Kitten feeding / weight

jbx74205 · 10-20-2010, 10:25 AM

Hello all!

I am the proud parent of 2 kittens, Dax (7-month old brown tabby) and Goober (8-month old white and gray). I adopted them from the ASPCA in June and they weighed 5.1 and 5.4 lbs respectively. Since then, they've grown in size, as kittens tend to do. Dax is now 8.6 lbs and Goober is 9.6.

I've been feeding them the following:

Morning - 1/4 can wet food and 1/8 cup dry
Afternoon - 1/8 cup dry
Evening - 1/4 can wet food and 1/8 cup dry
Overnight - 1/8 cup dry

The wet food I use is Trader Joe's, which I've read good things about. No by-products or anything gross listed on the can. For the dry, I use Natural Balance Ultra Premium (the dark pink bag).

This all nets out to be 3 oz of wet food and 1/2 cup of dry per cat each day. I emailed Natural Balance to try to get calorie counts on their food so I could see if this was appropriate, but they never replied. I checked out Wellness' site though and it seems like I'm feeding what they recommend when you mix wet and dry.

My question is, is this enough to feed them, or possibly too much? Every time I put their bowls down, they lick them clean. Their weights have been stable for the last month or so, but I am a little curious since I know they're getting to be close to their full sizes and I don't want them to be over/underweight.

I've done the rib check and I can feel Dax's with no problem. Goober has much thicker fur, but I can feel his too. Both guys seems to have a little extra skin towards the back of the belly right by their back legs, but I read that this can be normal. They both play quite a bit and are energetic. I've attached pix here too so you can get a visual.

Thanks in advance!

Jackielyn · 10-20-2010, 10:48 AM

I really don't think you can feed a kitten too much, it's when they reach adulthood is when you worry about them being overweight or underweight. I'd say let them eat to their hearts content, i always feed 2 3 oz meals a day (could probably do more) and leave kibble out all day. when he reaches adulthood i will most likely not put out kibble anymore and restrict his diet a little more. Sounds like the babies are good eaters! Mine is kinda picky!

catloverami · 10-20-2010, 11:23 AM

Adorable beautiful cats. Most Domestic cats reach maturity between 12-18mos. Your cats in the pics look fabulous and perfect weight. I think you're right that you don't want them to be overweight; it is healthier for the cat and actually better that they're slightly underweight than overweight. The rib test is a good one, and also you should be able to see or feel a slight waist from looking from above. When they are mature you may have to decrease the frequency of feedings to 2x/day. You may find that on high quality foods that are high in protein that you need to feed slightly less, or they will gain too much weight. It's always a balance as to to quantity and quality of food to their activity levels.

jbx74205 · 10-20-2010, 01:49 PM

Thanks for the replies! I'll keep up my current feeding schedule until the boys are approaching maturity unless I see something that makes me want to change. =)

kwarendorf · 10-20-2010, 02:11 PM

Greetings fellow New Yorker! I live around the corner from the ASPCA adoption Center

I am in agreement with those that say you really can't overfeed a kitten. My GF has a little 7 month old female. She's a Balinese and her absolute max adult weight will be around 8 pounds. I figure she weighs about 4 pounds now. It seem like she eats about 4 pounds a day. You need to take your hand away quickly when you put her food dow as she wastes no time

Ducman69 · 10-20-2010, 02:28 PM

Everyone I have talked to recommended leaving the dry out 24x7, since its difficult to pack too many calories in for a kitten so they are best just eating as much as they can fit in their tummies.

Mine prefer wet though, so will hold out on the dry as much they can.

RowdyAndMalley · 10-20-2010, 02:48 PM

We also do the trader joes wet food, each of our kittens 7mon and 5.5 mon get two cans a day, so roughly 11 oz a day. They both seem like they could eat more too so I think your doing ok.

jbx74205 · 10-20-2010, 03:50 PM

=) Thanks all! My guys are a little bit picky, but I've found a good mix that works. I tried a bunch of different foods when I first got them. They hated Science Diet (thankfully) and weren't big fans of the Natural Balance wet, or Nutro Max. They love Friskies, but I only give it to them as a treat once a week, and only the Beef Savory Shreds because oddly enough it's the only Friskies product without by-products.

They took to the Natural Balance dry immediately and occasionally get tired of the Trader Joe's seafood flavor. They get right back into it though when I mix it with a tad of the Tuna For Cats. =) I also try to buy them the healthiest treats possible. They love the Wellness jerky and crunchy ones. And of course Dax loves to try to steal pieces of turkey from me while I'm making my sandwich in the morning before work.

Out of curiosity, how safe is it to give a cat a small amount of turkey or chicken with their food as a special treat? Obviously it would be plain without any salt, spices or gravy.

Susan · 10-20-2010, 08:43 PM

Dax and Goober are lovely, and they look to be the perfect size. It's fine to give cooked chicken or turkey (or deli-turkey) as a treat, provided there are no bones in the cooked chicken/turkey. Also, if they're of any help in the future, the links below provide calorie information for numerous wet and dry foods. The data is a bit out of date [2008] but it provides a reasonably rough guide.

Canned Cat Food Nutritional Information

Dry Cat Food Nutritional Information

jbx74205 · 10-20-2010, 10:24 PM

This is a terrific guide Susan! I would imagine that the nutrition contents haven't changed all that much. Looks like I'm feeding the boys about 340 calories per day, which I'll probably have to start cutting down in a few months. For now though they seem pretty good with what they're eating.

