Kitten gaining weight... YIKES!

[Ragdoll_Joy]

Good morning everyone...
Just weighed our little ragdoll kitten who is now at 33 weeks (8months) old. She is now topping the scale at about 8lbs and I just wanted to make sure that is not overweight for her breed. She eats 1 3oz can of wet food per day plus about 1/4 cup of kibble. She is begging for more but don't know if she should give in to her pleads or not.
First time cat owner...any advice would be a great help. We don't want to over feed her, but we don't want to starve her either...

[rightsaidfed]

8lbs at 8 months sounds totally fine. The amount you're feeding her sounds normal for an adult. Younger kittens would probably want more. She's in an awkward 'tween stage as far as food goes. Mine is almost 9months, and he gets a 5.5oz can plus 1/4c dry. I'm starting to pull back a little bit to "adult" portions. He's around 10lbs right now. I still feel like he has one more little growth spurt left. He's starting to thicken up, but every time I think that, he grows and gets lean again.

I don't think you're underfeeding her, but you're probably not overfeeding either. I'd say its probably safe to give her a little more as long as you can feel but not see her ribs and you can see a waist when viewing from above.

For both of our kitties the next 5 or 6 months will be a balancing act between kitten appetites and full grown cat bodies/metabolism


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[BigDaveyL]

Originally Posted by rightsaidfed

8lbs at 8 months sounds totally fine. The amount you're feeding her sounds normal for an adult. Younger kittens would probably want more. She's in an awkward 'tween stage as far as food goes. Mine is almost 9months, and he gets a 5.5oz can plus 1/4c dry. I'm starting to pull back a little bit to "adult" portions. He's around 10lbs right now. I still feel like he has one more little growth spurt left. He's starting to thicken up, but every time I think that, he grows and gets lean again.

I don't think you're underfeeding her, but you're probably not overfeeding either. I'd say its probably safe to give her a little more as long as you can feel but not see her ribs and you can see a waist when viewing from above.

For both of our kitties the next 5 or 6 months will be a balancing act between kitten appetites and full grown cat bodies/metabolism


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I agree. I see no problems here.

Isn't the rule of thumb that kittens should gain at least a pound a month or so until they are 12months or so? Of course all kitties are different. Joy is on schedule and I would let her eat for now

[tigre86]

^ That's what my vet said. Tucker and Tigerlilly are both 9 pounds though so maybe their weight evens out at 9 months?

[marie73]

My girls weighed their age until 7-8 months old. They're five years old now and weigh about 7 pounds. But they're not Ragdolls, don't they normally weigh a bit more? I would give her more a little more wet food and less dry food. I feed my girls in the morning, when I get home and when I go to bed.

[Ragdoll_Joy]

Thanks for all the help guys and gals! As usual I knew I could count on an answer here on the forum!

[marie73]

Just to be sure, you could send her to San Diego and I could study her more closely.

It might take a few years.......

[Susan]

Originally Posted by marie73

Just to be sure, you could send her to San Diego and I could study her more closely.

It might take a few years.......

Ragdolls don't attain their full weight until they're about 4 years old. To be on the safe side, Marie, I think your study should cover at least 5 years.

Ragdoll_Joy: I agree with the other posters. I think Joy is fine and I wouldn't cut back on her feeding. Muffs was about 8 lbs at Joy's age. I thought Muffs would be a big cat, considering her Mom was 15 lbs and her Dad was 22 lbs. Muffs will be 4 next March, yet she now only weighs 9.5 lbs., which is small for a Ragdoll. So, I guess you just never know.

[Ragdoll_Joy]

Thanks Susan! Great to hear from another Ragdoll owner Joy will continue to get her regular portions of food! We do plan on cutting her back on kibble however just want to finish up the 5lb bag we have. She does not get the full 1/4 cup all in one sitting. It is mixed in with her wet food that she gets in the am and pm
Susan, do you find that Muffs has a sensitive stomach to food changes? We have been giving Joy little samples of adult wet to see what she likes and it seems that she gets a loose stool always later that day or the following morning.

[Susan]

Originally Posted by Ragdoll_Joy

Susan, do you find that Muffs has a sensitive stomach to food changes? We have been giving Joy little samples of adult wet to see what she likes and it seems that she gets a loose stool always later that day or the following morning.

Muffs is a picky eater, but she has an iron stomach. Whenever I do switch foods (wet or dry), I never do a slow transition and I never see any issues with loose stool or vomiting. Abby is the same.