dry food amounts for seniors

I am trying to sort out the dry food amounts for my senior cats and I want to make sure I am not overfeeding or underfeeding. Cleo is nine and has arthritis, so I want to keep her weight down but not starve her. Max is five and still very healthy, so his needs are different. I have seen conflicting advice on how much to serve per day. Does anyone have a standard portion size they use for seniors on dry food? I am looking for a general guideline to start with.

It really depends on the specific health issues, Terri. For Mabel, who is twelve and in kidney stage 1, I follow a strict portioning guide that is different from what I do for Ollie, who is eight and diabetic. You can check out portioning for kidney disease to see how I manage Mabel's intake. For Ollie, I have to be very careful with the schedule, so diabetic feeding schedules has more detail on that. Since your cats have different conditions, there isn't one single amount that works for both.

Short answer: it varies by cat. Ziggy is six and eats way more than Biscuit does. I just use the bag as a guide but adjust based on weight. If you have multiple cats, you have to make sure they aren't stealing each other's food. I wrote about that in separate feeding stations if you want to see how I set up my kitchen.

Oh my gosh, I am so worried about Coco! She is fourteen and has hip issues, so she is not very active. I have been feeding her what the bag says but she is getting a little chubby. I think I need to cut back! I read calculating daily calories for seniors and it made me realize I was giving her too much. Peanut is five and still a big boy, so he eats more. It is so hard to get the balance right when they are all different sizes!

I am with you on the worry, Beth. Mittens is twelve and has arthritis too. I lost Pepper recently and it has been hard, but I want to make sure Mittens stays comfortable. I use a scale to measure out her food so I don't guess. I think keeping dry food fresh is also important because older cats can be picky if the food isn't crisp. I hope this helps you feel a bit less alone in this. :)