Should I let kitten eat as much as she wants?

lizita

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I know that in general a kitten should be allowed to eat as much as she wants but I like to get some input on this particular kitten who eats like it's going out of style.
Delilah is almost 4 months old and very tiny, barely 2 pounds. Her two brothers are also small for their age but not as small as her. I've been trying to figure out if there is something wrong with her but so far she seems fine, just small. The vet has found nothing wrong with her.
Oddly enough she has a huge appetite. She's worse than my dogs when it comes to begging and sometimes I have to shut her in the bedroom when I'm eating or she'll stand on my plate helping herself to my food. She doesn't, however, like dry food very much and I rarely see her eat it at all. So for that reason she gets canned food which she loves. According to the can she's supposed to get a little less than one 5.5 ounce can a day but if it was up to Delilah she would eat much more than that. The other day she had eaten half a can in the morning and just because I was curious to see what she would do I gave her a whole can in the afternoon and she ate the whole thing. I wouldn't be surprised if she would have kept eating if I had given her more. She looked like she had swallowed a tennis ball when she was done.
She's been treated for tape worm so she doesn't have that.

So, what do you guys think I should do. Should I just give her a can a day divided in three feedings or should I let her eat as much as she wants in each feeding? There is always dry food out but she doesn't eat it.
I'm afraid that she's going to get problems from eating too much. She's not that much bigger than the can.
 

jack31

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I would definitely offer more than one single can especially being some under weight, but I would offer more frequent meals, instead of two huge meals.

Leslie
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Lizita

So, what do you guys think I should do. Should I just give her a can a day divided in three feedings or should I let her eat as much as she wants in each feeding?
Since she's small and not touching the dry up it to a least 4 wet a day. I wouldn't put the whole can down at once, but that's only because canned food can spoil if left out. Try giving her a third, and if she eats it all put a little more down, do this until you have a good idea just how much she can eat in one sitting.

Was she dewormed for round worms?
 

stephanietx

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My first thought was also worms and if she'd been checked and treated if worms were found.

What does your vet say regarding feeding? Does he tell you to free feed as much as she wants when she wants or to schedule feedings of a set amount?
 

goldenkitty45

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With most kittens we usually free feed them for the first 4-5 months then switch to a twice a day feeding. Average cats will weigh about a pound per month of age. But if she is naturally small, it might be normal for her to only weigh 2 lbs.

I think tho, you might want a vet to check her out - even my rex kittens weighed more then 2 lbs at 4 months of age and rexes are small cats (full grown only weighing 5-7 lbs).

Plus you need to get her spayed soon. Kittens as young as 4 months can breed.
 
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