serving of royal canin wet food and topped with hill's dry food so they have something to "brush" their teeth. We just started this as the vet said one of the cats starting to have cavities and we need to brush them but he hated it so much it stressed him out. So the dry food is the alternative to teeth brushing. The vet is impressed by how much it helps with their teeth! Our cats look happy with this diet and the time we feed them, maybe it's also because we made it their habbit since they were so little.

[@JazminOdeth]

What dry food is it???

[@alexandrac9536]

dry food doesnt clean their teeth

[@madelinegarber7860]

Oh that’s smart. Maybe I’ll do that but in reverse. Or have one meal dry one wet.

[@kimeichner344]

As a new cat owner I found this info interesting & useful. Thanks for putting this video together.

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

So happy to hear that! I was hoping this video would reach some new cat owners. Thanks for watching and commenting. :)

[@PearlDrummerFTW]

How is everything going with your kitty?

[@honkymonkey9568]

I never knew why my cat always had blood in her feces. Then after seeing your video, I switched her to wet food and now she never has bloody feces anymore. I feel so guilty, but thank goodness I found your vid. I'm a fan forever.

[@loric941]

I appreciate that you get to the point. Concise information with resources. Some people online go on and on with chatter and you just delivered what you had in the heading! GREAT!!!!

[@vistalite]

My cat has been on prescription wet food for most of his life. He almost never drinks water. I’d be worried, but he sees his vet twice a year and always checks out in perfect health.

[@Aw_tig]

Cats on all wet food really don’t need to drink much water because it has such high moisture content 😊

[@MidwestFarmToys]

My cat ONLY drinks out of a cup I leave in the sink. Absolutely does not drink from his actual bowl next to his food. I just leave a cup with fresh water in the sink and he drinks about a half cup a day. Whatever works I guess lol

[@masteroogway1372]

@@MidwestFarmToys Cat's prefer not to have their water near their food sources. It would also be better if it was running/flowing since it mimics what they actually drink from in nature.

[@MidwestFarmToys]

@@masteroogway1372 well the cup in the sink isn't running, I tried moving his actual water bowl in there too and he didn't touch it either unfortunately

[@Barvazonik]

Also always look at the ingredients, big company's like royal canin, monge, Purina, and others make food that is more corn and rice then meat. Always look for meat as the first ingredient (royal canin and Purina split corn to 2 ingredients and rice so they won't be at the top of the list)

[@ericapoe]

Just love to see Wessey’s tail wagging in the back

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Yes, me too! He was excitedly waving his tail, so it wasn't the upset swish/wag that an unhappy cat would exhibit!

[@annelyle5474]

I had to learn a lot about feline nutrition after my Burmese developed diabetes, and I agree with everything presented here - I switched her to a low-carb wet diet (some raw, some cooked) and was able to get her off insulin as a result. My new kittens will be fed mainly low-carb wet food, with a little bit of dry for putting in puzzle toys 😀

[@downforwhatever67]

We filter our water and both cats drink frequently throughout the day. We leave free choice high quality dry out 24/7. We also feed wet at dawn and dusk. Vet says they are great. They are super active. No weight issues. Thanks for your great videos!

[@jozy5154]

So you alternate wet n dry? I have to change my cat’s diet. So I’m trying dry n freeze dried raw. He’s been on the raw for 4 years now. Stomach issues

[@Its_me--Boo_Radley]

I thought I could "control" my cats' diets when I first adopted them two years ago. I bought cases of the most expensive canned food that was recommended on All About Cats. The result: I ended up donating almost all of the expensive food to the cat adoption agency because my cats refused to eat them. So now I'm playing it by ear ... I test small amounts of different food to see which ones they will eat more than once. At this point its a combo of Reveal and Fancy Feast (both from the grocery store--and only one flavor of each). They also eat a combo of kibble--the Chewy brand American Journey and Instinct, both Grain-Free. For dinner they also share 6 cooked shrimp, which they both love. They get Temptation treats throughout the day, With the can of food in the morning, I squeeze a packet of Churu on the plate just to tempt the pickiest of the two to injest some amount of moisture since some days she is not interested in the food. I wish I could tempt them into a higher quality of canned food, but they are definitely not gourmet kitties.

