Is my cat overweight?

My kitten is 7 months old. He has a belly that is much rounder/wider than his shoulders but I always thought he was okay because we think he's a maine coon and I assumed he just had more growing to do. Well my mom just weighed him by weighing herself holding him and without him. Judging by that he weighs 17 pounds. That's pretty high. I also still have him on kitten food because I read they were supposed to be on kitten food until they were a year old.

Yea, I'd stop the kitten food, as it is very fattening. It's supposed to be as young kittens need that extra fat. You can switch him to reg food, higher protein, low carb. How often is he being fed? Try not to give him kibble. Is he active? He may need more exercise too.
 

 I want to add what I just learned.  My old long-haired cat had gotten "lazy" about grooming herself, and the vet told me to bring her in every few months to get her hind parts shaved.  Fine advice, but like putting a bandage on a sore instead of curing it.

    Finally I found a vet (after the cat had stopped grooming almost completely) who said not only that the cat was overweight but also told me how to put her on a diet.  I was following the advice of cat food manufacturers, who in the end don't want your cat to diet, they just want you to THINK it's on a diet.  Based on vet's advice, I took away all dry food, whereupon Kitty went on a hunger strike.  The vet recommended 1.5 cans a day (about 250 calories).  I stuck to the new regimen.  Kitty was very displeased, but the vet said dry food induces addiction to carbs, and it was obvious she was right.

     Within a week I saw a vast improvement in Kitty's activity level and ability to do stairs.  I mix water with the food and about every other day I also add 2 or 3 tsp. canned pumpkin.  While I'm waiting for a return to normal grooming, I have also discovered that Kitty loves to be vacuumed (despite having a lifetime hatred of the vacuum cleaner), even asks to be vacuumed.

     So if your cat is overweight, try these ideas.

     Also, you can get the calorie count of some canned cat food by searching online, or by contacting the cat food manufacturer.

He has a little over half a bag of kitten food left. I hate the idea of feeding him something that is fattening when he's overweight but we need to finish this bag because I have no one to give it to and his tummy just got used to it anyway. 

About the wet food though, isn't it more expensive? Not to sound like someone that chooses ease or price over my pet's health because I try my hardest to do everything correctly but I just don't know how to reasonably purchase wet food. And I don't know how much is normal to feed. 1 and a half cans sounds like not enough to me, I'd be afraid he's starved. 

Also if I buy adult kibble I can mix it in slowly as to not upset his stomach again. If I switch to wet food I feel like that would be too abrupt for him again.

Agh, I never feel like I'm doing anything right with his food. Help.

Your doing fine Your cat is happy and healthy and main coons do tend to be BIG kitties.

By all means use up the last of what you have, in fact use it to introduce the new dry. Although it's preferred to avoid giving dry, circumstances sometimes don't allow for an all wet diet. Buy a high protein, low carb dry such as evo or wellness, mix some into whats left of what you have, increasing the mix a bit at a time, till all the old stuff is gone.

There are inexpensive low carb canned foods like Fancy feast. Yes, dry is cheaper, but you also have to look into future possible problems that could cost way more. Feline diabetes, due to overweight, and urinary issues, cause he's a male, when males don't get enough water, are common. A 50/50 wet and dry would be fine. If you can, try and get a water fountain or circulating bowl.  Not sure where you are but petsmart right now has a couple on sale at 15-20 dollars. I just got another for mine.

Anyway, don't over fret, your doing great. The diet change and some more exercise and he'll trim up just fine on his own. Kitten food is a real pound putter onner. We rescued a momma with 3 kittens, she was skin and bones, put them all on kitten food, even after her spay, and boy...she fattened up good.

Hi Alyssinreality

I so understand the sentiment of trying to feed what's good and not seeming to get it right!  Don't worry, it is a journey - it is just our job to do the best we can with the knowledge we have at the time.

