My kitten is very chubby! What should I do to help him?

My little boy Fez is just under 7 months old and he is HUGE! His body is so chubby that it makes his head look tiny.
Everyone and everywhere I have read say to free feed a kitten until at least 1 year old.
Well Fez loves to free feed thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s for sure. He's always eating. Not sure if he didn't get much to eat when he was at the Humane Society or not. He was 12 weeks old when we adopted him and was at the shelter for sometime.
He was eating Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken but people were saying the fat content was too low for a kitten so I switched him to Natural Balance. He does get canned food (Solid Gold and/or Natural Balance) twice a day. He drinks plenty of water since he loves his water fountain bowl. I've cut his treats way down to one little piece a day.
I'm not sure what to do because he really is fat. His stomach is plumpy and so cute but I'm starting to really worry about him having a weight problem when he's older. I'm not sure how much he weighs at the moment, I would guess 9-10 pounds.
Another part of my concern is that since I got my other cat just over a year ago he has been free fed and does fine with it. He snacks on the kibble throughout the day and night. He is close to perfect weight for his size. I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want him to feel like I'm starving him later when free feeding is not anymore.
Fez plays and runs around the house more than my other cat so it's not lack of exercise.
I'll have to take some full body pictures of Fez so you can see why I'm so worried.

Anyone here ever have a chubby kitten? Am I just freaking out?

Susie

I think I'd cut back on the amount of food you leave for free feeding. Kittens do eat more than grown cats but that doesn't mean they should constantly feed their faces.

Then too, there might just be cats who love food, just as there are people who love it; and your little kitten may just be one of the former. He may outgrow the pudge but if he seems to really pack on the pounds, your vet may have a different diet that is suitable for him.

I'd give him wet food only at this time, one with high protein content. This should fill him up and reduce the snacking.

There is a post called "How do I know if my kitten is fat" that may help you.

I think that a 'pouch', as once person calls it, is a sign of an overweight cat. One fat cat upstairs has an udder that touches the floor.

Your kitten should be round and fluffy, not swaying!

Here is an older post by a lady who had a fat cat. NOte: I believe a good quality dry food is the equal of wet; so if your cats won't eat wet food, you can use a good dry brand like California Natural or Nature's Logic (which is what I feed my Gizmo--an enviably slender and well conditioned cat!)
Good luck. Gizmosmom

Vet's advice worked! Aphro lost weight!

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So I know a lot of cat mommy's have the same problem of trying to get your cat to lose a little weight. Well, I brought Aphro to the vet and the vet told me that Aphro's dandruff and excessive hairball problem was due to her being overweight (she was about 15 lbs, supposed to be around 10-11lbs). She recommended that I take her off all dry food (I feed Innova Evo), I wasn't really sure I wanted to do that b/c I know Innova Evo is supposed to be really good--grain free and all, so the vet said that I could leave out a tbsp or so of dry food so that Aphro could munch throughout the day.

Well, a month later, no more hairballs (she used to get a massive one every week), no more dandruff, she has lost weight! She no longer has that tummy hanging around. I'm really surprised that this actually worked b/c I feed her mostly Fancy Feast wet food.. the grilled kind (I know.. I know.. it's not the best, but she won't touch the others and will go on a hunger strike). I have however, gotten her to eat Nutro packets and Max cat canned.

Anyway, I thought maybe this might work for someone else's kitty that needs to lose weight. I really am surprised that Aphro lost weight just getting off dry food.. but it worked. Mommy is happy and kitty is happy

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Take kitty to the vet .... see that is the one who is qualified to say if kitty is chubby, fat or just a big cat ....

A pouch is most definitely not a sign of being overweight.
I have a very large, long, lanky athletic male here, very lithe, he still has the pouch, it's genetics.

Definitely consult your vet concerning his size, but I must add, it could simply be that somewhere in his background is a large cat or two.
My Ivory was 9 pound at 7 months, and 14 pounds at 19 months, there is large breed suspected in her background, and her vet speculates that she'll peak at around 18-20 pounds at 2 years, she's not fat, just a huge cat.