Calorie reduction schedule?

[hal1]

Toby just went in for his snip-snip - he's now 5 months old. I was a little worried that he is starting to pack on the pounds, though I guess bengals are suppose to be "muscular" - whatever.

He is 6 lbs 10 oz and I told the vet he gets 6 oz canned and 1/4 cup dry each day. She said I should try to cut back his canned to 4 oz.

I split it to 2 - 3 times a day. I was thinking of reducing his morning portion only. That way he's resting most of the day anyway, and also, I'm not around to feel sorry for him if he sits by his empty food dish like he does in the evening?

Sound okay to just reduce his morning portion instead of reducing his morning and evening potions equally?

[cooncatbob]

I've always been taught that you feed a growing kitten as much food as they'll eat.

[doodlebug]

That seems like a reasonable amount of food for his age. But now that he's neutered, he may slow down a bit (notice I said may...every cat is different). But if I were to cut back it would be on dry, not wet. If he's getting 2 meals at night (dinner and bedtime snack?) then I would not cut down the morning portion...assuming that the time between breakfast and dinner is the longest stretch he's going without food.

[Vivid Dawn]

Yeah, let him pig out. He's only 5 months, and cats don't even really stop growing until they're 10 months. I would dare say, that unless he passes 10 pounds by that time, let him snarf until he's 12 months.

10 pounds would probably be just about right for him, and level out at that. All my cats are about 9 pounds, and I let them eat all day long. As of Dec. 6 vet visit, this is what they all weigh...
Nebbie: 9.2 lbs
Paizly: 9.4 lbs
Zinny: 8.8 lbs (she's a dainty little thing, and probably won't ever see 9+ lbs unless I literally force feed and stuff her silly...but of course, that would be bad!)


Also, I'm wondering why your vet told you to cut back. If anything, the dry food is worse for his health/weight (even high quality dry still has too much additives, carbs and not enough moisture). I'm switching to only canned food, and all cats will get no less than 6 ounces every day.
The typical cat needs an average of 200-300 calories per day, depending on size and activity level. One can of food has about 100-200, depending on brand and quality. Cat's really shouldn't get less than 5 oz of canned food every day for decent nutrition, from what I've researched the last few days for my new menu regimen.

catinfo.org is a great site for diet stuff!

[hal1]

Originally Posted by Vivid Dawn

Also, I'm wondering why your vet told you to cut back.

He was getting a bit round in the middle, and I guess at 6lb 10 oz at 5 months they figured he was more than healthy.

As for the dry, they want me to give him about a 1/4 cup a day, I think for his teeth. I feed EVO canned, and only Wellness Core or EVO for the dry

[SpellQ]

The round around the middle I wouldn't be concerned about as he's still a kitten. Lots of kitties will gain some girth just before they're about to hit a big growth spurt. He's definitely too young to be cutting him back just yet especially since he's an active, high energy breed. There's PLENTY time to dial back his food intake at about a year or once he's closer to full grown.

Kitties eating kibble for teeth is kind of like children eating Apple Jacks for their teeth.

As for weight vs food intake it really is individual to the kitty. Apple weighs about 7lbs and eats between 6-8 oz of wet food a day. She is dainty and lean, but she's also very high energy. Pedro on the other hand is a sloth, but at almost 15 lbs eats 6 oz of wet a day and that's plenty for his activity level. He's still growing (at almost 20 months old) and every now and then he gets a little pudge on his belly followed about a month later by a bit of growth.

[doodlebug]

I agree...kittens get fat little bellies just before a growth spurt. His weight does seem a bit high for his age, but not knowing his frame size there's no way to judge, but I really wouldn't be concerned just yet.

Dry food for dental health...you've been around here long enough to have read a 100 times that there's no truth to that. For the most part, cats swallow the kibble whole. If they do "chew", it's usually one crunch and they're done. Their teeth are pointed, designed for tearing and ripping flesh...not to masticate as ours do. The pointed tooth shatters the kibble and the smaller pieces are swallowed. Does biscotti clean your teeth?

[hal1]

Originally Posted by doodlebug

Does biscotti clean your teeth?

No, but it does help keep my tummy a little round

[doodlebug]

Maybe you're going to have a growth spurt, you can have as much biscotti as you want!

[hal1]

Originally Posted by doodlebug

Maybe you're going to have a growth spurt, you can have as much biscotti as you want!

Oh, wouldn't that be nice....

I'm not gaining weight, I'm putting on my winter layer.