Does a Fat Kitten Mean a Big Adult?

czygyny

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Miss Mooni was brought home from the local shelter in July. She had a big belly even at four weeks and she was wormed shortly after.

She is now 15 weeks and she has a flap fat roll along her belly line I generally considered a sign of adults being overweight, since I've only seen it on my older cats, yet none are obese. Perhaps it is something other than that. You can see it in this picture I got today.


She gets premium foods, dry and canned, but I only allow half a small can of food a day and free-feed on the dry which she is not that keen on, so I know she does not stuff herself although if she is at my mother's next door she will get her fill of nasty Friskies canned food and Lactaid milk (cat's love it and get no diarrhea).

She is an extremely active kitten and gets a lot of exercise indoors and out. She is not rolly-polly but solid, squirmy and muscular. The only extra baggage is that inch thick flap along the belly.

I don't have a scale that she will sit on long enough to get a firm weight on, but I am estimating four to five pounds which seems to be on the heavy side for an almost four month old kitten. Will she likely be a large cat when she's done? She has big feet for a little kitty,  I call her 'Monkey-toes'. 
 

stephanietx

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She's a beautiful kitty!!  She may not be a big adult or overweight.  I would however, recommend that you up her wet food consumption as that's really better for kitties of all ages and it's high in water content, so it's good for the kidneys.  She is only 3 months old, so she's still very young and has a lot of growing to do.  I wouldn't worry about size until she gets to be closer to 10 months or so.  If she's an outdoor kitty and not regularly dewormed, I'd do that as parasites can cause bloating and often require more than one treatment to completely rid them in the system due to the life cycle of the parasite.  If she's been spayed, she might have what's termed a "spay sway", which is the belly hanging down.
 

stephanietx

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She is the perfect age to be spayed.  I'd encourage you to do it sooner rather than later before you end up with an unwanted litter of kittens.  If possible, make her an indoor only kitty to extend her life.  When my kittens were young, I fed them Royal Canin kitten food, dry and wet.  From there, we graduated to an a grain-free wet and dry. 
 

catpack

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Have you mentioned this fat roll to your vet? I only ask because kittens this young almost never have this unless there is a health issue. It may not be a problem, and it doesn't appear so in the pics; but, I would want to rule out having an ingunial hernia. If she does have a hernia, it can be corrected at the same time she is spayed.

I also second Stephanixtx in suggesting to have her spayed sooner rather than later if you are going to continue to allow her outdoor access. Kittens can become pregnant as early as 4 months and not all cats/kittens show the obvious signs of being in heat.
 
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czygyny

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It is not a hernia, it is something I've seen on my adult cats in the winter when they put on a bit of girth. It runs from the breastbone to the end of the belly.

She gets Canidae, Blue Buffalo and other premium foods.

Spaying may be called for, soon, but as far as being indoor-only, I know the dangers. Not only do my cats have a job keeping down rodents and (oddly enough) alerting me to rattlesnakes, but my house is only 680 sf, not much to keep a cat entertained, especially this dynamo.

I have lost two very special cats to coyotes in the last couple of years and yet I also have others ranging upwards of  three to 16 years, all of it spent here,  who seem to know to stay within the fenced five acres. It is really the only danger in my rural area.

The debate comes down to quality vs quantity of life. I dare say my cats have all the fun and stimulation they could desire outside, with the ability to be indoors anytime they want. They climb trees, chase leaves, hunt rodents, hide in the tall grass, roll in dirt, swat at bees, explore the barn, or just all lounge close by wherever I am working on the property. They are always entertained and entertaining. I actually feel quite sad for cats who spend their whole lives indoors.
 

hexiesfriend

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Absent it being a health problem...just because she has a fat roll there doesn't mean she is going to be fat. I have a normal sized cat with a saggy tummy she's had it since she was a kitten. It feels to me more like sagging skin on the tummy rather than fat, I think this is how some cats are built.
 
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czygyny

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All cats have some loose skin on the belly & a fat pad under it. It's called a "primordial pouch". http://www.ehow.com/info_12088225_primordial-pouch-cats.html

I think it's naturally more prominent in some cats than others, just a question of how they're built.
Now that is a term I have never heard of and I am a 'term' savvy person! Thank you!

It is exactly what Mooni has! I said in a previous post that she looks, acts and moves like a lion cub. She is built like a brick.

She may give my rock-solid and thick 11 pounder male cat a run for his money when it comes to being solid and squat, by the time she is finished..

She might have been more aptly names 'Boudicca'. 
 
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czygyny

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P.S. Thanks everyone for not flaming me about the indoor vs outdoor discussion. I know that feelings can run deep on both sides. I fully expected to come back here to a fight.   
 
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