[@haleemamoin7868]

Sounds like our nitpicky cats 😂😂😂

[@arking2868]

Of course they will choose low grade food just because of added flavour, just like a kid can be easily addicted to fast foods

[@haleemamoin7868]

@@arking2868 hi , wondering if u could help me out , what is a good quality wet food that nitypicky kitties would like ? Something affordable? Went thru blue buffalo, wellness , nutro , nulo , they simply walk away with tails n noses in the air 🤦🏽 someone said authority, pet smart brand is protein enriched and well tolerated, one eats it , the other won't , one accepted the gravy can . Tried cattit food toppers , didn't quite go too well

[@ashleamendelson1414]

@@haleemamoin7868 I have the exact same problem with my cats. I’m currently feeding them Purina pro plan wet 2x day and crunchy in between. Somethings they will eat somethings they will not. I’ve tried all the expensive brand and they won’t touch them. Currently, I am switching them to the brand Orijen because I hear Purina pro plan isn’t that great and not only that but it’s high in carbs. I have an older cat that I’m worried about so I’ve switched to that brand because it seems to be a lower carb food. They won’t touched the canned version. They only like the Purina pro plan and only two flavors at that. So I will be following this conversation. I’m curious to see what else is out there for options that I have not tried.

[@haleemamoin7868]

@@ashleamendelson1414 our cats were on proplan for a few years , they loved the taste, but one kept throwing up all the time. One managed to get a lil chonky , did try acana , origin, didn't sit well with their tums . Vet put one of them on a prescription diet , he hasn't really lost weight with it , neither does it satisfy his hunger , Royal canin vet prescribed. Ones on Royal canin sensitive digestion, her puking has reduced to occasionally from every other day. Otherwise their health is very well . One is a younger cat, was outdoors the longest time,, was giving him cat chow by Purina, now he's inside, he likes Purina one, tried proplans live clear for him , as his fur is different and I've developed an allergy with it , he simply refused to touch it. So back to Purina one for him ! Of all the cans and tins we've gone thru , a few flavors of fancy feast and whiskas seem to be a hit ,pates mostly. Almo naturals is also well liked , but on the pricey side . That too chicken and tuna only .

[@metaaa99]

Honestly my cats probably drink more water than I do! It was super worrying at first because my previous cats drank water just as much as regular cats so I thought they were dehydrated or something and drinking a lot to compensate, but nope they are perfectly healthy and just strange cats that love staying hydrated 😅

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Yeah, some cats are like that! As long as they've received a clean bill of health, there's no reason to worry!

[@itsaaronlolz]

i give my cat a 1/4 cup of dry food and a can of fancy feast a day. he’s a 2 year old lynx point siamese and he seems healthy, not fat, and has nice fur. he’s 10 pounds but the feeding guide says he should eat a cup of dry food or 4 cans of fancy feast a day and i think he would be obese if i fed him that much 😂

[@nushar]

I would switch from Fancy Feast to a better quality cheap wet food, for example Nulo. Two 3 oz cans or one 5.5 oz cans per day, supplemented by ~1 tablespoon of quality dry should be enough. Larger size cans (Nulo comes in 12.5 oz cans too) work out cheaper, but then you do have to deal with refrigerating and reheating, so your call on that. Good luck.

[@theshunnedBandersnatch]

The feeding guides vary SO wildly 😂 My cat is about 8 pounds and "should" be eating 3 cans/day. But 2 cans of paté and some toppers seem to be the sweet spot for her. Plus she goes through phases of eating more or eating a bit less.

[@laurenm2056]

This makes me feel better! I do 1/4 cup dry hills science diet in the morning, and a 3oz can of tiki at night. sometimes he gets one of the liquid treats during the day but he’s the perfect size on this

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Hey Aaron, I've noticed that our calculator seems to be generating some odd results; I'm going to contact the vet and developer to double-check that it's working correctly.

[@joannewilson6577]

Mine is 18 months and she eat 150 gr per day of wet food (30 gr each 5 hours) and a bit of dry food at will at night....she weight 6 pounds...

[@amischair1906]

Mallory, because of your videos, I now feed my cat a variety of dry and wet foods and treats which seems to be making her happy ❤

[@John-K-N]

Thank you for all your sage wellness advice & invaluable recommendations. I have virtually weaned my kitty off of dry food since her first birthday four months ago. I still occasionally toss in a handful of Hill's Oral Care kibbles into her bowl as dental maintenance because she refuses to let me brush her teeth, but you can definitely see the difference wet food has on a cat's overall health.

[@mindful47]

How many cans of wet food does your cat take?

