how do I control weight??

Jake has been getting chubbier every day. I think he eats too much dry food because I only feed him 2/3 of a can of wet food and the dry food I free feed. Should I switch to wet food only?? Is that a way to control his weight? I am thinking of doing this, but if I do I will have absolutely no idea how much to give him. I know I am supposed to free feed a kitten (He is 3 months old), however he is obviously not doing too great, being free fed. The vet noticed he had a belly and recommended that I watch his weight. I don't have a scale at home so I can't weigh him either... Two weeks ago at 11 weeks he was 3.7 pounds ..

Has he been checked for worms? That was my first thought since worms will often cause a big belly.

What brand of food are you feeding him now?

I find it very interesting that a 3 month old kitten would even be considered overweight or chubby.

3 months is by some barely weaned and just away from mom ...

Yeah I would think he needs alittle time to grow into that. And really 3.7 at almost 3 months doesn't seem that big or overweight. Jack weighed about that at the same age and our vet didn't have a concern--he is by no means overweight at 18 months either, infact the vet wanted him to gain a few ounces.

Leslie

3.7# doesn't really sound too big for 3 months. My big boy was 4.1# at 12 weeks. He's 5 months old now and somewhere between 6 and 7 pounds (he won't sit on the scale long enough to get an accurate weight ). He's definitely not fat, in fact under all the fluff he's kind of skinny through the middle. His sisters, who are much more delicate, were both 3.5# at 12 weeks, and now they're somewhere between 5 and 6 pounds (they won't sit still either ).

What size is the can of wet food you're giving? Have you been keeping track of how much dry food he's actually eating? If you're really concerned about him overeating you could do measured free feeding. Continue to give him the wet food as usual and put out something like 1/4 cup of dry food twice a day rather than filling up the dish every time it's empty. If Jake acts like he's absolutely starving, you can increase either the wet or dry food. You'll need to gradually increase the amounts as he gets bigger anyway.

Well I am just concerned because the vet instructed me to cut on his food and said he was getting fat and I should be really careful because once he gains weight he will not be able to get it off...He has been checked for worms twice now its been negative both times...The can is the bigger kind of cans, I dunno the exact amount..I feed him Authority canned food and royal canin dry food..

Is your vet a cat specialist? Is there another vet in the area where you can get a second opinion? Kittens really do need more food while they're growing, especially if they're active. Unless your boy is a complete layabout it seems odd that the vet would want to limit him.

The standard size cans are 3 oz., 5.5 oz., and 13 oz. It will be on the label. You may have to get out a magnifying glass and hunt for it, but the directions for feeding will be on the label, too. The directions are usually for the amount of food per pound of body weight, so you'll have to do some math. Assuming you're using the 5.5 oz. cans, you're probably giving him about half of what he needs in wet food now. Look at the feeding chart on the dry food, figure out what he should be getting, and cut it in half to supplement the wet food. You can still leave the dry food out for him to free feed, but when it's gone, it's gone. He'll either learn to pace himself, or he'll be bugging you all day (and all night ) to feed him.

I've never had a vet tell me a kitten is overweight, as they are active, growing little babies! Some of my kittens got pudgy, then they'd hit a growth spurt & get lean fast.....I guess I wouldn't worry too much as he's a kitten, still growing, and not likely to get overweight at this point.

Yes, I have the 5.5 oz cans..My vet is not a cat specialist. I was feeding him with one and a half of a can per day before the vet told me to feed him less...He would never eat the entire last portion though so I would always throw away a little..
Assuming you're using the 5.5 oz. cans, you're probably giving him about half of what he needs in wet food now
How do you determine how much he needs in wet food? The feeding instructions are: Free feed kittens up to 1 year old to maintain proper weight.. That's what I was trying to figure out earlier...Because I can feed him three times every 24 hours, I am gone for about seven hours per day but I can feed him in the morning and then twice when I get back, and I can't leave wet food laying around as it spoils. So I was hoping that it's okay to let him free feed with dry food while i'm gone and then have his meals when i get back. Is it bad to have more dry than wet? I am going to ignore what my vet is saying, apparently I don't agree with him on many things, not just this. I need to look for a new vet, but I really this one's prices and location

When Hannah came to live with us, she weighed 4 lbs and was approx. 7 months old. Granted, she was a stray, but she was pitifully thin and malnourished. My vet told me that her ideal weight should be between 8-10 lbs. and to get her eating!! Honestly, I would continue to free feed dry kitten food if you want, but you might want to limit it to a certain amount per day and give him wet food to supplement. It's important that a growing kitten get the extra nutrients in the kitten food.

