portioning dry food for a 12yo

I just switched my senior cat to a high-protein dry food to help with his weight, but I’m not sure if I’m giving him enough since he used to eat more kibble.

I know the new food is denser, so I feel like I might be underfeeding him, but I don't want to undo all the progress we've made. I wrote up the details of the vet visit and his history in my previous thread so you don't have to dig through the old posts. Has anyone else made this switch for a senior?

Hi Ruth, welcome back to the forum. It is very common to feel unsure when switching formulas. Since his previous kibble was likely less nutrient-dense, he may have needed a larger volume to feel full. I have a thread on standard dry food amounts that might help you gauge where you are starting from. How is his energy level now?

@terri_lewis thanks for the link. His energy is actually up a bit, which is a good sign. But he does stare at the bowl more than he used to. I worry he is just hungry because the protein is higher, not because he is malnourished. I found this list of high protein dry food options that Kim posted, and this specific brand was on it, which is why I chose it.

You are definitely not alone in this confusion. I feed raw to my seniors, so I don't deal with kibble portions, but I follow a thread by transitioning seniors to raw that talks about how dry food can be misleading because of the filler ingredients. If he is staring at the bowl, check the signs your cat is hungry thread I linked there. It lists specific behaviors that indicate true hunger versus boredom.

A 12-year-old cat on a high-protein diet is a delicate balance. I agree with Karen about the hunger signs. Also, if you are struggling with the portioning, look at weight management for older cats. It has a nice chart for adjusting cups based on body condition score. Since Shadow is blind, make sure the bowl is in the exact same spot every time, as I discussed in my feeding a blind cat thread. Consistency helps them trust the food is there.

I’m with you on the blind cat issue. My Tater is also a senior and I have to be super careful where I put his food. I’m not an expert on high protein dry, but I’ve found that splitting the daily amount into three smaller meals helps with the staring at the empty bowl. Does anyone know if that works for weight maintenance too?

@terri_w66 that is a great idea. I usually do two meals. I’ll try three and see if the staring stops. I’m going to re-read the vet notes to see if there was a specific calorie target I missed. If he seems really weak or stops eating entirely, I know I need to call the vet today, but right now he seems just a bit peckish.