My kitty keeps gaining and gaining the weight!!!! HELP!!!!!

Hi All,

I got a new kitty from the shelter back in August. She is a bit over a year old and was newly spayed when we got her. She was a normal size when we brought her home. We were free feeding dry food when we brought her home, but she ate and ate. She gained quite a bit of weight rather quickly. I got concerned and stopped the free feeding. Now I feed them twice a day and she is STILL gaining. I am very worried about it and wondered what advice anyone might offer. My other 2 kitties do not have a weighth problem at all. I feel very sorry for Cedar as she is quite round!!!! I think she was near 8 pounds when we brought her home now she weighs 12 pounds. She has trouble keeping her rear clean because she is so chubby. Could she be having a health issue? I have been feeding her diet kibble and it is not helping.

Ashlee

Originally Posted by pea245

Hi All,

I got a new kitty from the shelter back in August. She is a bit over a year old and was newly spayed when we got her. She was a normal size when we brought her home. We were free feeding dry food when we brought her home, but she ate and ate. She gained quite a bit of weight rather quickly. I got concerned and stopped the free feeding. Now I feed them twice a day and she is STILL gaining. I am very worried about it and wondered what advice anyone might offer. My other 2 kitties do not have a weighth problem at all. I feel very sorry for Cedar as she is quite round!!!! I think she was near 8 pounds when we brought her home now she weighs 12 pounds. She has trouble keeping her rear clean because she is so chubby. Could she be having a health issue? I have been feeding her diet kibble and it is not helping.

Ashlee

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Ashlee,
The best way to be sure there is no health issue is to take her in for an exam. Be sure to tell your vet exactly how much food she is getting per day, and the brand of lite, plus how long she's been on it.

Things to try (let me know which diet food you are using, perhaps I can recommend another one):
- put her bowl during her two feedings a day in a room up a flight of stairs (i.e. upstairs bathroom) or down (basement) so she has to get a bit of exercise just to reach it
-schedule daily play sessions using an interactive toy such as a wand toy with feathers at the end to get her running and chasing for 15 minutes
- if she doesn't have, and will use, buy some toys that she can self-exercise with..ping pong balls or catnip-infused balls (cloth or rubber, both are on the market) for her to bat and chase, or crazy cat spinners, rock 'n rollers are other roll and chase toys
- mechanical mouse is another fun toy you can use in a play session daily or there is the Panic Mouse that you can set up for her

hth!