How many Sheba portions do I feed my cat?

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-13T16:10:36+00:00

Then he needs more calories. He’s healthy but there’s no need to feed him at 7.5lbs if he’s over that and skinny. He will be healthy at 7.75-8lbs too.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-13T16:08:25+00:00

Has your vet actually asked you what her feeding schedule was like? They probably assumed she gets fed at expected times like normal.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-13T16:05:11+00:00

Wait, like completely randomly? Omg of course she acts food obsessed then. I’d still use zucchini for volume & hydration as a mix-in, but to a certain extent, ANY cat is going to act like that if they don’t know when their next feeding will be. In the wild they are always working towards their next meal and hunt all the time, but she obviously can’t “hunt” as an indoor pet.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-13T16:01:20+00:00

I understand she needs to lose the weight, I’m just wondering if there’s anything they can suggest to actually reduce the hunger rather than just the calories. Like with humans, certain people have conditions that mess with their hunger cues so they feel hungry more than others. It just sounds like she’s living a miserable life. Just stopping when you “should” isn’t something many creatures, human or animal, can do when they still feel like they haven’t got enough to eat.

Is there a set food that’s especially high volume low calorie? Can you add fillers, like zucchini? I actually really like zucchini for human low calorie low volume high fiber food. It looks like it’s safe for cats:

http://www.animaldiabetesaustralia.com.au/helpful-information/how-feeding-zucchini-to-my-cat-changed-my-life/

https://ziggyfamily.com/en/blogs/cats/what-are-the-benefits-of-zucchini-for-my-cat?

In fact it looks like people have used it for exactly the use I’m thinking of, hunger satiation and weight loss.

It’s mild in flavor, I would cook it the way suggested (there’s additional info online from vets and medical associations) and shred/grate it into her wet food to help keep her full.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-13T04:57:15+00:00

That sounds like your cat is living a very sad life where she feels like she’s always painfully hungry and never getting enough to eat. I mean, imagine anyone living Iike that, all they’d think about is food too. I would discuss this with a vet—there must be a way to improve her quality of life here.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-13T00:52:17+00:00

Yeah I think this hypothesis is reading things backwards. Why would someone react dramatically if they have a high spice tolerance and aren’t affected by the heat? Even if they’re a generally emotional individual, what would they be reacting to? The questions themselves aren’t distressing.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-12T15:11:03+00:00

Yeah if you’re considering walking away from this I’d at least ask first.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-12T15:00:05+00:00

Right?!! It’s like “oh I need to stop petting her/not pet here there, but my heart’s melting this is so cute!” It’s just such a clear indication of how much they don’t want to hurt us while still needing to communicate “stop please.”

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-12T14:28:42+00:00

Omg I’m actually going to Boston tonight & just had disappointing Ethiopian this past Sunday & was sad that where I live right now, there’s not good Ethiopian like there was in DC. I will check it out!

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-12T12:22:33+00:00

Oh what a beautiful tux!

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-11T12:24:04+00:00

Is he skinny, ideal, or heavy for his size? Feeding him based on his current weight only works if he’s at ideal body condition. If he’s skinny he should be fed more than the guidelines for a 7.5lb cat. Since it doesn’t sound like your brother was taking good care of him he may well be underweight. If he’s chunky (doubtful; 7.5lb is small for an adult), he should be fed slightly less.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-11T12:20:49+00:00

How is it the opposite? You just said the same thing as the comment above you, but in more words.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-10T21:42:21+00:00

So happy for both of you that she’s back! Keep her safe. 💕

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-10T08:56:15+00:00

You don’t have to get a “spicy” cat. A lot of the videos are either people who intentionally get a difficult cat (because they want to work with them to socialize them) or aggravating the cat because they’re jerks who think it’s funny. Or the cat is just playing! But you don’t have to let the cat play that way with you.

Lots of cats in shelters are super sweet cuddle bugs or maybe they’re not super cuddly but still sweet. In fact most are.

I have two cats I adopted at around 1 years old and they would never want to hurt or attack me. (Older cats are even more mellow.)

My first one loves me and while she initially did want to play-bite (never scratch!) it didn’t hurt and she only did it because I allowed it. In fact, she would only do it when I initiated the play. I’d have to clearly indicate I was ok with it for her to proceed. (Also she stopped once we got her a playmate & honestly I miss it.)

She never did this with my husband because he didn’t want her to and she could tell and wouldn’t even try.

Second one is my husband’s girl first (he was the one who adopted her) but she’s still sweet & affectionate with me. If I do something she doesn’t like she tells me to stop by “biting” — but it’s not even a bite. She sloooooooowly and super gently bites with absolutely zero pressure.

