overweight kitten?

hi,

i'm new to this forum. i'm looking for advice about my kitten. i've grown up with animals (cats, dogs, birds, horses, etc), so i am fairly familiar with animal nutrition. however, until recently, i lived on many acres of land and our animals were always outdoor animals that got lots and lots of exercise.

now, living in the city, i realize my 7 1/2 mo. kitten is not getting enough exercise. the woman from whom we adopted him (an adoption org. called pawsafe) predicted he would be an extremely large cat, which was obvious from the time we got him (at 6 wks). our vet also mentioned that he will be a big guy when he grows up.

anyhow, down to the weight issue. i don't think he is *obese*, but he is definitely overweight. he has a hangy rolly tummy, and while his ribs are palpatable, he is definitely jiggly. he also has a bit of a hard time walking. currently, i am feeding him purina kitten chow. their recommendation is around 2 cups per day, which is what we have been feeding. i am now thinking this may too much.

before i jump to any conlusions, i wanted to hear of any experience any of you may have had with an overweight kitten. will he grow into his pudge, or should i visit the vet to persue a diet/exercise regime. i definitely do not want him to develop arthritis or any other side effect from being overweight. on the same token, i don't want to deprive him of necessary nutrients for growth and development. also, is it too early to switch him over to an adult cat food that contains less calories and more proteins than the kitten food?

any comments?

megan

[Edited by meganeaves on 03-15-2001 at 09:36 AM]

kittens do need more to grow just like human children - but if they do not get enough excerise they will by "pudgy" . Feeding really should be balanced out with the amount of excerise the kitten gets. Either you schedule regular
play session to increase movement and then the amount of
food you give is most likely just fine - but do check with your VET. Do you free - feed ? I free feed my 12 month old boy dry food - he seem to eat only when he is hungry theirby maintaining his weight. He is also VERY VERY VERY active
exhausting his MOM on a regular basis. Good Luck

I would be careful about restricting food for a growing kitten, especially if he's supposed to grow into a large cat.

I think you should ask your vet for a professional opinion. Your cat is not obese and not even overweight if you can feel his ribs, so if he has difficulty in walking and a large tummy, maybe your vet should have a look.

Let us know what the vet thinks.

Yeah, a vets advice would help. They can tell you if it is an eating issue or medical issue. If a diet is needed, they can calculate the calories so it is a safe process.

there are two ways to burn calories, sex and exercise. I suggest excercize! You can take pushpins and hang strings in various lengths across your doorways. Attach different things to each one so he gets amused! Then every time he goes through doors he will be entertained!

I have a 3 year old female spayed cat(who is a bit flabby too) and a 1 year old neutered male at home. They get plenty of exercise, so I believe the problem lies with cats having a tendency to gain extra weight because of being spayed or neutered. I have just recently tried a new cat food called Feline Principle Light Formula to see if this will help "my fat cat". It is a lighter formula that is sapposed to be available to cats all during the day (fed freely in other words) and has all the nutrients a cat needs. It is compared to Hills Science Diet and is available at local grocery stores. You may begin feeding this type of cat food at 9 to 12 months of age. I am expecting good results but we will just have to wait and see. However, you may want to check with your vet first. My cats just had their recent check-up and were found to be fine except for Tiger who is a bit plump. Time will tell.

My spayed female is quite slim actually. Not too thin but definintely not overweight.

I have read the neutered males require a third less than the calories required by whole males. If you keep feeding a neutered male the same amounts as a whole male, they will gain weight.