[@John-K-N]

@@mindful47 One 3oz can per meal, twice a day, plus a late night snack of similar portion of mixed variety.

[@ethicscannie5716]

Thank you for the link to the free download of the ebook on the vet's food guide for cats! Much appreciated. From Canada ♥️🇨🇦♥️

[@bendals3809]

Thank you so much for this post You have validatated my cats wanting frequent small meals throughout the day 😻

[@albertjones1386]

I have two sister cats that have been together since birth. They are two and a half years old. For the first 4 months of their lives, they were fed a combination of can wet food and dry food. When I got them at four months I continued that uses the same brands that they were use to. At about a year, I started to notice that they were both getting sick and leaving messes on the floor and as time went by, there was an out right refusal to eat any can wet food. They have been eating dry food twice a day. I check their weight and they seem to have leveled out and their weight has remained the same for at least a year. Not only do they have a large water bowl next to their food but I also bought one of the fountains that you recommended and they really to like it. They seem to be very healthy. Thanks for your program. I have learned a lot

[@summerfatima2525]

You’re the main person I trust for cat advice 😢 thank you for your help 🙏

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

It's an honor, Summer.

[@goatsticks101]

You are so amazing and well spoken!!! Thank you ❤

[@sherfinley8855]

Very helpful video. Thanks Mallory 😊

[@sparrowgeiller9360]

Great info! Thanks.

[@hillaryburdick9313]

Your kitty is so cute! Also, really good suggestions! My 2 year old cat was having trouble losing weight because she couldn’t metabolize carbs well. So per the vet’s suggestion, I switched to wet food a few months ago. It has made a huge difference, and she now is a much healthier weight!

[@Kyarrix]

Cats are obligate carnivores. They are not meant to be eating carbohydrates. A cat can survive on dry food but it won't thrive. In addition to the carbohydrates, dry food lacks hydration. In the wild cats get most of their water from eating meat, from their food. Dry food can be a supplement to a cat's diet but it should never be the primary source of calories. Even for cats that are young and healthy if you want them to stay healthy and happy and feel good, you feed them a good quality wet food. Our cats love crunchy food because they got it in the shelter before we adopted them. We feed them wet food three times a day (they're still kittens at 7 months and need more calories) and give them a little bit of dry food, an eighth of a cup as a treat from time to time. I'm glad your cat is doing better and that you are feeding him wet food. The extra expense is worth it because the cat will be healthier, less vet bills and a happier cat.

[@edschulhof6303]

@@Kyarrix Good advice. I also mix raw ground beef or boiled chicken with the wet food.

[@Kyarrix]

@@edschulhof6303 Thank you. Why raw ground beef?

[@edschulhof6303]

@@Kyarrix Raw is better for them. It's what they would eat in the wild. I just make sure the beef is fresh, from a local store. They get it two or three times a week. Same with the chicken. I boil the chicken, because my two kittens, nine months old, won't eat it raw.

[@jeanmorell1947]

I feed my two 13 year olds brothers Purina one wet pate urine formula and dry foods. It’s affordable to me especially with my budget.

[@sarahb3738]

Thank you so much for this. I really needed it ♥️

[@blueskykitten]

Prefect! I’m getting a cat on Wednesday and food was the thing I had the most questions with :)

[@millaezman8984]

thank you for answering a question i didnt even know i had! brilliant!

[@kevinbranch857]

Love and appreciate your content!

[@Sammich88]

I'd like to note that if it's true cats can utilize carbohydrates but it isn't in their natural diet hence they don't need it, the same can be said for humans to some degree. Many health experts believes we don't actually need carbohydrates to survive but I'd argue even if that's true, it's hard to be happy without it lol. As long as it doesn't kill us and we eat it at the proper amount, we should be fine. With that said, I don't intentionally pick foods with carbs in them for my fur babies. I buy pretty much mostly wet food with one Stella & Chewy freeze dried which I do put 3 tablespoons of water serving. I put it in the microwave and heat it for about 7 to 8 seconds just to heat the water so it'll absorb into the freeze dried morsels. For anyone who's against microwaving cat food, no microwaving shows no signs of nuclear radiation if people STILL believes that. Most cats also seems to prefer warm food anyways so any methods of warming food without overcooking it will probably be more enjoyable to your cats. Your cats do catch warm prey after all if left to their own device. This is why if your cat ever catches a cold, warm up the food so that they can smell it better and be enticed to eat.

