Do cats eat more than they should?

So... I just found out yesterday evening that my neighbor feeds his cat outside so my 2 kittens (14 1/2 weeks old) and momma cat (around 2 y/o) may  be getting more food than given by my household.

I'm also worried my mom may have be forgetting to feed them in the mornings, which would explain why they would eat at the neighbors'. I'll ask my mother when I see her today afternoon.

I feed them at around 7-8 pm and they seem sooooo hungry, though baby boy has a nice round belly when I see him in the afternoon and is growing very robust. Baby girl is a slow eater which is why I feed her separately under my watch to make sure she eats her portion, so after that, she gets a little round belly and the next day in the afternoon when I see her she looks very thin, but not rib-thin. Momma cat has always eaten well and she looks normal.

Do cats eat more than they should or are my babies not being fed well enough?. My mom said she's been helping out in feeding them in the morning, but them being so hungry and my sister's report of seeing them eat at the neighbors' worries me, I don't have a lot of time in the morning so I really want to know if I need to sacrifice a little of the already little sleep I get and take over morning feedings.

Thank you 

PS: All dewormed, momma spayed

I'm not sure what age the kittens are considered adults.  But kittens are supposed to eat twice the amount of an adult since they're growing.  Once they reach a certain age then they can be fed the serving of an adult.  You may not be feeding them enough.  I've never had a kitten since all my cats were adopted in adulthood so somebody else can probably shed more light on this.  

It's also worth noting that cats will definitely eat whatever is in front of them even if it's not intended for them or they aren't supposed to be eating.  My cat is really curious and will sniff everything and try to eat whatever she likes the smell of.  

It also sounds like there is a lot of confusion in terms of feeding.  I think you should create a system, ground rules, and have good communication with your mother about feeding amount and times.  My brother lives in an apartment with his cat and a room mate, they didn't have communication in terms of feeding him.  They figured out they were both feeding him (double the amount) and the cat became tremendously overweight.  Also maybe have a conversation with your neighbor as well about the food he's leaving out.  That kind of thing is really dangerous, depending on the area because it'll attract raccoon and other wild animals that may harm the cats.  I use to live on an island in the wilderness and we would put our cat outside as night.  We tried leaving food out for her but then realized that raccoon were eating it.  

Edit: Just realized you live in Mexico so I don't know if raccoon are down there or not.  Cat food being left out could attract anything though.

It varies by individual. Some cats pig out on anything they can find, some are selective and hard to please. Your boy may be pigging out at the neighbour's, not necessarily because he's being underfed by you. There's little you can do about it except lock him indoors during your neighbour's cat feeding times, to avoid him eating too much.

wermy said:

 
It varies by individual. Some cats pig out on anything they can find, some are selective and hard to please. Your boy may be pigging out at the neighbour's, not necessarily because he's being underfed by you. There's little you can do about it except lock him indoors during your neighbour's cat feeding times, to avoid him eating too much.

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Yeah you can keep the cat's inside as well when your neighbor is feeding his cats to avoid your cats chowing down on food that isn't for them.

The kittens s/b fed 4 - 6 times a day at this age if I am remembering correctly. At around 8 months you can switch to 2 times a day.  They need more food for their growing bodies.  If your neighbor is  agreeable, you can leave food with him//her for your kittens to put out when they feed their cats.

@FelineEmpathy  I've never seen a racoon in my life!   I live in the city of Tijuana, so the wildest animals we have here are humans (and stray cats and dogs)... I've heard of people seeing snake, but I think it was on the outskirts of the city 

The food usually attracts ants. Which is why we've been feeding them mornings and nights. My mom worked in the afternoon so she fed them in the morning. I work since early morning , so I feed them at night.

@wermy  and @Handsome Kitty  I don't think I can leave food with him or ask him if at what times he feeds his cats. He's not a very aproachable person and I think (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/299619/urgent-3-month-old-baby-girl-lost-may-have-eaten-bad-liver) he almost stole my baby girl even though he had seen her with me.  Not to sound prejudiced, but judging from his living conditions and work he does, I don't know if he even feeds his cats "cat food", most likely he feeds them leftovers. Which might be one of the reasons the babies go over there in the first place: leftover people food.

I also can't confine the kitties since we're not home all day and couldn't tend to their needs.

 So 4-6 times a day!? No wonder they are always hungry!   

For the 3, in the morning my mom says he feeds them 2 fist fulls (about 1 - 1/2 cups)They get about a cup of dry (Whiskas Kittens / Junior) mixed with 40 gr. (1/2 packet of Whiskas Junior) of wet mixed with 1/2 cup of water in the evening. That would make it about 2-3 cups for the 3 plus whatever they may be grazing somewhere. Is that not enough?

Kittens should really be eating as much as they want to. If there are no racoons in the area, could you leave food out for them during the day? Not the wet since it will spoil, just the dry. You may end up feeding the neighbors cats this way, but then the kittens would have constant access to food.