Question:
Hey all! First post, so be gentle... but I need some help, and I found this forum on Google...
I've got 2 kittens around 9.5 months old now - sisters - one black & white, the other tortoise-shell.
Here's the thing: the black & white kitty is getting NOTICEABLY chubby. I've got them on Iams kitten chow, which you're supposed to keep 'em on until they're a year old, right? But the one cat is REALLY heavy, while my tortie is still super lean.
Both of them have a decent level of activity, and I don't notice the one hoarding the food more than the other...
Any ideas on what I should try to regulate chub's weight?
I don't want to deal with two whining, meowing kitties if I try to only feed them at specific times (I usually just fill the food bowl and refill it when it's empty.)
Should I get them off the kitten food? (My guess is that kitten food is meant to bulk 'em up a bit?) Do I need to train them to separate food sources? Do I need to deal with whining, meowing kitties?
I just don't know what strategies to employ since they're both used to eating from the same bowl, and one cat's too heavy while the other one is almost too thin. This is my first shot at owning multiple cats!
Advice?
Answer:
Hello, and welcome to the forum.
If you are free feeding (which is one of the biggest causes of overeating) and one cat is eating more than her share, I'm afraid the only reasonable and effective way of dealing with the problem is to switch to timed mealtimes.
Some cats are not good at regulating the amount of food they eat so they don't eat to much, so its up to you to do it for them, and in a multicat household, this can sometime be difficult.
First, free feeding dry food is one of the biggest culprits for weight gain, for several reasons.
First is the obvious- if you leave food out all the time and you have a cat that either just likes to eat, eats out of boredom or eats competitively, they're going to eat too much and get fat.
Second reason is that dry food itself is also a big culprit for weight gain. Dry food, in general, usully has a very high percentage of grains and fillers. Cats, who are strict carnivores, have a hard time digesting and utilizing the grains in dry cat food and this can lead to weight gain even if the amount of calories they are consuming is correct.
Contrary to what many people believe or have heard, dry food is not better for a cat and it will not help keep their teeth clean. It is a food that is provided meerly because of convenience. Cats are not designed to eat meat flavored dry biscuits. Wet food is so much healthier than dry food. It is closer in composition to a cat's natural diet. First, because is usually contains fewer grains; Some high quality wet foods contain none at all. A high percentage of grains can lead to obesity, diabetes, and IBD.
Second reason why wet is better than dry is because of the moisture content. Moisture may not seem like a big deal because you figure if a cat's not getting enough they just go to their water bowl and lap some up, but, in reality, a cat that eats only dry food does not get enough water and does not drink enough to make up for it. This means that the cat is in a constant state of some level of dehydration, and this can lead to serious health problems such as kidney failure as they start to get older, and it can also contribute to FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease).
It is a very good idea to make at least 50% of a cat's diet a good quality canned food. You can find more information in the sticky at the top of the health and nutrition forum.
At their age, you can switch your cats to an adult food without any problems, or you can switch them to an all life stages food which can be fed to both cats and kittens. I will also suggest that if your budget allows, you switch them to a higher quality cat food. Not all cat foods are created equal, and Iams is one of the foods that falls into the "grocery store" category. Grocery store foods are low quality or just downright bad foods, which contain little meat (heck, some don't contain any meat at all), lots of fillers, and other bad or undesireable ingredients. Iams and Purina One are the better foods you can find at the grocery store, but they still fall into the low-mid quality range overall.
So, I would suggest you try feeding at mealtimes only, and that at least 50% of their diet is a good canned food. At first it will be an adjustment and your cats will probably whine for food, but if you are consistant and feed the at the same times each day, they will learn that thats the only time they get food and that will become the only time that they ask for it.
I know thats a lot more information than you asked for, but I hope that helps to answer some of your questions.
and Cheddar too!
Answer:
Yup...what Nell said ^^^^
And welcome to the forum...
Always remembering Onyx & Callie May
Answer:
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Thanks Nell!
Answer:
Yep....what Nell said
~Shelly~
http://www.myspace.com/fbodgrl
Zoee, Zack, Lamar & Mateo's mom
and Khan my Pit Bull Terrier
Answer:
You can also try this site out and see what the ingredients are in foods, the better foods are Innova, Wellness, Nutro, Natural Balance, etc.:
http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab
~~Des & Baby~~
Answer:
Welcome to the forum, glad you found us!
Nothing to add actually Just another vote supporting what Nell said. As for the whining and meowing, cats only do that when they think that there is something to gain from it. If you stand firm and don't give in, within a couple of days they'll realize that food is now on a schedule, and they'll be fine with it. But, expect to be reminded when it's feeding time
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Answer:
Like Mike said, once you get them on a schedule you can expect to be reminded when it's time to eat. Silly kitties.
Another thing I'd like add, if you put them on a high quality food, don't expect them to go through the quantity of food they do now. High quality food has more to it and fills them up better.
For instance, when I first got my 2 cats I had them on Friskies or 9 Lives canned food. They ate 10-12 oz of canned food a day, plus they ate 2 heaping bowls of dry food a day.
Now, I'm feeding them Wellness, Nutro and sometimes Innova or something similar and now they only eat 6 oz wet food and one bowl of dry food per day.
Plus, we have the benefit of nice fur coats (previously Ellie shed excessively) and Ellie's other problem with her eyes cleared up. She used to get watery, red, goopy eyes often. We haven't dealt with that for a long time now and I think better food helped that!
Stephanie

Answer:
weluvcookie wrote: Ellie's other problem with her eyes cleared up. She used to get watery, red, goopy eyes often. We haven't dealt with that for a long time now and I think better food helped that!
That may have been due to allergies the some of the many grains used in the cheaper foods, like corn or soy.
Always remembering Onyx & Callie May
Answer:
Wow! I even learned a lot from this. My four are getting very portly and I've tried to cut down on the food, but couldn't stand the "harassment" I was getting! Although I use a vet formula dry food, I was free feeding and filling the bowl about twice a day. Overnight, they would empty it yet again, and at 5:00 a.m. I was awakened to 4 kitties walking up and down the length of my body in bed, and the pawing for me to GET UP!!! I think I will make some adjustments to the dry and give just canned in the morning, with an interval between filling the bowl until I can get them down to a good weight. Hope I can stand the whining.
My kitties keep me sane
Answer:
Mickey's Mom....if you're trying to get them to lose weight, cutting out the free feeding of dry completely and moving to a primarily wet diet (some dry is OK as long as it represents a small percentage of the diet) is your best best. See my post in this thread....and also the info in the link in that post as well.
Always remembering Onyx & Callie May
Answer:
doodlebug wrote:
That may have been due to allergies the some of the many grains used in the cheaper foods, like corn or soy.
I'm sure of it, based on the research I did because of her. I used to think that people who bought expensive cat food were insane. Now, it's "whatever it takes" for the wellbeing of my furbabies!
Stephanie

Answer:
weluvcookie wrote: doodlebug wrote:
That may have been due to allergies the some of the many grains used in the cheaper foods, like corn or soy.
I'm sure of it, based on the research I did because of her. I used to think that people who bought expensive cat food were insane. Now, it's "whatever it takes" for the wellbeing of my furbabies!
I'm with you on that...after all the research I did for Callie's IBD....
Always remembering Onyx & Callie May