Getting Enough Food?

I'm a new kitty mama, just got our two rescue babies on Monday. They're 12 weeks old, and the rescue said at 3 lbs they are healthy and not lanky and thin like some kittens need to be.

Their foster mama was feeding them the recommended amount of Science Diet in two feedings throughout the day instead of free feeding, so we want to start them out the same way (I've got samples of TOTW coming and will be trying a switch in a week or two when they're settled in to the new home!)When I feed them (around 7 am and 7 pm, 1/2 cup for the two cats to share each time, so they share 1 cup total each day) they GOBBLE the food up pretty quickly. They eat most of it as soon as it is set down, and definitely eat the whole bowl within an hour or so. It doesn't look like one is eating more than the other or anything.

Are they getting enough to eat? They aren't whining or anything, but since they're chowing down so quickly, and I've read that kittens will only eat until they're full so free feeding can be recommended, I'm worried I'm not giving them enough.

PS: Here's a few pictures, I'm so proud of them I have to show them off!
http://i34.tinypic.com/euo51s.jpg

Kittens generally are freefeed .. ie you feed them as much as they will eat ... the pregnant cat and kitten forum likely will have the best info for you on here

Moving to Pregnant Cats and Kittens forum.

You now have the perfect opportunity to one, learn what a cat needs to eat to stay healthy and, two, to put that learning into practice with two very young cats.

Please, take this feline Veterinarian and Nutritionist's Feline Nutrition 101 course...it's free, short and easy reading.

Otherwise, feeding kittens (or cats, for that matter) high carbohydrate, dry food twice a day will cause you and the kittens major health problems down the road (and, maybe not too far down that road). That short read I directed you to will indicate the probable health problems you can expect to produce with the plan you outlined in your post.

Please, also understand that, "switching" foods really needs to be a gradual transition over a period of 10-14 days...quicker changes inevitably produce nasty gastro problems.

I free feed kittens up to about 4-5 months old (depending on their health). Rule of thumb for an average cat is about a pound per month of age. Three months old would weigh about 3 lbs., etc.

After 5 months old, they get adult foods twice a day. All of my kittens have been very healthy on this system and none of them are fat as adults.