At his age, you can feed him as much as he wants of canned. He is still
growing. Canned food, yes, is probably best all the way around for weight
and for urinary health. They seem to get addicted to dry food if you start
that. I'd say what you are feeding is about what my cats get each day and
they do not gain weight.

That sounds like the amount my 19 lb guy was getting when he hit 22
lbs so my guess is it too much. He is now on a prescription diet of
2/3 can of Hills m/d and 1/4 cup dry m/d (spread over the day as his
treats).

-mhd

The Iams Ocean Fish product contains 459 kcals/cup. Since there are a
number of different canned products listed I would use an average
value of 165 kcals/ 5.5 oz can. 1/2 cup of dry = 230 kcals, 1 can =
165 kcals  Total = 395 kcals or about enough to feed a neutered 17
pound _average_ cat. Therein lies the rub of course, there is no such
thing as an "average" cat. It would appear that you are presently
feeding too much, but that doesn't take into account the cats
individual metabolism rate and activity level. The best way to
determine the amount to feed is to weight the cat periodically and
adjust the food levels up or down accordingly.

As for the canned versus dry issues. At the moment there is nothing
but theory and hypothesis around carbs and cats. The carbophobic group
is pushing the low carb theory as a solution for whatever ails ya.
Unfortunately it is nothing more than theory and hypothesis at the
moment. There have been ZERO clinical trials and published studies to
support the hypothesis. It may very well turn out to be correct, but
at the moment there is no clinical trials to support the idea. Both of
the main proponents of this idea have utterly failed to comment on the
down side results which may be involved. Renal failure is a huge
problem in cats. Removing carbs requires the energy to be made up in
the form of fats and proteins. Along with the greatly elevated
proteins comes much elevated levels of phosphorus. A terrific example
of this is Pro Plan Adult Sardines & Tuna in Aspic. This food contains
zero carbohydrates but a whopping 3.06% calcium and 2.18% phosphorous.
Considering the maximum for an adult cat is 1.0% calcium and 0.9%
phosphorous this food serves as an excellent example of creating what
the carbophobic consumer wants without any regard to the dangers of
such massively excessive levels of minerals.

The one proven value of canned foods is relative to pushing more water
through the urinary tract than through the fecal tract. A cat fed a
canned food will excrete the majority of water in the urinary tract. A
cat fed dry food will excrete the majority of water in the feces.
Obviously having more water in the urine dilutes the urine and reduces
the chance of stone and or crystal formation in the urine. FLUTD
issues strike about 1-2% of cats over thier life times. Renal failure
is the second most common killer of cats in this country. Personally
I'm not a gambler. I've gone to Vegas every February for the last 20
plus years and have never dropped so much as a quarter in the slot
machines. When I look at the carbophobic claims and then compare it to
the known level of renal failure - the risks look like putting dollars
into that big slot machine at the entrance to every casino.

A diet low in carbs for cats seems to be the latest fad.  As far as canned food
only....canned food is mostly water (and expensive water at that!).  The
prevailing wisdom is that cats don't get enough water and that supplying water
in their food will lower the incidence of FLUTD.  Steve has more info on that
in another post.

I personally prefer Science Diet as they control their nutrient levels
(avoiding excesses) and formulate their foods due to clinical research....not
depending on the latest "fly by night" fad.  Their new Advanced Protection
would be a good choice as it contains the highest levels of antioxidants found
in ANY cat food.

You're the best judge of that!  :)