5 month old getting chubby - free feeding dry food

Hi,

I'm looking for some feeding advice for my 5 month old kitty. I noticed him starting to get chubby recently and was wondering if I should consider a) putting him on a set feeding schedule and b) switching him to wet food.

He's eaten dry kitten food since I got him at 9 weeks. I don't quite remember the name but the number one ingredient is meat with little filler. During his first growth spurt he got really long but now he's starting to get round in the middle with a little hangy pouch.

He actually seems to eat less now than before (he was a little piggy) so I'm not sure why he's getting chubby. He hasn't been fixed yet either. 

Should I stop leaving food out for him to munch when he feels like? Or should I consider changing the type of food altogether?

I suppose it depends what you mean chubby. The little pouch is normal as I understand. My kitten, about the same age, has just developed it as well. It's just like a little fat reserve and may help cats comfortably stretch their bodies. You should be able to feel his ribs but not see them. I think a bit of extra skin and fat all over would be considered quite normal and healthy. I only raise these points because your kitten still has lots of growing to do and should have as much good food as he needs. I would probably check with your vet to get their opinion on his weight. And I would probably try and get him playing and exercising more before I started restricting his food. I just found this description of healthy body weight in cats:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2230&aid=660

The general advice is to feed your cat as little dry food as possible, regardless of weight. One reason is that dry doesn't have water in it and is quite dehydrating. This can lead to urinary tract infections, especially in males. This can turn life threatening very quickly and also costly in vet fees. It has happened to me with a previous cat and is quite common. Cats tend not to drink as much water as they need as they are built to get their fluid through food. So I would suggest switching him to a mostly canned diet any way. Canned food is usually lower in carbs and higher in protein as well, so that will help prevent him from getting overweight. You can still leave him dry food if you are not home during the day if you are worried about him going hungry. Cats tend to be harder to switch from dry to canned the older they get so now is a good time to introduce variety into his diet.

I let my cats free feed dry for years, not knowing any better. They were fine until they hit 6, then they slowly started gaining weight. We are now in the process of switching them to wet only, on scheduled feedings. It is a nightmare. Switch now - first to scheduled (let him eat the dry IF he won't eat wet). Gradually change one meal at a time to wet. And get the best wet food you can afford. There are numerous posts here with ideas and suggestions about that. Good luck.

BTW - I read somewhere that the baggy belly is not always due to spaying or neutering. In the wild, it can be helpful when cats fight - they claw at the belly, looking for a killing wound. That saggy bag of skin gets the wound but protects the cat's insides from harm. Neat, huh?

mambo318 said:

Hi,

I'm looking for some feeding advice for my 5 month old kitty. I noticed him starting to get chubby recently and was wondering if I should consider a) putting him on a set feeding schedule and b) switching him to wet food.

He's eaten dry kitten food since I got him at 9 weeks. I don't quite remember the name but the number one ingredient is meat with little filler. During his first growth spurt he got really long but now he's starting to get round in the middle with a little hangy pouch.

He actually seems to eat less now than before (he was a little piggy) so I'm not sure why he's getting chubby. He hasn't been fixed yet either. 

Should I stop leaving food out for him to munch when he feels like? Or should I consider changing the type of food altogether?

Click to expand...

I definitely think a feeding schedule is on order. Some cats can manage their own intake; some cats are prone to gluttony. Start with three times a day. In a couple months when he isn't growing quite as fast, cut it down to two.

It's important you take the bowl away at some point too, so he gets that he has to eat at meal times rather than grazing all day. Start with an hour, then cut to half an hour.

It's also possible that he's just vulnerable to one of the problems with dry food: it's pretty carb-y, and this can make kitties pack on weight. Cats don't need carbs. I would definitely switch to wet food.

Gotta get him fixed. Some cats can become reproductively capable as soon as 6 months. He's definitely old enough to handle the surgery right now, assuming he doesn't have some kind of mitigating health problem.

The skin pouch may not be an issue. A lot of kitties just have this. I'd never heard Ondine's explanation. Interesting.

Wet food is nutritionally much better for cats. A great site written by a vet on cat nutrition is http://catinfo.org and she has some great tips for transitioning cats used to dry food. 

Thanks for all the advice! I think I'll try to get him started on wet food and put him on a schedule.

In terms of getting him fixed, I actually called the vet a couple of weeks ago and was told that they're reluctant to do it at such a young age and prefer they're at least 5 and half months so any day now really...

