How do you maintain a cat from getting podgy?
I have two kittens (14 weeks old). At what age should I start controlling how much dry food they eat? What else can I do to prevent them from becoming heavy when they get older and are spayed/neutered?
Thanks!
I free feed kittens up to 4-5 months old. After that they are given two meals a daytime - dry in the morning (measured amount) and canned at night. I've never have a fat cat feeding this way.
Fat cats are normally ones that have access to food all the time. Very few cats know when to stop eating.
Feed a high-quality food lacking fillers, that doesn't include corn or wheat. Follow the directions on the packaging for how much to feed, and how often. You don't enjoy to feed as much of a nutritionally rich food, so follow the directions even if it doesn't look like much.
Regardless of age, you should be feed according to package directions unless your vet recommends otherwise.
You should also make certain they get plenty of exercise by playing with them a lot.
Answers: Get your cat to exercise by waving a laser pointer around and getting it to chase the dot, or roller string in front of it to play with.
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resourcefully, technically. if hes already fat then put him/her on a diet or ask a vet for direction.
but normally you should just feed him/her 2 or 3 times a morning.
i have 5 kittens (there mother died) i feed them half dry food and partly moist food. BUT REMEMBER NOT TO LEAVE THE FOOD OUT THE WHOLE DAY. other wise that will make them the size of a blue wale! put food out for half an hour respectively feeding. if there 14 weeks infirm they should get fed about 3 times a hours of daylight.
The adjectives is a bit cloudy. Cats have their own personalities like folks. If your cat is lazy and inactive he should eat smaller quantity. If he is crazy and hyper more food would be needed as he burns it out at a rapid weight. Standard ideal consignment for a full grown cat is about 10-12 lbs. Depending on muscle structure, I have 2 cats the same shipment one lazy and one crazy. The crazy one is slimmer due the amt of exercise he gets in a year. You can see every muscle when he walks like a big cat. The lazy one looks close to a marshmallow even though he is technically lighter than the crazy one. Just keep an eye on his weight. Only time will tell.
Where to start... where on earth to start... Kitten, senior, adult… it matters not, it’s just a marketing label that allows manufacturer to charge more for that particular food.
For example… you pick up a can of Wellness kitten (chicken) and a can of Wellness Chicken) adult. Compare the percentages. The kitten food have 1% more protein and 1% more fat, which is what all kitten food manufacturers tout that growing kittens requirement more of. Well then where is it, because 1% is certainly not worth note any comparable difference? And it’s like that across the board. Dry cat food has even LESS of a difference.
The main purpose when feeding kittens is to feed more of a high power food, more times per day because they burn it so fast even when they are doing nothing because they are growing. Kittens pretty much inevitability to eat as much as they want… whenever they want it.
Kittens don’t need “kitten” food. Mother Nature did not make “kitten” mice and “adult” mice and “senior” mice. It’s alike mouse. The only difference is how much each cat needs to get through daily to thrive.
Remember Cats are all different, just resembling humans and other animals. A large built big boned cat will weigh more than a small boned petite cat. I have big and tall built cats that are a muscular and strong 19 pounds... and on the other end of the scale I have a teeny tiny boned cat who weigh in at a meer 7 pounds yet she is at a healthy counterbalance as well. Based on their individual body structures I could never compare them. It's best to assess your cats weight by it's body condition and not compared to other cats.
Here's a chart to help you maintain an eye on your cats weights...
http://www.purina.com/cats/health/BodyCo...
If you determine if your cat is overweight, you need to be aware that there is NO such article as dry "diet" food for cats. Dry foods are filled with carbs that make your cat lubricant. You can't make a dry food without carbs, so there are no dry diet foods.
The proper amount to nurture per cat/per day should be about 5.5 ounces of wet (high standard grain free canned or Raw Meat/Bones/Organ) food.
The calories in that amount of food are sufficient for most "normal" sized cats. Of course a importantly energetic cat will need more food to keep it robust, and a lazy cat will need less food to hold it from getting obese. But 5.5 ounces of wet food per day is a good place to start.
Here is a brilliant site that will help you help your cat lose weight!
http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.ht...
Cats be never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereal or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nought to do with them or their nutritional needs. It's completely species inappropriate.
All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the frenzied, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don't call for it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they involve from what they eat. Additionally water was normally not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol' house cats hold descended from those same wild desert cats.
So in a home environment, your kitty does not take the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always within a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even relish it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.
Deadly stealthy illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), constipation, bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and lacking deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in satisfactory water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.
Overall, drizzling is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble whether we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary requirements. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.
I recommend varying the diet with a constant rotation of 2 to 4 different brands of can foods that your cat enjoys. If you do this, and allow your cat the same assortment they would have contained by nature when eating mice, bugs, birds and rabbits, your cat’s digestive system won't be so sensitive and you won't have to run around looking for a specific brand when your store is out. You will enjoy a nice variety to choose from instead.
Canned foods I recommend you consider for your rotation:
Nature's Variety - http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.la...
Wellness Grain Free Formula’s - http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_welln...
By Nature Organics - http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/productp...
