How'd they get so fat!

So When I got Gibby, I realized how heavy Molly and especially paige were. so, for the past week, we've been metering their food intake, and feeding twice a day. We only ever leave out enough for 1/2 a serving for each of the three cats, and the morning bowls don't go empty until 9-10 PM. We feed them about 8 AM, and they pretty much don't seem to eat during the day. At night, we give them the same amount, and sometimes a wet supplement of like 1/3 a pouch of wet stuff. Paige I've noticed has lost a bit of weight, However, I thik that's more to do with Gibby playing with her all the time than her food reduction.. So, since they don't seem to be suffering terribly, or missing the food now that they're not free feeding... how did they get so fat int he first place?

I know Rosies was being an only cat at the time when she started putting weight on, then when i got Sophie she started thieving her kitten kibbles which have more fat than ordinary kibbles, but now Sophies on the same ones as Rosie and they play chase after each other so i'm hoping that this will work for both of them because Sophies not a year old yet but she's "really" filling out!!

I cannot answer how they got so fat because I don't know....my Marcellus is a fat black cat with a hanging, swaying pouch to match and I don't know how he got that way. He's almost 2 years old and they told me he was fat. Honestly though, I am careful with the food, the kitties get fed twice a day and the food is rationed. He won't touch people food and he eats good quality food for indoor cats. Right now we have a little kitten food problem which I am monitering the best I can but we know how that goes. Anyway, he was fat way before that! Even when he was a little kitten they always thought he had worms because his tummy was always so round and of course he didn't. And the pouch thing he's always had....can't figure that one out. The hanging fatty pouch I swear is alive sometimes. He's just fat and that's that!

Ever since Pepper was spayed, she has turned in to a big chunk. She was a skinny, scraggly thing until then. Now she is a little chubby, but she is beautiful. Her coat is glossy, and she just generally looks better. She doesn't eat any more than she ever did, and allows Scooter to take her canned food from her if he wants it. I hope she slims down a little, but I hope she does not get so skinny again. She was full grown when she was spayed.
Georgia got chubby after her spay, but slimmed down pretty quickly when she started running around playing and going outside.

I watch how much Jamie eats, meaning I actually weigh the amount of dry food he gets in the morning, and give him half the lowest recommended daily amount of canned food in the evening, but he looks really fat to me right now. I weighed him yesterday, and found that he hasn't gained at all, so now I'm assuming that the extra girth is his winter coat (it has been extremely cold here, and he goes outside on his balcony and on a leash). He's had the belly flab since he was castrated. He's very active (he ran up and down three flights of stairs for well over 2 1/2 hours this evening - he gets a bit manic when there's a new or full moon) So - I don't know. It's probably just a question of metabolism.

There is no secret to losing fat - eat less and excercise more. Given the difficulty in getting a cat to exercise more due to their independent nature, this leaves feeding them less as the more viable option.

My outdoor kitty was fed twice a day and is overweight, so we began to feed him once in the morning with a proper meal, and at night a VERY minimal feed - that is about a 1/4 of what he gets in the morning - the results? A much slimmed down cat who looks healthier, happier and is more energetic.

At the moment my kittens are getting fed twice a day because they are kittens and need the nutrients and vitamins for growth, however once they get older should they start to get fat i will limit them to one meal a day because they are inside cats.

While i know some people might say how could you do that, this can be the difference between a healthy energetic animal, and a fat slob of a cat especially if their metabolism isnt all that great. You have to be cruel to be kind as far as i am concerned! I will of course never allow my kittens to be underweight, but owners should show some tough love when they come begging to the kitchen for extras......

What is that loose poochie belly thing anyway? My Lucius has had it since we got him at 5 months. He eats well, but isn't a pig. It's the skinny little girl that is always begging for food.