[@DPSVEGAS]

I do 2 feeds a day. Both meals are 1/8th cup dry food, 1/4 cup of water, with half a serving of wet Sheba. Both of my cats polish their bowls off every feed. I found that adding water to their dry food helps a lot for cats that don’t stay hydrated.

[@Jack_Callcott_AU]

That sounds like a good idea💡... Cats are very prone to urinary tract disorders, and kidney dysfunction. Hydration helps to prevent these problems.

[@Sam-jn3jc]

Most informative video i have seen about cats diet, especially the evolutionary aspect. Thank you so much 👍

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

So glad you appreciated it! Thanks for the kind comment.

[@sirdarklust]

"Go forth and feed your cat" sounds so poetic...

[@juneack5848]

This was a great video. Just data with no grift. Thank you.

[@sharonh988]

Thanks so much. Very helpful.

[@rjgaynor8]

I figured a lot of this out on my own but your video popped up on my feed. This was a very informative video. I kinda let my cats decide when and how much to eat and just balanced it from there. They only want to eat when we wake up and when the sun goes down. They also remind us when it’s time to eat.

[@Darkangel-hy8ev]

Yes yes yes, someone with some common sense!!! You are spot on my friend!! That is exactly what everyone should be doing, and if it is working for your cat, fantastic, all i have ever done, and i have grown up with cats since childhood, and obviously have them now, also work with them! I really don't know why people are trying to over complicate this issue, it is not rocket science lol

[@joey86bu1]

Great job M. Because of your vids my boys get the wet stuff with some added filtered water mixed in.

[@shtoyshted]

Wild cats do eat carbohydrates, these are found in the digestive tract of the prey animal and the cat consumes them too! These can include grains and vegetable matter, what ever the prey animal eats. It's not a negligible amount of carbohydrates that make up part of a cats diet if they are catching and eating whole prey. I'm not advocating for 100% carb diet, but I don't think we need to be quite as scared of carbs as the video makes out.

[@elle6600]

I mean, the amount that cats eat in the wild is only 2.8%, and they specifically avoid starches, which is what’s found in most commercial cat food. Low-carb doesn’t mean completely 0%, but in a world where the most popular cat foods average between 20-40% carbohydrate (and usually high GI carbs and starches) and people generally don’t realize that they should be checking that, it’s pretty important

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

​@@elle6600 Hey there! I've noticed a few comments from you on the channel, and you seem to know your stuff! We're looking for someone who'd be willing to edit articles on All About Cats. On the off chance that you're interested, feel free to email me at [e-mail]. I hope this doesn't make you feel awkward or pressured-just wanted to put out the offer. Take care!

[@Godstransformeddaughter]

This was so helpful you’re amazing

[@thelifeofzoe9201]

I give my cat both dry and wet food, and fresh water of course. She is still young and I want her to be and stay familiar with both may one ever give problems. I don't have to tell which food she prefers. But food is food she is not fussy. Her litter box business always looks golden. So I think i am doing things right😄 Ooh and fun fact i am having a job application at a ''partner in pet food'' factory on monday. So i can maybe cook my own animals dinner in the future 😁. Cheers keep up the good work!

[@gerretw]

my mom cat was a stray I adopted - she loves fried chicken and will swipe it off my plate. So I feed her and her kitten canned food when I eat to keep that under control. She is starting to get used to a routine, 3 cans a day - breakfast, dinner and before I go to bed. Plus I leave a bowl of dryfood out. Her 2 mo old kitten doesn't eat as much as she does, and I hope to get them down to 2 meals a day.

[@dietschegroosmame3596]

My two cats are wet food only. Mostly homemade and otherwise grain free canned. Four portioned meals per day. Happy and healthy.

[@ruzdaniellegarcia4774]

My cat was raised in our yard and my neighbors would bring leftover food outside for the stray cats to eat. And since mine lived outdoors, he would join the stray cats to eat the leftovers. This is why he is used to eat any meat of any kind, cooked or not (like fish guts from the mobile fish vendor who would sell and clean fish and toss them towards the cats that would gather from his voice). P.S. My cat gets his regular deworming, so no parasites to worry about.

