Help with Feeding and Weight!

I have two kittens - a 6 month old soon-to-be-neutered male and a 8 month old spayed female. Until recently I was feeding them each one 3.5oz can wet and 1/2 cup dry (in free-feed) kitten food per day. The female has developed a droopy sag between her hind legs. It's not really fatty, more like loose skin. She looks thin otherwise, but I'm paranoid that she's putting on weight. The male is an okay weight, but from what the vet technician said, it sounds like any bigger and he would be on the hefty side. He's definitely still growing. I cut back on the dry food, but they seem famished all the time, and everywhere I'm reading it sounds like I'm not feeding them enough. Though I should note that the female doesn't always finish her wet food serving and I'm reluctant to give her dry in place of the wet. I thought about switching the female over to adult food now. I'm hoping that the male's appetite will go down after he's neutered too.

Anyways, please help! Any feeding suggestions appreciated. Right now I have them on Eagle Pack dry kitten and a variety of premium canned kitten that I'm still experimenting with. I've had fat cats before and I don't want them going down the same road!

Fixed females always sag there. I have 5, they all sag.....and they are all fixed. I have two that stay thin...one eats like a hog. I have one female that is big.......and she does not eat anymore then the smallest does.

just some thoughts

I would feed just wet food. Wet food can be left out all day as cats like to eat alot of small meals. I do not see anything wrong with feeding adult canned food and if it is grain free, that would be best

Originally Posted by optionken

I would feed just wet food. Wet food can be left out all day as cats like to eat alot of small meals. I do not see anything wrong with feeding adult canned food and if it is grain free, that would be best

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Most cats are smart enough not to eat day old wet ... some do and often get sick from it ...a very general rule is leave it out no more than 2 hours I try not to leave out for more than one...

Originally Posted by bbleho

It's not really fatty, more like loose skin. She looks thin otherwise, but I'm paranoid that she's putting on weight.

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When the weather gets a little nicer people have garage sales and it is surprising how many baby scales you can find at garage sales. I guess people think they are done having babies and sell the scales; I got mine for five dollars. I feed my cats 24/7 so I am very carefully monitoring their weight. Getting those scales has really given me piece of mind.

The neuter/spay droop is really common

If you don't have a scale to monitor weight, most vets will let you bring them into be weighed. It may give you piece of mind.


How I feed:

Kizzy is approaching 6mos old,(male, not neutered yet) and he is fed Taste of the Wild Dry and Chicken Soup for Kitten (still transitioning over to it from what he was on).... free fed but measured. He's eating approx. 3/4 c.

He also gets fed a variety (different brands) of wet foods and eats approx. 3-3.5oz.

edit: all wet food is adult.

I would be a little nervous leaving the wet food out more than a couple hours or so. I can't help but think of the canned stew for humans, no way would I eat it if I had it opened in a bowl and out all day

So true. I hadn't thought of that. My kitten is about 4 months old, and she weighed about 3 lbs. when I got her. That was 3 weeks ago. I feed her about 3/4 cup of dry food per day (maybe a lil less) and I've been feeding her canned 3x per day (about 2.5 teaspoons each). I don't know if that's too much but I wasn't sure. She doesn't seem fat but she is getting that droopiness as well (she is also fixed). I don't worry about leaving it out long cuz she DEVOURS it in no time!