How much food should I feed a stray cat?

Pumpkinseeds

I've been feeding a little cat that I think may be a stray. I'm not sure if puss is a girl or a boy so I'm calling it Summer, I have to call it something, I hate calling a cat 'it'. Anyway I think she's a girl and she seems very thin to me. She's in a different part of town so at the moment I've been bringing 2 pouches of food with half a cup of applaws and some water mixed in. I've also left a bowl of water for her.

I tried to bring her home earlier this week but she scratched the face off me in panic at the car(didn't have a carrier box with me). I think a rescue can take her if she is homeless. She is a little beauty and so so friendly and affectionate. But right now I'm trying to get my 2 cats to accept our newest cat and I'm trying to trap another stray in our garden, so taking her in just isn't an option.

I'm going to continue feeding her every day. I'm bringing food to her at about 1.30 lunch time every day. Some days I see her but there's been some maintenance going on where she lives so I've not seen her every day. Is what I'm feeding her enough or should I be feeding her in the evenings as well?

honerbright

I'm far from an expert but I feed my stray the same as you - two pouches and biscuits.
A pouch and a handful in the morning (9-ish) and same again in the evening (6-8ish). At first she was gobbling everything down as if she might not get fed again, but now she'll eat her pouch and wander off leaving her biscuits.
I definitely think you're feeding her enough, at least it's enough for mine anyway.. she's looking much healthier after 4 weeks of feeding

Summer is a really pretty name, btw

Pumpkinseeds

I bought some pouches of kitten food for her today as it's got a higher fat content and I think she really needs to gain some weight. I'm going to put Toby on it for a while too as he seems a little run down to me, partly why I'd hope to avoid him having another antibiotic so soon after the 2 week antibiotic injection. I often have long courses of antibiotics myself and they leave me feeling awful. He won't eat bio yoghurt for me so am only able to get tiny bits of probiotics into him by sprinkling it into his food.

Pumpkinseeds

honerbright wrote: »

I'm far from an expert but I feed my stray the same as you - two pouches and biscuits.
A pouch and a handful in the morning (9-ish) and same again in the evening (6-8ish). At first she was gobbling everything down as if she might not get fed again, but now she'll eat her pouch and wander off leaving her biscuits.
I definitely think you're feeding her enough, at least it's enough for mine anyway.. she's looking much healthier after 4 weeks of feeding

Summer is a really pretty name, btw

Has the other little cat been back since you saw him? It's always great to see the strays health improve, when they start to get the sheen back in their fur and look healthier and cleaner since they can relax and groom themselves as they aren't having to scavenge for food.

honerbright

Poor Toby, do you find the stuff you sprinkle on his food does the trick? Hopefully he can avoid antibiotics this time if possible

Kitten food hadn't even occurred to me for putting weight onto them!

No sign of the other fellow since, he must have just been passing through but I might pick up some kitten food in case he turns up again, and give my own cat the occasional pouch because she's a real skinny minny.

Yeah, it's amazing the difference in George's coat and even the way she walks since I started feeding her. Makes me feel like I've really made a difference for her. Still haven't managed to catch her yet to look at her eye .. but at least she doesn't run when I take food out anymore!

I spotted yet another cat I didn't recognize today, again the same small stature as George and the tom and in similar colors. I live in an estate but it's fairly big there's a few areas thick with trees (I seen George go into one the last day) and I'm beginning to wonder if there was a whole litter of them.

Pumpkinseeds

There's no shortage of litters around I'm afraid. I've never understood the mentality of people who refuse to have cats neutered/spayed. Or people who can afford to have a visiting stray spayed/neutered but don't and then complain that there are too many strays in the area. In my opinion anyone who isn't part of the solution is part of the problem.

There's always something people can do, whether it be keeping them and feeding them or contacting a rescue. Just something as opposed to turning a blind eye