[@johnryannfortmyersfl]

Great video, vets know next to nothing about cat nutrition, my vet is cats only and he admits he wasn’t taught nutrition in vet school. When my cat got sick in 2006 (immune crash from vaccines), I hired an animal nutritionist who saved my cats life. Unlike in 2006 there are many great raw options, Mine love Stella and chewy, and better canned options too. My cat was also in stage 2 kidney failure from dry food, I stopped that immediately in 2006 and her CRF stopped and she lived another 10 years. I still add a supplement blend to my cats food, taurine based with digestive enzymes, multi B, C, I do need to get better about adding fish oil more often.

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Wow, I'm very impressed that you were able to turn around your cat's renal failure. That's an incredible testament to the power of good food. Thank you for sharing.

[@alexandrac9536]

Came across this after watching a Jackson Galaxy video. Really great that you are sharing this knowledge. The sooner people stop feeding cats dry food, the fewer serious diet-related health issues. kibble is convenient, but it will catch up to them.

[@compupsych3897]

Great video, thank you!

[@ysa9]

You should actually do top cat foods based on the talk points on this video please 😍

[@kbaz6658]

Recently tested 2 wet foods that all 4 of my cats seems to really like. Instinct Original real chicken and Wellness Chicken entree. Seems my cats get bored and need variety. Use multiple other wet and some dry. They have 3 water bowls & 2 fountains in multiple locations. It's difficult when one is 20, losing weight and kidney issues. KD hasnt kept his weight on so supplementing-hard to balance. Another one is 16 and lost weight. Two are younger stray rescues. They seem to overeat until they get used to the idea that food now always available. Then they slim back down.

[@chrisharris7931]

Neither of my cats will touch canned food, much less raw. I've tried just about every brand out there. The same goes for chicken or tuna. I try to compensate with Inaba and Hartz squeeze treats(4 a day for each of them), but I really wish that they'd at least eat canned food.

[@monksnack7293]

Dawn and dusk. Perfect. Thank you.

[@DeneF]

Our cat eats a pouch of food with a very small sprinkle of kibble around every eight hours. He always knows when the 8 hours are up too. Lol

[@user-ku8ov6sj8s]

Thankyou for all your information I love your channell. I have 3 cats. I feed wet very early in the mornings. I feed small portions of dry throughout the day. I have a water fountain so they drink frequently. Your 2 cats are so cute.

[@valsptsd814]

I have well water, and the 4 vain roommates drink only bottled. They have a fountain water bowl that is their favorite. Thanks again for excellent advice.

[@The_10th_Man]

Good idea, well water can contain unpredictable amounts of minerals, metals and all sorts of contaminates.

[@dirtymoney8378]

Great channel. I recommend it to my friends when we're talking cats largely because the information presented is reliable and reasonably accurate. In today's presentation as well as most presentations on cats' feeding, two statements seem to appear together. First is that cats are obligate carnivores. Absolutely correct. Cats cannot synthesize some of their necessary nutrients which primarily come from meat. The second statement has to do with cats not needing, shouldn't have, or don't want carbohydrates because they are obligate carnivores. It's a popular opinion, but perhaps not totally correct. Consider that feral and farm cats that hunt for a living feed largely on small animals, rodents, small birds, insects, etcetera. These food creatures tend to be omnivores or herbivores and since eat most of their prey including the internal organs. This indicates that such cats are indeed intaking carbohydrates in their meals and do quite well with them. You may want to consult with several naturalists and veterinarians as I am neither. The best to you and your colleagues.

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Thank you for the comment. Someone else mentioned this as well, so it does seem that I mischaracterized the relationship between cats and carbs, although I _do_ know everything you've mentioned here. From what I understand, the natural feline diet is nonetheless about 2% carbohydrates, and some of that is indigestible carbohydrate matter, i.e. fiber. www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/estimation-of-the-dietary-nutrient-profile-of-freeroaming-feral-cats-possible-implications-for-nutrition-of-domestic-cats/2E0E827469FFC1AF51387E045C06759A So while I do understand that cats consume some carbohydrate matter, it's still true that the average plant-inclusive (or plant-based) cat food is in excess of that natural balance.

[@littlehaydaygrian4535]

I’m babysitting my neighbors’s 1 year old cat, for a week. They told me i should feed her 2 bowl dry food and 1 wet can per day. She almost doesn’t even touch dry food and water. But always wants more wet food.

[@swettyspaghtti]

always love Wessie the show cat Thumbnails 😻

[@jc.1191]

Forrest looking so adorable in her tower bed.

