Holiday weight

Ok. This is the first cat I have ever owned. I went out of town for six days and took her to my friends place who also has her mom and two sisters, both from the same litter. She is seven months old. I keep her on a strict diet of Blue Buffalo Kitten formula. 1/4 of a cup three times a day, plus a little extra. She always left a little bit in her food bowl after each feeding. I could barely feel her ribs, her coat looked amazing, and the vet never said anything about her being too skinny. My friend feeds his cats Iams, just fills up the bowl and leaves. I picked her up from his house today, and even he admitted she looks a little fatter now. I'm frickin' pissed. She was perfect and in one week she fattens up and her coat isn't as nice, or so appears. I can't feel her ribs now. Will she lose this fat once I resume her normal feeding schedule or do I have to do something else? I just hate the fact that I've put all this time and effort into raising a healthy kitten and my friends cheap-o McDonald's cat food has ruined all the effort I put in.
Thanks for any advice catsite members!

Well, to some extent, we all put a little weight on in the fall, and cats are no different.

But if you go back to her old feeding schedule, she should go back to her old weight...eventually, after she drives you crazy complaining about starving to death.

Maybe make a recording of her fussing and send it to your friend?

Calories in versus calories consumed.

Play some more with your cat, will improve muscle tone, make kitty happy, and achieve the same result as making her hungry.

Harder, better, faster, stronger!

Did you bring some of your own food along for your friend to feed your cat?
Did you specifically ask your friend to feed your cat the same way you did?

Just because he owns cats doesn't mean he knows how/what you feed yours. Didn't you ask your friend what he would be feeding your cat for a week? In the future, it's usually best to bring along as much food as your cat will need, and it's usually good to bring their specific bowl too so they feel better. That way you know what is going in your cat and you won't have to worry about a cat parent with a different feeding style. I'm surprised your cat gained weight though, 3/4 cup of blue buffalo every day is a pretty sizeable amount, I wonder how much your cat could have possibly ate while at your friend's.

Thanks for the quick replies!
Yeah, I brought over an unopened bag of Blue Buffalo, told him how much to feed her, what times, her food bowl, and offered him to feed his cats out of my bag. Apparently he didn't understand that I wanted to keep her on my diet. And yes, I've always exercised her pretty well. Twice a day with "Da-Bird" till she's panting. Thanks for the tips, I'm looking forward to a more slim Roberta in 2011!

Oh, that changes everything! I wasn't sure if you had brought your own food or not. Yeah, you definitely have a right to be livid with your friend over that. Lots of cats can't adjust to a drastic change in feeding schedule and food; your cat could have gotten sick or refused to eat. Did you talk to your friend about it? What did he say? A good way to bring it up might be "Hey, can I come get that full baggie of blue buffalo kitten than has enough food to last 6 days that I left at your place? You can just toss it out to me, UNOPENED bags don't tend to spill" (BTW, I'm totally kidding about that being a GOOD way to bring it up. It may be the most humorous, though)

But yeah, your cat will go back down to ideal weight once you start feeding the blue buffalo again. With cats, you don't lower the amount of food to go on a diet, you find what their weight should be and feed them based on that ideal weight. So you won't need to cut back, just maintain what you fed before.

Cool. Thanks Rad65!