Hello, sorry I have been posting so much. On my vet visit with Chili I asked the vet how much food I should be feeding her. I told him she gets half a can in the morning at 7:50 and the other half in the evening at 6, with snacks between which are just Kettle Craft treats. I give her about 4-5 between the feedings. There very small. I have read on here lots of different advice about hungry kittens and feeding on demand and everything. I asked my vet about feeding on demand since she is growing... he said that a whole can of food a day is fine with the snacks between. But last night I caught Chili licking and teying to eat the raw beef packaging from dinner. And was meowing and going crazy!! She was “hunting” all over the kitchen for some food. So I gave her a snack size amount of some chicken in her dish. After eating that she went and layer down and seemed pretty satisfied. I think she has a big appetite. My vet said she is the biggest Bengal hey have at there office. And she is very large. I’m just wondering if maybe because of her size she requires more food? She is really hungry, or is she just maybe going through a growth spurt? Anyone dealt with this? I mean I trust my vet but I don’t want to deprive her of food if her body needs it. Does size matter with food?

I have always fed Quasar as much as he will eat. He eats a raw diet.
As a kitten, I tried to free feed Iams Hairball formula for about 2 weeks, along with his raw food, but he never touched it. This is what his breeder told me to do. So, we fed the dry food to the dog, who eats anything, and continued on with the raw food, exclusively.

Up until about 14-16 months, he would eat 10 - 12 oz of food and he grew quickly.
Now, he will eat 6-10 oz of food, depending on his activity level. We camp with him and he seems to eat less at those times, probably because he's too busy and distracted to eat.

In summary, Quasar has always been fed as much as he will eat and has never been overweight. He has the primordial pouch but is sleek and muscular.

If Chili is hungry, feed her!

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~ Kyenta

Thank you for replying so quickly. Yeah my cat has a pouch too, but is still fit. Vet says she’s isnt overweight but is just a big cat. But I was used to having my other Bengal who was sick and very skinny so when I got Chili she looked fat! But I’m assured she’s healthy and not overweight. She is only eating wet food other than those treats. Perhaps I can cook chicken and freeze it and feed it between meals or add it to the meal to make it more hearty? Does hat sound like a good idea?

I guess she is more active too now that she is comfortable. Perhaps she is working up more of an appetite with the exercise she gets. She’s a very busy girl. She’s been trying to sneak human food as well, which I am not used to as Larry would try to “bury” human food. He had no interest in human food at all. Chili seems okay with the idea. But we’re teaching her to stay off the table and not eat human food. She’s still learning here so we have been easy on her. I don’t let my husband yell or swat her away. We’re still learning to trust each other so I don’t want to scare her. But at the same time can’t allow her to pull out garbage and eat it and “ hunt” the kitchen for scraps. I think I will just cook chicken and keep it for times she is still hungry after breakfast and dinner

I would increase the number of feedings. Know one thing. There are bengals who are grazers, meaning they want to eat every couple of hours. Others are on a set schedule, however, I believe every cat needs at least THREE meals a day, just like humans. Bengals continue growing up to 2 years of age. I allow my boy to eat as much as he wants (he is a grazer) and he only weighs 11 pounds. I'm not saying plow on the food, but try to give her an extra meal. She is letting you know she is hungry. Do you go nearly 12 hours without eating? Feed Chili! LOL

And, if she is getting two meals due to working outside the home, leave her some kibble to munch on during the day. Honestly, two meals a day, 12 hours a part would kill me! And I've never had a cat that was satisfied with two meals a day.

That’s great advice Sherry. I’m becoming quite fond of you :)
I think I shall add another meal. I’ll cook some chicken for the meal in between and feed her that.
She seems to like cooked chicken now... maybe she just wasn’t comfortable yet.
Thank you so much. Larry was a grazer too. And he ate kibble. But she eats wet and devours it!!!
When my kitty gets hungry I shall feed. Three meals makes sense. Maybe I should add chicken to her wet to make it more hearty too. So she’s more full. Thank you so much everyone!! I have a lot to learn, and am going to be asking a lot of questions!

If I were too feed her chicken, would I have to add any vitamins or minerals to it?
Or would she still get those from the canned food? She seems a lot happier now that she ate three times :)

If you give her chicken as a snack, there is no need worry about adding vitamins or supplements, as long as you are also giving her three daily meals of cat food. Don't worry, you will settle in with a feeding schedule. Chili will set the pace for you. And know that cats usually eat more in the winter time than the summer time as well.