[@itszenbaby]

My cats tell me they want water. The love to drink and play with it. They wait and meow in the bath tub until I come and turn the tap on. When I put water in a jug the come straight over and take a sip.

[@mandyinseattle]

This might be an obvious question but how long can I leave canned food out that I've opened? 2 hours max, I'm guessing?

[@yujiewu1748]

Hi Mallory, thank you for the video! I have two 8 months old kitten and they are now 8 pounds on average so according to the guideline they need about 480-500 kcal every day per cat, and that's about 2-3 cans of 5.5oz per day per cat. They can never finish that much. If I try to limit dry food and give them more wet food, altogether they can only finish 2-3 cans in total, and they are just not getting enough kcal they need according to the guideline and they seem really inactive because of that. I have only limited dry food for them for about 2-3 days and since they are still growing, I don't wanna test them out for any longer. So now to get them on the targeted feeding guideline, they now get about 3/5 of that from dry food and only 2/5 from wet food. I feel that if they get into adult hood, then perhaps the ratio will be better. Is there any research on how feeding dry/wet for kitten influence their health later on? Or is there any better way to get them into eating wet food more?

[@RoseDragoness]

sadly my adult cat tends to never finish his wetfood then asks for more foods. The only ones he finish are the expensive ones like royal canine. In the end, I can't even afford normal canned foods and resort to dry food everyday + wet food once a week.

[@Flow-xm6pk]

Great content, very informative. And you're a treat for eyes and ears too 😊. Keep up the good work!

[@haroldhunter4671]

Charlie and I switched cat food to Smalls. Working out good so far as he seems to like Smalls as well or better than his old. Many thanks. Ohh Charlie is my cat.

[@byootifie]

This is very helpful--thank you so much! Can you tell me what brand of cat food is in the bowl @ 7:11?

[@rissabiagi1570]

What are your thoughts on adding warm water to my kitty’s food twice per day? It makes it into a gravy and he laps it up happily! How much gravy water would I need to give him in order to ensure that he is getting an adequate amount of hydration? I want to feed him a higher quality food but cannot afford the wet version. So, I buy the dry and do the gravy trick.

[@Mrhoneyyhole]

Me and this feral cat became friends on my smoke breaks at home, and when she finally trusts me and let’s me close a door behind her just seemed like a big step forward lol until she pukes up every bowl of dry food we gave her. And then switching to wet food was a great choice but also it seems like she sure eats a lot. And also wants the dogs dry food too..😅 our dog is terrified of this kitty it makes me feel bad. She’s a odd cat that uses her head like a plow and the way she purs is intense. and the way she uses her tail is hilarious. I’m happy I haven’t seen her at the door to go back out 😊 she also seems to drool when she’s really excited it’s funny.

[@A-uf3so]

Thanks 😊

[@kylor1912]

Great video! Are you from NJ by the way?

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Nope.

[@BionicRasta]

When feeding kibble its better to go for grain free with a high meat content which are usually the more expensive brands, altho i understand people can only buy what they can afford. They will drink more water anyway when feeding dry kibble so dehydration its not really an issue. My female cat is prone to urinary tract issues so i feed her kibble designed to help manage it, plus she snacks & doesn't eat her food all in one go, therefore wet food would dry out & go to waste. Altho i do give her a small amount of tuna prawn / shrimp wet food in the evening as a treat but not enough to interfere with her main diet.

[@marcduhamel-guitar1985]

The auto feeder helps giving meals to my cat at the appropriate time. I give her a good piece of wet food in the evening. She was getting IBS from getting only dry food, so I changed to a combination diet and she's never seemed healthier!

[@Coxfame]

We have an outdoor cat. We use to give them walmart dry food and they were averages in weight (they also catching mouses). We switched it to a well know brand food, they like it alot want to eat more but also gaining weights. We feed them about 6 tines a day.

[@merrilew]

This is fantastic and just what I needed! I adopted a 10-year-old and she has developed a kidney issue. I don’t want her to lose weight but I didn’t know exactly how much I should still allow her to eat. All of these are great and helpful. Thank you!

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lindasapiecha2515]

Thank You🥰

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

You're welcome!

[@Oro-Blanco]

great video. I wonder if you can do one episode on how to "force" cat to switch from dry food to wet? My ragdoll loves any dry food and doesn't like any wet. Tried all brands of wet food on the market he still likes dry. Any advice to change that?

[@Usernamehear]

That pillow on the bottom shelf is a mirrors image of my cat !

