Kitten weighs a little too much
 

My 6 month old kitten Finn has a little paunch already.:eek: She was spayed on friday, when I went to pick her up the vet said that she has a layer of fat on her tummy and it was too much for a kitten of her age. We feed both of our kittens Nutram kitten formula and have been following the instructions on the packaging for feeding them. Should we reduce the amount that we feed them? We are currently feeding them 3-4 times a day, about 1/3 cup for each of them at each feeding, unless there is still food in their dishes. Is there another food that we could be feeding them for better weight control and better overall health? The petfood store (global petfoods) that we go to has so many good products, but unfortunately has teenagers working there (not that some teens don't know their stuff):D , so I'm hesitant to ask their opinion on foods that are right for our babies.

Thanks

Fat at 6 months is not good! You are feeding them way too much. At 6 months they don't need kitten food, are nearly at adult size, and they don't nearly as much as young kittens who are rapidly growing.

Many cats fed unlimited dry food do end up obese. Personally I would feed canned as well. It's more satisfying, plus they'll get a lot of water from it.

Buy them adult food and go according to the directions. If they don't lose weight, or get fatter, cut down the amounts.

Well, I wouldn't call her fat!! She definitely would take offence to that. She's actually quite slim, but has a little paunch in front of her hind legs. Ok, so all kitten food companies should revise the feeding instructions on their packaging. They all say to feed kittens kitten formulas until they are 52 weeks old, and most say 3-4 times a day, others say 3-4 times until 26 weeks then 2-3 times from 26-52 weeks. As well, we do not feed them unlimited food through out the day. I am well aware of what happens to cats that are fed unlimited. We will reduce the amount and look into a different food for them.

Tell your baby I meant no offense.:p My dog is a fatty and and I tell her that all the time.

Those feeding guidelines are just that - guidelines. And much depends on brand too. I have never fed kitten food until just recently, and never to kittens over a few months old. I truly believe all these different formulas are unnecessary and are money-makers for dry food manufacturers - "Indoor formula" is a good example.

I feed primarily canned and believe it's better than any dry, which contains ingredients cats cannot use, like carbohydrates and grains.

If your kittens aren't fat then don't change anything.

We went to the petfood store today and looked around for ourselves, then asked for assistance. The food we settled on is a kitten/cat formula, we do not have to change their food once they're adults. It is a holistic blend with very little filler in it. Even if it doesn't do much for their weight(we can always reduce the amounts), we feel better about the ingredients that are in it.