Abby and Muffin are adorable btw =)

10-20-2010, 10:25 AM	#1 (permalink)
jbx74205 Jr. Cat Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York City Posts: 35	Kitten feeding / weight Hello all! I am the proud parent of 2 kittens, Dax (7-month old brown tabby) and Goober (8-month old white and gray). I adopted them from the ASPCA in June and they weighed 5.1 and 5.4 lbs respectively. Since then, they've grown in size, as kittens tend to do. Dax is now 8.6 lbs and Goober is 9.6. I've been feeding them the following: Morning - 1/4 can wet food and 1/8 cup dry Afternoon - 1/8 cup dry Evening - 1/4 can wet food and 1/8 cup dry Overnight - 1/8 cup dry The wet food I use is Trader Joe's, which I've read good things about. No by-products or anything gross listed on the can. For the dry, I use Natural Balance Ultra Premium (the dark pink bag). This all nets out to be 3 oz of wet food and 1/2 cup of dry per cat each day. I emailed Natural Balance to try to get calorie counts on their food so I could see if this was appropriate, but they never replied. I checked out Wellness' site though and it seems like I'm feeding what they recommend when you mix wet and dry. My question is, is this enough to feed them, or possibly too much? Every time I put their bowls down, they lick them clean. Their weights have been stable for the last month or so, but I am a little curious since I know they're getting to be close to their full sizes and I don't want them to be over/underweight. I've done the rib check and I can feel Dax's with no problem. Goober has much thicker fur, but I can feel his too. Both guys seems to have a little extra skin towards the back of the belly right by their back legs, but I read that this can be normal. They both play quite a bit and are energetic. I've attached pix here too so you can get a visual. Thanks in advance! Attached Thumbnails

10-20-2010, 02:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
RowdyAndMalley Tom Cat Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lakewood, CA Posts: 556	We also do the trader joes wet food, each of our kittens 7mon and 5.5 mon get two cans a day, so roughly 11 oz a day. They both seem like they could eat more too so I think your doing ok. __________________ Kira, slave to

10-20-2010, 08:43 PM	#9 (permalink)
Susan Premier Cat Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,632	Dax and Goober are lovely, and they look to be the perfect size. It's fine to give cooked chicken or turkey (or deli-turkey) as a treat, provided there are no bones in the cooked chicken/turkey. Also, if they're of any help in the future, the links below provide calorie information for numerous wet and dry foods. The data is a bit out of date [2008] but it provides a reasonably rough guide. Canned Cat Food Nutritional Information Dry Cat Food Nutritional Information __________________ Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

10-20-2010, 10:48 AM	#2 (permalink)
Jackielyn Jr. Cat Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 31	I really don't think you can feed a kitten too much, it's when they reach adulthood is when you worry about them being overweight or underweight. I'd say let them eat to their hearts content, i always feed 2 3 oz meals a day (could probably do more) and leave kibble out all day. when he reaches adulthood i will most likely not put out kibble anymore and restrict his diet a little more. Sounds like the babies are good eaters! Mine is kinda picky!

10-20-2010, 11:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
catloverami Cat Addict Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Cobourg, Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,607	Adorable beautiful cats. Most Domestic cats reach maturity between 12-18mos. Your cats in the pics look fabulous and perfect weight. I think you're right that you don't want them to be overweight; it is healthier for the cat and actually better that they're slightly underweight than overweight. The rib test is a good one, and also you should be able to see or feel a slight waist from looking from above. When they are mature you may have to decrease the frequency of feedings to 2x/day. You may find that on high quality foods that are high in protein that you need to feed slightly less, or they will gain too much weight. It's always a balance as to to quantity and quality of food to their activity levels.

10-20-2010, 01:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
jbx74205 Jr. Cat Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York City Posts: 35	Thanks for the replies! I'll keep up my current feeding schedule until the boys are approaching maturity unless I see something that makes me want to change. =)

10-20-2010, 02:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
kwarendorf Senior Cat Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 831	Greetings fellow New Yorker! I live around the corner from the ASPCA adoption Center I am in agreement with those that say you really can't overfeed a kitten. My GF has a little 7 month old female. She's a Balinese and her absolute max adult weight will be around 8 pounds. I figure she weighs about 4 pounds now. It seem like she eats about 4 pounds a day. You need to take your hand away quickly when you put her food dow as she wastes no time

10-20-2010, 02:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
Ducman69 Banned Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 728	Everyone I have talked to recommended leaving the dry out 24x7, since its difficult to pack too many calories in for a kitten so they are best just eating as much as they can fit in their tummies. Mine prefer wet though, so will hold out on the dry as much they can.

10-20-2010, 03:50 PM	#8 (permalink)
jbx74205 Jr. Cat Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York City Posts: 35	=) Thanks all! My guys are a little bit picky, but I've found a good mix that works. I tried a bunch of different foods when I first got them. They hated Science Diet (thankfully) and weren't big fans of the Natural Balance wet, or Nutro Max. They love Friskies, but I only give it to them as a treat once a week, and only the Beef Savory Shreds because oddly enough it's the only Friskies product without by-products. They took to the Natural Balance dry immediately and occasionally get tired of the Trader Joe's seafood flavor. They get right back into it though when I mix it with a tad of the Tuna For Cats. =) I also try to buy them the healthiest treats possible. They love the Wellness jerky and crunchy ones. And of course Dax loves to try to steal pieces of turkey from me while I'm making my sandwich in the morning before work. Out of curiosity, how safe is it to give a cat a small amount of turkey or chicken with their food as a special treat? Obviously it would be plain without any salt, spices or gravy.

10-20-2010, 10:24 PM	#10 (permalink)
jbx74205 Jr. Cat Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York City Posts: 35	This is a terrific guide Susan! I would imagine that the nutrition contents haven't changed all that much. Looks like I'm feeding the boys about 340 calories per day, which I'll probably have to start cutting down in a few months. For now though they seem pretty good with what they're eating. Abby and Muffin are adorable btw =)

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