[@boataxe4605]

I have a really good cat named Skipper, and he has a duel bowl,one side for dry and the other for wet. He eats his wet food when he gets it in the morning, and then snacks on the dry food when he wants to. He is not a glutton,so he never eats all of the dry food. He also gets a small amount of people food when I’m eating something that is ok for cats ( He loves Popeye’s chicken!) To the person that is inevitably going to criticize the table scraps,he is my third cat,and the first two were fed the same way and they both lived to 17.

[@butternutyeeetsbanana.-.5389]

For my male cats I go for wet foods because male cats are prone to getting urinary crystals that grow into stones which is life threatening.

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Yes, it does seem like a dry diet is a little bit safer for female cats.

[@dianehall5345]

Hello from ⛵ Lakes Region New Hampshire. I have a question regarding chicken breast meat. I understand it may contain some salt. I vacuumed sealed the chicken breast and poached it in its own juice, then cut up the meat and rinsed it well under cold water. I added a packet of Fancy Feast chicken in broth to moisten. I only add a teaspoon of this chicken mixture as a topper on her Sheba food. It is much cheaper than a case of Tiki brand " after dark" chicken breast meat. I may be able to find chicken breast with no salt added. I am on a budget. Thank you. ~ Diane

[@andrewolesen8773]

We are trying to feed our kitten primarily wet food. We leave dry out in case he wants snacks when we aren’t around. He never eats a whole can of wet in one meal though, and as soon as the leftovers are in the fridge he goes and has some of the dry. Doesn’t matter how long or accessible we make the wet.

[@charlynw6806]

What brand of cat bowl is that in your video? It’s fantastic. 😻🙂

[@dumbblackhairgirl]

i saw a stray cat in my school and the food they give is a very low amount. so i wanted to watch this video so that i can give the cat the correct amount ❤

[@Lavon78]

My cat eats mostly wet food and small amount of dry. I noticed he starts getting sores and hair loss when he eats Chicken, Turkey or Duck wet foods. Since I stopped those his coat became shiner and bald spots disappeared. He eats Shrimp, Tuna, Salmon and Ocean fish flavors from Tastefuls Blue Buffalo brand at Target. I've tried Expensive foods at Petco and he won't eat it. 🙃 His dry kibble is from Science Diet Adult basic food and he enjoys it. Should I try the same brand for his dry food as his wet food? Thanks for your helpful videos!

[@DannyO3]

Hello Mallory, thanks for all your informative videos. Do you have any videos about low sodium wet cat foods options?

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

No, not yet. Why are you looking for low sodium? One of our other videos or articles might be able to help.

[@DannyO3]

@@AllAboutCatsYT I recently found out my cat has a heart condition and my Vet recommended a low sodium diet. Thanks!

[@lamaminatsuki]

Have you had experience with UTIs or FLUTD? I've been researching about best foods for those diagnoses (brands, whether wet urinary food is better than dry urinary food, if it's okay to feed high quality wet foot with more water instead of special urinary food, etc) but a video with your knowledge would be great!

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

An experience with FLUTD is what started my interest in improving my cat's diet. Wessie became almost completely blocked when he was 2, and switching to a high-moisture diet seemed to turn things around after the second bout of urinary tract disease. At the time, we fed him Friskies with added water, and that seemed to be adequate, but it seems that pH balance, mineral content, and other factors may also play a part, depending on what type of urinary issues your cat has. The Royal Canin article I scroll through in this video (vetfocus.royalcanin.com/en/scientific/the-water-requirements-and-drinking-habits-of-cats) has a lot of great information, and I'd love to consider making a video on this as well. Hope this helps!

[@lamaminatsuki]

@@AllAboutCatsYT Seems like a high-moisture diet is the way to go! My 6yo cat Zeus recently developed struvite crystals, so that's why I've been looking for advice. All the vets that I've met seem to just like dry urinary cat food such as Hills, but idk... Too expensive and too full of grains for me. Thanks for your reply!

[@jc.1191]

@@lamaminatsuki Any of the dry uti brands may help if it's not calcium crystals iirc. But wet, especially wet uti is preferred by my previous vet. I used dry without issues for years, but switched to wet from friskies regular and she is fine.

[@beatriciasong9977]

Hi mallory! I was wondering what you thought about NHV supplements for preventative care?