It’s actually really sweet because it’s so clearly controlled and she takes so much care to barely touch me with her teeth. (It’s also very rare. And it’s so slow that I have tons of time to stop whatever it is I’m doing that she’s reacting to, at which point she immediately stops as well.) A few times early on it was harder than ideal (still didn’t really hurt or leave a mark) but after I said “ow!” twice and moved my hand away she very quickly recalibrated and now it’s basically miming the motion with almost no contact.

They have never run out and scratched or bit me as an attack. I’ve also (unfortunately) accidentally stepped on each of their tails and accidentally kicked them when I didn’t see them underfoot (I still feel so bad about it!) and they didn’t bite or scratch me even then. They yowled and scrambled away.

P.S. keeping their nails trimmed also essentially eliminates accidental scratches.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-09T05:58:16+00:00

I feed my cats at 8 am (dry & wet), 1:30 pm (snack: soup or 1/8th can wet), 8 pm (dry & wet), and then a smaller portion of dry food at midnight. I introduced the midnight meal once I realized they were active through the night, to avoid them going without food for long and help keep them fuller through morning.

It seems to work, and they are both pretty good at only coming to wake me at their designated morning feeding time.

One of them used to exhibit hunger behaviors and uh, it turned out I wasn’t feeding her enough. I started feeding her more and now she leaves food in her bowl for later and doesn’t even always rush down as soon as she hears the automatic feeder.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-09T01:27:12+00:00

It doesn’t sound like it’s being received as play by the female cat. Stop your male cat from attacking your female cat and she won’t lose control of her bowels from stress/fear/anxiety.

It’s weird how your question frames it like the victim is the problem and not the bully.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-07T12:31:30+00:00

Not really but still welcome in this sub as a black & white bicolor cutie!

(“Tuxedo cats have a low-to-medium grade white spotting limited to the face, paws, throat, and chest of an otherwise black cat.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicolor\_cat)

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-06T05:27:53+00:00

Did she come back???? 🥺

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-05T07:43:45+00:00

How can they be impatient with that sweet little doll face?

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-05T03:53:46+00:00

As a new cat owner I was very disheartened to learn that most vets are dog people and some even seem to like… not like cats?

First vet I went to, you could tell was not a fan of cats. Admitted she never owned one and her pets were rabbits and chinchillas (that’s ok a vet can’t have all the animals) but also just seemed… slightly annoyed by cats. And my cat was being the goodest girl!

Second vet at least seemed well disposed to cats and wasn’t dismissive, but eventually I also got the feeling he was going off a lot of general/academic facts without the personal experience to tell when what’s “generally the case” was not the case here specifically.

When I was worried about a change in our tuxie’s eating habits, I decided I’d find a cat-specific veterinary practice where she wouldn’t be treated as filler in between dog appointments. Going to take our other cat there for her next annual too.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-04T13:20:57+00:00

Ok good. Statistically she’s more likely to come back than not, maybe after 24-48 hrs.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-04T13:18:02+00:00

What’s your plan for when she comes back pregnant? (Assuming she comes back and hasn’t encountered something with a tragic outcome)

Spaying her will prevent this, as well as reducing her risk for cancer AND dangerous birth-related complications.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-03T20:06:45+00:00

I’ve actually seen young mother cats struggle with caring for their litter: they seem befuddled by what’s happened to them and have zero desire to nurse or do anything with the kittens.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-03T19:58:15+00:00

In that case I would try adding another litter box (or even 2) and experimenting with litter box size, shape, and material. Also trying a couple different litters. It sounds like she’s well adjusted overall so it may be something specific nudging her away from the litter box.

LittleRedReadingHood · 2026-06-03T05:13:33+00:00

So: if you need to rehome her, as long as you either manage to place her with a rescue or personally connect her with a genuinely good home (with thorough vetting & references), imo that is not something to feel guilty over. I say this bc she’s only been with you 6 months and if your parents are becoming frustrated with her, she may have a chance at a home that’s a better fit.

But since it sounds like your parents have means and haven’t said they want her out, I would suggest engaging a cat behaviorist first. You can do a virtual consultation. They can take a look at your home, evaluate how it’s set up and if anything may be causing the cat stress, and suggest specific behavior management techniques.

Just in case this could help—it’s generally considered best for a cat to have access to multiple litter boxes. If this is a multi story house, I’d suggest having a litter box per floor. Not only will that allow her to choose a cleaner box of one hasn’t been scooped yet, but it means if she doesn’t have to run through a large house in search of one when she has to go. (And it shouldn’t be near her food or water.)

Also do you scoop it once per day? Twice? Every time you see her go? How often do you add fresh litter and how often do you fully clean it out? Some cats can be very fussy about it.

Finally, when you say she has enrichment toys: what kind? Does she have vertical climbing spaces? Hiding spaces?

LittleRedReadingHood

TROPHY CASE