Everything I've read says let a kitten eat as much as they want!
Admittedly a large breed, my Ragdoll, Artemis, seemed right on track with the 1 lb a month (give or take a little) I read is typical for a kitten (also note, Ragdolls can have growth spurts and don't fully mature until about 3 years).
His little adopted sister, Jessie, also seemed on track for a DSH. Right now he is 1 year old and she is 10 months old.
I've been told that the way to tell if your cat is overweight is to run your hand along their spine and check their ribs. If you can easily feel them, they are on target, but if you have to put any pressure to feel them, they are fat. Well, if that is correct, then Artie is on the fat side (really hard to tell with a Ragdoll - all that fluff and muscle).
Here is WHAT I WAS feeding: Between the two of them, two 3 oz cans of Wet food (MaxCat) and free feeding Ideal Balance dry food (kitten variety). That is half a can for each in the morning and in the evening. All my research indicated this was appropriate for growing kittens. For the moment I've cut back to 1/4 can of wet in morning and evening and 1/4 - 1/2 cup of dry left out.
Well, Artemis has gotten piggy. When they eat together, Jessie will eat about 1/2 of her wet right away and come back within the half hour for some more and finish within the hour… IF ARTIE DOESN'T GET TO IT FIRST. Yep.
I've also noticed that if I feed them in separate rooms, Jessie will finish MOST of her wet in one sitting, and try to come back in 15 minutes.
The way my place is situated (and because I have to leave for work) and cannot leave her in a room with food and go to work. Also, due to an ongoing chronic health problem (and personality differences between them) I cannot play/exercise him except rarely (basically he is mellow, she dominates play and will not let him at the wand toy - she is such a pistol - THAT BIRD IS MINE!!!)
Anyway, he is pushing 14 lbs at a year (within Ragdoll range, depending on the individual build), and she is about 9 and 1/2 pounds at 10 months. Was I unknowingly over feeding?
I prefer to feed wet food, but I've heard mixed things in regards to caloric content - that wet food is like candy and will make them fat. Then I've also heard that dry food has too many carbs (even grain free) and will make them fat. Argh!
One last thing, because of said health issues, there exists a small possibility that on any particular day I may not make it home or be too sick to care for them for an unknown period, so I have a couple of friends I "check in" with each day - I call it my cat check in. This was the reason for leaving out extra dry food for free feeding - just in case they wound up being left alone for a day or two. Yeah, its complicated.
With ALL of this in mind… I'm looking for a feeding solution. Right now all I can come up with is (if this is an appropriate amount) what I've already mentioned… 1/4 can in the morning and evening and 1/4 cup each of dry. Only thing is he will eat more than his share (not so much with the dry - but sometimes).
I'm thinking that I stop feeding them next to each other (separate rooms - not as cute) so that she eats more and take up the dishes when they are "finished" (i.e. when she walks away). If she gets hungry, she may learn to eat more at a sitting (but I don't know if it is a constitutional thing, meaning if there is a physical reason for her to take more than one session to finish). And also measure the dry carefully (switching to an adult variety).
Eh, I'm going too long here. My goal isn't so much to reduce his weight (because he will likely have more genuine growth spurts), but to break the habit of too much food (if that is indeed the case).
Comments, criticisms, suggestions?
Admittedly a large breed, my Ragdoll, Artemis, seemed right on track with the 1 lb a month (give or take a little) I read is typical for a kitten (also note, Ragdolls can have growth spurts and don't fully mature until about 3 years).
His little adopted sister, Jessie, also seemed on track for a DSH. Right now he is 1 year old and she is 10 months old.
I've been told that the way to tell if your cat is overweight is to run your hand along their spine and check their ribs. If you can easily feel them, they are on target, but if you have to put any pressure to feel them, they are fat. Well, if that is correct, then Artie is on the fat side (really hard to tell with a Ragdoll - all that fluff and muscle).
Here is WHAT I WAS feeding: Between the two of them, two 3 oz cans of Wet food (MaxCat) and free feeding Ideal Balance dry food (kitten variety). That is half a can for each in the morning and in the evening. All my research indicated this was appropriate for growing kittens. For the moment I've cut back to 1/4 can of wet in morning and evening and 1/4 - 1/2 cup of dry left out.
Well, Artemis has gotten piggy. When they eat together, Jessie will eat about 1/2 of her wet right away and come back within the half hour for some more and finish within the hour… IF ARTIE DOESN'T GET TO IT FIRST. Yep.
I've also noticed that if I feed them in separate rooms, Jessie will finish MOST of her wet in one sitting, and try to come back in 15 minutes.
The way my place is situated (and because I have to leave for work) and cannot leave her in a room with food and go to work. Also, due to an ongoing chronic health problem (and personality differences between them) I cannot play/exercise him except rarely (basically he is mellow, she dominates play and will not let him at the wand toy - she is such a pistol - THAT BIRD IS MINE!!!)
Anyway, he is pushing 14 lbs at a year (within Ragdoll range, depending on the individual build), and she is about 9 and 1/2 pounds at 10 months. Was I unknowingly over feeding?
I prefer to feed wet food, but I've heard mixed things in regards to caloric content - that wet food is like candy and will make them fat. Then I've also heard that dry food has too many carbs (even grain free) and will make them fat. Argh!
One last thing, because of said health issues, there exists a small possibility that on any particular day I may not make it home or be too sick to care for them for an unknown period, so I have a couple of friends I "check in" with each day - I call it my cat check in. This was the reason for leaving out extra dry food for free feeding - just in case they wound up being left alone for a day or two. Yeah, its complicated.
With ALL of this in mind… I'm looking for a feeding solution. Right now all I can come up with is (if this is an appropriate amount) what I've already mentioned… 1/4 can in the morning and evening and 1/4 cup each of dry. Only thing is he will eat more than his share (not so much with the dry - but sometimes).
I'm thinking that I stop feeding them next to each other (separate rooms - not as cute) so that she eats more and take up the dishes when they are "finished" (i.e. when she walks away). If she gets hungry, she may learn to eat more at a sitting (but I don't know if it is a constitutional thing, meaning if there is a physical reason for her to take more than one session to finish). And also measure the dry carefully (switching to an adult variety).
Eh, I'm going too long here. My goal isn't so much to reduce his weight (because he will likely have more genuine growth spurts), but to break the habit of too much food (if that is indeed the case).
Comments, criticisms, suggestions?