While the specifics vary from brand to brand and between different types of canned food, as a very rough guideline, a 3-ounce can of cat food has around 70 to 100 calories, so the average adult cat would need to eat two or three cans of food per day.
How Many Cans of Cat Food per Day for a Kitten? For kittens, due to their small size, most cat parents opt to use one 3-ounce can of kitten food. Make sure to look for a recipe designed for kittens, as kittens have vastly different nutritional needs than adult cats.
A cat on high-protein wet food should feel fine on two meals per day.
The extra moisture found in wet cat food does not cause diarrhea. In fact, dry food often causes diarrhea because of all the extra fillers that the food contains compared to wet cat food. Feeding too much wet food per meal can cause soft stools because a cat has a short digestive tract.
Most cats need 4-5 ounces of canned food per day, total.
Cat Food Portions Matter
But, in general, cats do best when they eat multiple smaller meals throughout the day—two at a minimum, but more might be better. The math that you just performed can help inform your decision. In the example that we've used, the cat should be eating 3 1/3 cans per day.
For example, Blue Buffalo Wilderness Kitten Chicken Grain-Free Canned Cat Food advises that you feed your kitten as much as they'll eat in three or four daily feedings until they're 20 weeks old. After that, ½ can of food per pound of body weight every day is appropriate until 30 weeks.
Feed 1 can per 3 to 3-1/2 pounds of body weight daily. Divide into 3 or more meals. Continue to adjust as needed to maintain your kitten in ideal body condition and avoid excess weight gain. Refrigerate unused portion.
Wet and raw diets have higher digestibility ratios, which means fewer bowel movements than a kibble-fed feline. And any diet low in fiber could back your kitty up and result in less frequent bowel movements.
Because raw or canned food's higher moisture content plays a major role in a cat's overall health and hydration. Dry foods are not a bad option for your cat but should always be complemented with wet food daily to provide necessary dietary moisture with their tasty meats.
Feeding your cat wet food every day in addition to dry food ensures that your cat receives plenty of fluids. This is because fresh animal-based food naturally contains lots of water, which is also a key part of the jelly that binds the pieces together.
Cats should eat at least two meals each day, about 12 hours apart. But a breakfast, lunch, afternoon, dinner, and right before bed schedule is an equally great option. If more than 12 hours elapses between meals, the stomach can become hyperacidic causing nausea.
Does wet cat food go bad if left out? The answer is that when left out, cat food can quickly grow bacteria. This bacteria can be harmful and can lead to digestive issues for your cat. Not only that, but when you leave wet cat food out, it will congeal into an unappealing texture, and your cat may not eat it anyway.
For canned food, you should feed as much as the kitten will eat, ideally in four or at least 3 meals per day until the kitten gets to be four months old. From four to six months old, you'd feed roughly 2/3 of a 3-oz. can per pound of body weight per day, and from six months to a year, about half a 3-oz.
The Bottom Line. While Fancy Feast can be part of a balanced diet for your cat and provides complete nutrition, it may not be quite as fancy as the name suggests. As with any food, ensure the first few ingredients are high-quality, natural proteins like fish, chicken, or meat.
Instead, they have two options: wet food, or dry kibble. Unlike dry cat food, wet food has enough water in it to provide your cat with much of the hydration they need. You can then use a running source of water (like a pet fountain) to provide the rest of the hydration that they need.
Urinary Tract Health — When you feed your cat wet food, it can increase your cat's water intake, resulting in more urine production.
Ultimately, your cat will decide whether she prefers dry or wet cat food. Purina nutritionists recommend feeding a combination of wet and dry food, though. This helps ensure she gets plenty of moisture in her diet, plus the dental benefits of dry food, all while adding variety to keep her interested.
The average cat should eat 4-6 ounces of canned food per day split between 2-3 meals but this is just a general guideline. One can of Fancy Feast is 3.5 ounces. When determining how much you should be feeding your cat once transitioned to canned food, keep it simple. Too fat-feed a little less.
Many wet foods come in three-ounce cans and recommend feeding approximately one can a day for every three to three and a half pounds of body weight.
As a general guide, a small 4kg cat will require between 135-180 calories per day, which equates to around 130-205g of wet cat food, however, this will vary depending on the brand and type of food you choose.
– Adding extra water to wet food can also help increase water intake. Some cats will happily eat a food that resembles soup! – Start by adding a small quantity of water (e.g. 1 dessert spoonful) and gradually increase this over a period of several days if your cat is happy to eat their watered down food.
A can of wet food is about 70–80% water. So if your cat is eating wet food, which is highly recommended, they might get between 3.85–4.4 ounces of water from a single can (an average 5.5 ounce can).
Another big disadvantage is that wet foods are not as convenient as dry foods. Meals can be messy and require more cleanup. They spoil quickly (within a few hours) if left out, so any uneaten portions must be thrown away. Opened cans or pouches must be refrigerated (and many cats don't care for cold leftovers).