Am I Feeding Her Too Much?

This is about my cat Ivy. She's a stray cat that my friend gave me. Apparently, she just showed up one day. She tried to find the owner but no one knew who it was, so she began to feed it. Her mom wouldn't let her keep it though because she already has another cat, so she began to ask around. I accepted it. At first, it was rough for her to adjust to the dogs we have around. They never hurt her though. They just barked a lot at first scarying her, but they're ok now. I've had her since middle September, so that would be three and a half months? When I first got her, she was skinny. I don't mean like starving skinny but skinny. My friend said she could never get her to eat. I assume because she wasn't adjusted to dry food yet. She did the same for like a week for me. All of a sudden, she started eating like crazy. It didn't happen all at once though.Just as more time passed by, the bigger she ate. She has a little pot belly going on. Every day when I get out of school, she's waiting for me on the roof waiting for me to open the door. When I do, she jumps in and runs to her food bowl. I feed her about three times a day. My mom and boyfriend say I'm over feeding her, but if I don't, she'll get cranky and constantly go back and forth pass her food bowl waiting for it. Why is she eating so much? Is it unhealthy? Help me.

Hi CatsterMaster, welcome to TCS

Your kitten is still very young and it's a long way more for her to grow. Kittens needs lots of proteins to grow. I see that you are feeding her dry food. Dry food is full of carbohydrates and not proteins. You need to feed her wet food.
A kitten need to be fed 4-5 times a day. Feed her wet food as much as she can eat in one sitting. Then with that amount, feed her 4-5 times a day. Just experiment with the amount and roughly gauge how much she eats at one go and you'll get the idea how much to feed.
Has she been dewormed? Kittens having potty tummy does not mean that they ate a lot but it could be worms. Are her vaccinations up too date? Vaccinations are important.
Do ask questions if you are in doubt and do post your kitty's photos for us to see

I agree with @TabbyTom  if she has been allowed outside she has probably picked up worms. Has she been to see a vet yet? She will need to be treated for parasites, vaccinated and spayed before she gets much older. Spaying is really important. Cats can have their first litter of kittens at six months old, so you really need to make sure she is spayed soon.

She'll be a lot healthier and live longer if you make her an indoor cat. Does your Mom mind if she is in the house all the time? It works out much cheaper if you keep them indoors. Less chance of picking up fleas and worms and less chance of getting sick or injured too.

Agree that she needs to be dewormed. Is she spayed? Can you post a photo? How old do you think she is?

Thank you for taking her in!

I have no idea how old she is. I thinks she's under a year though. We were planning to getting sprayed as soon as we can. I didn't even think about worms. And no, I haven't gotten her vaccinated. And I'll try the wet food.

Well, maybe she is a year now. I have no idea.

I think it's quite likely that she's pregnant.