Ps: I've attached pictures of him at approx 3 months and now at 5 months so you can see the difference

He's more than old enough to be neutered. It's a belief of a lot of older vets that this isn't good for cats, but that has been debunked. Sometimes shelters neuter as early as 8 weeks, in order to make sure kittens are neutered before adoption.

My last kitty (so this was about 15 years ago) was neutered around 3 months. She came through just fine and developed normally.

They're cutting it really close to the wire. Some cats are already in their first heat by that age.

He does look chubbier in the second pic. Definitely try changing food type, or possibly amount if that isn't enough.

He is just beautiful!!! He looks pretty 'stocky' in both photos to me, but yes a bit chubbier in the second photo........did I mention that he's gorgeous?

I would have to agree with Lilin that not all vets agree with yours. My kitten, Jasper, was neutered at roughly 8 weeks (we're not too sure of his age). No doubt that was because he was up for adoption and they wanted to find him a home asap.

Good luck!

Agree with everyone:  6 months is "old school".

The rule of thumb, especially for TNR purposes is:  the cat needs to be two months old or weigh two pounds.  The surgery is not difficult or particularly evasive for male cats.

Do start a scheduled feeding, then wet food, then reduce quantity if  necessary.  Avoid "low calorie" foods, they are full of fillers, not protein that cats need.

And play with him as much as he (and you) can tolerate

I am in the minority opinion but I think it is fine to wait until he is 5 and a half or 6 months if your vet has never done an early neuter. This is with the caveat that he has no chance of getting out over the next few weeks. Early fixing is great for feral or a cat that could ever get outside, but it is still surgery and there are risks. I have made an informed decision to wait until my kitten is 6-7 months after consulting a few vets a her breeder because her breed is known to have some problems when they are put under and it is much safer to wait until she is bigger( also there is no way she can get out every exit in my house has two doors and we always close the inside door before opening the door to outside). I just wanted to put it out there because there are reasons the vet may want to wait until he is a little bigger. We do not know the cats full health history so the vet might know something we don't.

You can always measure out a reasonable amount for him ( say a cup of dry food) and hide it in boxes and stuff.  Make him work for it.  Good for him, and kind of fun for you to find new hiding spots! 

I disagree with some folks here in that I think growing kittens should have constant access to food....their tummies are so very small that they need to refuel a lot, like small children.  They will work it off.  I also think, that unless there is an issue with your cat drinking water, that dry food should be okay, especially if you give some wet food as a treat. 

I had LW neutered earlier because all of the research I found indicated that it is safe to do so---I wanted to make sure I got him settled before the super smelly pee became a problem.  I have heard that the territory marking is much more of a boy thing, and that if they start doing it, they might continue even after the procedure.  

The skin is a "jungle pouch" and some cats are, as others mentioned, just born to develop it.  It has nothing to do with getting fixed and is a useful thing in the wild.  

That's my two cents!  I really don't think he looks overweight though! 

Thanks everyone.

I think the pictures might be a little misleading because he was also a lot smaller in the first photo but its just zoomed in more.

I guess the reason I'm so concerned with keeping his weight under control is because I had to put down a cat a while ago and she had to suffer unnecessarily because she was overweight. 

I think what I'll do is give him some dry food in the morning for him to graze during the day and wet food in the evening when I have dinner. From what I gather that'll give him access to food while he's growing without over-doing the dry food. Some of you had mentioned dehydration but he tends to drink a lot of water so I think we're good there.

Thanks again, I appreciate the help

I see how you got worried, with that history.  However, just remember every cat is different---it is a new page.  :-) 

I think it's natural for them to get "chubby" when they are kittens.  I think it's like kids that get chunky before a growth spurt.  My Tabby got that way.. he got chunky and my daughter told me he was a "fatty" and needed to go on a diet.. now he's gotten longer and a little taller and no longer a chubster like my daughter says.  He was also neutered when he was about 4 months old.  I fed him the Natural Choice kitten then at a year he switched to their adult food ( he loves the hair ball formula) and it's helped him maintain his weight.  He also free feeds so I would suggest looking at the food and make sure it's not loaded with fillers.  If he's still eating all the time incorporate some wet food.  My cats share a can of Natural Choice wet food in the morning and again in the evening.

NutroBricca

Nutro Pet Nutrition Specialist
 

Hehe yeah I think my chubster's still growing so guess I shouldn't worry too much. Appreciate the help everyone