I've never used Authority canned food, but the kind I have says "adult cats need 3/4-1 oz. of food per pound of body weight per day, divided into two or more meals. Kittens need up to twice as much and should be fed all they will eat two of three times daily". Figuring a 4# kitten that would be (very approximate measures) between 1 and 1.5 cans per day, which is why I said the 2/3 can you're giving him is about half of his daily need.

Dry food will vary a lot more depending on the nutritional content. I use Taste of the Wild and the chart says that a 3 month old 4# kitten needs 1.25-1.5 cups a day. Half of that in addition to the wet food should work out about right.

If you were giving 1.5 cans plus the dry food before I probably was a little too much, but I still don't think 3.7# at 11 weeks is too big.

Originally Posted by GoldyCat

I've never used Authority canned food, but the kind I have says "adult cats need 3/4-1 oz. of food per pound of body weight per day, divided into two or more meals. Kittens need up to twice as much and should be fed all they will eat two of three times daily". Figuring a 4# kitten that would be (very approximate measures) between 1 and 1.5 cans per day, which is why I said the 2/3 can you're giving him is about half of his daily need.

Dry food will vary a lot more depending on the nutritional content. I use Taste of the Wild and the chart says that a 3 month old 4# kitten needs 1.25-1.5 cups a day. Half of that in addition to the wet food should work out about right.

If you were giving 1.5 cans plus the dry food before I probably was a little too much, but I still don't think 3.7# at 11 weeks is too big.

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It's authority for kittens so I think that's why it doesn't have feeding instructions like this and just says free feed instead...He is probably a lot more than 3.7 pounds now at 13 weeks...I would guess around 4 or a little over..It may not sound like it's too big but don't forget body fat matters more than weight so I think the vet was saying that he could feel the fat on his tummy while he was examining him...Anyways I'm home now and I will check the royal canin dry food for feeding instructions and start measuring that, and start giving him more wet...But I'm just curious: dry food to supplement wet or wet to supplement dry?? Whats the difference is one better for the cat than the other?

Check the ingredient lists. As a general rule dry food has more carbohydrates than wet food and is more likely to cause excessive weight gain if the kitty is overeating. I know someone has posted a link to a chart that gives the protein/fat/carb breakdown and calories in different brands of food, but I can't find it right now.

If you read through some of the threads on wet vs. dry feeding you'll see that quite a few people prefer to feed wet only. In the end it comes down to what works for you and your kitten. Some of our furbabies are very picky about what they will eat while others inhale everything in sight. It may just take some experimenting with different combinations.

I feed mostly dry, partly because of my schedule--I'm gone 14-16 hours at a time when I go to work--and partly because I can't afford to feed six cats wet food only.

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.But I'm just curious: dry food to supplement wet or wet to supplement dry?? Whats the difference is one better for the cat than the other?

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I do dry to supplement wet with Hannah and wet to supplement dry for Callie. Wet is better for kitties, in my opinion, but Callie just doesn't like a lot of canned. Hannah doesn't know any better and eats what's put in front of her, but it's got to be grain-free.

hmm I decided to feed him 1 can of wet and dry like before...I will just watch and see how he does and if he gains weight I will control more..I don't think he has belly fat anymore, he looked kind of skinny to me today...hah I don't even know what the vet was talking about...I will take him in next week and I might have to switch vets if the vet doesn't agree with my vaccination choice...I am so confused about choosing a vet though! Most of the good ones are ridiculously expensive, like they charge $50 and above for an office visit...Most places i called wanted to charge me $100 just for first set of shots and the vet I have now only charges $50. There is another really good one that was recommended to me from a member of the forum but I decided he is too far keep him as my permanent vet...So it's really hard to compromise between cost and how good the vet is..