SO now for some knowledge!  What MaryBeGood said!  There is very little nutrition in kibble for a cat.  There actually might be more in it for a human, since we have the enzymes to break down carbs - cats don't, they can only access their nutrition from animal sources.  That applies to both protein and fats.  You'll see many things in the ingredients list like 'flax seed oil' or 'soy'.  These are less expensive means of passing the fats and protein tests...but they don't pass the feline nutrition test.  As a consequence, you will get a hungry fat cat syndrome.  They eat and eat the kibble as they are constantly hungry because none of their nutritional needs are being met, so they have to eat more.  The carbs just go into floating blood sugar and fat - hence the rise in diabetes just to mention one thing.  Urinary problems are also attributable in large percentage to dry food - cats get most of their fluid from their prey; dehydrated food has no water and this equals a big problem.  You'll also get tooth problems from kibble; if you've been sold the hype it helps clean their teeth, well, it doesnt add up to the rise in dental disease corresponding to the creation and uptake in feeding kibble.  When you consider the majority ingredient of kibble is grain, you're effectively 'cleaning teeth with a biscuit'...and hey, we don't believe that does much good!  This is a very interesting article that appeared in the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists which, if you don't want a scientific article with all the chemistry, takes a historical perspective on what animals have been fed and the predominance of which diseases. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/articles-others/Malik_feedingcats_Aug2007.pdf

So yes, investing in the best food you can afford - and I stress 'food' (I don't think kibble is food) - will help avoid some costly and distressing things later on.  Learn to read cat food labels.  Feed exclusively wet - and as grain free as you can find.  (From my costings, raw always works out most nutritional for least money.  If you are interested, there's a raw feeding forum on this site with super articles and help.)  And for everything you ever wished to know about feline nutrition, have a read of this vet's website: http://catinfo.org/

In terms of how much to feed, it depends on the cat.  As newbie cat parents, we weren't sure either!  It's a bit trial and error - or you can do raw food calculations, but this will only apply to raw, not canned.  I'd do 3 meals a day - bfast, after work, and before bed.  If you have single serve cans, remember the amount it looks like on the plate...then feed 2-3 serves a day.  If your cat leaves some regularly, or is getting bigger, it's too much.  If your cat is growing or super active, or bugging you for more, or getting slimmer, feed more.  And play with your cat heaps - it will bond you, help the 'hunt, eat, groom, sleep' cycle, and keep them healthy and stimulated.

Best wishes

You have got some great advice. It sounds like he's definitely overweight (both based on a 7 month old weighing 17 pounds, and on your description of his body ) and you are smart to nip this in the bud now while he is still young. That Dr Pierson's site catinfo.org has some very helpful info on helping a cat get to the proper weight and figuring out how much to feed etc., both in the main article Feeding Your Cat and there is also one on Feline Obesity.
 

I see Maine Coons all the time at shows and they are not fat. . They are very LONG cats, and they have heavy boning -- you can see their paws are huge and legs have big bones. but their belly is not sticking out wider than their shoulders. and to be honest, most Maine Coon males in good condition don't weigh 25+ pounds like many people think. More often they range from about 14-20 and that is full grown. They actually seem to look like they would weigh more than they do. A minority are over 20 pounds and not overweight. Whether he's a Maine Coon, or part Maine Coon, or a domestic longhair who is similar to the foundation Maine Coons, you need to assess his body condition as it is in the present, not based on thinking how big he might grow. So part of that assessment is that you should be able to see or feel a waist , an indentation . and from the side the belly should not be hanging down with a lot of fat. (in a longhair cat you may not SEE, but you can feel for these things. and you should be able to feel his ribs.( Actually if he IS a Maine Coon it is really healthier to keep him on the thin side to put less stress on the joints, because just like some dogs MCs have a tendency to hip dysplasia. )
 

Petsmart's store brand Authority has a pretty decent canned food that is cheaper than Fancy Feast but better quality. It's not cheaper than the very cheapest ones like Friskies cans though. You're right it is best to make food changes gradual. but I'm thinking you may be able to use most of that kitten food as treats, keep it in a container with a lid to preserve it.