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Hey there Beatricia, good question. I hadn't heard of NHV supplements before, but after taking a look at the lineup, it seems like they're offering herbal supplements for cats. I don't have enough experience with these herbal formulations to say anything definite, but the fact that they are vet-formulated is a good sign. Additionally, I can see that the Tripsy used in their urinary tract supplement has been clinically shown to have promise for urinary stones. They seem very expensive, though, and you might be better off using a combination of other clinically-proven effective supplements instead. I know this isn't comprehensive-I'll do some more research on them for our upcoming video on the best vitamins and supplements for cats. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

[@clau_rafa]

Thank you! Great info! p.s. You're so beautiful 💖

[@eniggma9353]

thx

[@M0n1cki]

Is it possible to have a video on life expectancy and how to increase it? I have my first and only cat and he just turned 1 year old and I want to ensure I do everything I can to give him a happy comfortable and healthy abundant life so that he can stick around with me for as long as possible :)

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Hey there. I'm thinking about doing this as a short video sometime next year, so stay tuned. It is a really good topic and, really, at the heart of everything else we talk about here, so it's very much something I'm interested in talking about. Thanks for stopping by!

[@aliciacarmona5004]

Hi . I have a few questions i feed my cat since 5 months cooked ground beef and sometimes ground Turkey.. is 85% leans beef and 15% fat ok for him i mix his meat with know Better premix supplements . My question is that the beef is very greasy is that ok. The ground Turkey is 85% lean and fat 15%. If its too fat can I buy 93% lean and 7% fat. Please help. Not sure if the fat is too much

[@MattMendians]

I would feel bad if I left my kitty without some food to eat on her own. My vet recommended staying away from wet food cause my cat was borderline a bit overweight. She is actually pretty good about drinking her water which is good and uncommon for most cats! This video just confirms to me that keeping food out all the time and changing water twice daily seems to work. Also cleaning the litter box every day! I don’t know who can leave their kitty with no food going to work? It’s worked for me many years!

[@mattj340]

I feed my cats 50-⁵0 milk water to my cats now and their hydration levels, weight, regularity and coat quality improved. I'm still wondering if it's healthy though.

[@pocketchangecirca91]

that orange cat i swear looks and is built just like my cat Bubba, and you said flush out urinary tract right as he started eating. mine has had to go to vet twice since october not being able to pee, they put a tube in him flush him out, then i had a $3000 surgery to remove a tube and replace with a larger tube and a straighter flow out/ drained my bank account too. but he seems to be doing good. so yes every chance you get have them around inviting water and moister in food.

[@rangerlovee3324]

i love the idea of giving my cats little meals throughout the house. just hard with 2 and one is a pig :p I am going to try to make it work though

[@TheChefmike66]

I developed an obsession in October that caused me to buy a pretty cool meat grinder and start making my cats' food. I don't think dry food is OK for cats. Yes, they are healthy while in the earlier stages of their lives, but I have seen too many beloved pets of mine have urinary problems that were fatal(in three cases.) Another case only cost a great deal of money but wasn't fatal. I'm 56 and have had cats all of my life but I think I killed all of my cats early by feeding them dry food. If you don't agree that's fine, I get it. My life is all about this bullshit now so yeah. Wish I was still on the kibble program lowkey lol!!

[@dkleath8697]

Hi, Mallory! Do you have any tips/ tricks on how to weigh my cat? I only have an 11" square food scale... Thank you for All you do to Educate us on proper cat care 🤗!

[@squishymaru3376]

I step on the scale and get my weight, and then pick up my cat and weigh both of us, then I just subtract for the difference for my cats weight

[@s.a6836]

If you have an Amazon box that's not too big and your cat fits in it you could weigh the box and then the cat in the box

[@jc.1191]

@@squishymaru3376 That works for me as well, just not great accuracy.

[@benjaminrobinson3842]

@Kevin L A scale designed to weigh a 200lb human can probably be off by a couple pounds, since that kind of discrepancy is small compared to the total weight of the person. For a 10lb cat, however, that same two-pound difference would represent a 20% inaccuracy.

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

As a few others have mentioned, I usually do it by weighing myself holding the cat, and then subtracting my weight. You'll need to use a scale that shows at least 1/10-pound increments, though, because those ounces make a big difference for a cat! Alternatively, you could probably train your cat to sit on the food scale OR use a baby scale and a treat!

[@fusionflash88]

Could you do a best exercise wheel video?

[@AllAboutCatsYT]

Yes!