my little fatty

[JessK]

I realize from the chart posted elsewhere on this forum that my little ~6 month old Neo is "heavy" because he has a really noticeable "abdominal fat pad." He doesn't appear fat elsewhere but he sure does have floppy gut. He's a grazer, and I've always made sure he always has some dry food in his bowl because I didn't want to risk feeding him too little. Should I let it go empty for certain periods per day instead?

Daily quantity-wise, should I follow the guidelines on the packaging to the letter? I had just assumed all cats were different so I just put out whatever amount he would eat.

On the other hand, is he too young for me to worry about his being fat? He's about 7 pounds and I have no idea how much growing he still has to do.

It also occurred to me that maybe indoor cats need less food than outdoor cats because they burn fewer calories roaming around--how much of a factor is this? Maybe I should get him a gym membership. I don't want to be all neurotic about his weight, but then again if I'm not giving him optimal health then I feel bad. Thanks for advice!

[Jodi]

My cat Chessa just turned a year old, and she is a small cat. Unfortunately, she has a big belly as well, and when you pick her up she is SOLID! She weighs exactly 10 lbs., which my vet said is okay for her, but she shouldn't gain anymore or it could be dangerous to her health. I still leave her dry food out for her to eat whenever she is hungry, but I also try to play with her more so she will get more exercise, as she is prone to lay around all the time and not be active.

Hope this helps! Good luck!!!!

[davet]

no matter what you feed him , it boils down to calories in vrs calories out. if you want him to loose weight you gotta increase the calories out,, ie exercise, and decrease the calories in--less food.. i would not feed him cafeteria style ie leaveing food out but would feed him twice a day and then pick it up0 after ten minutes...i never worried about pets that were a little over weight---not a lot----cause if they got sick and stopped eating they would have sometin to fall back on....too heavy though if they break a leg it is more difficult to get around on three legs....use your ownd judgement and once in a while ask a friend..do think my cat is too heavy???you might get better answers than if you judge yourself

[Mona]

My 5 year old girl weighs 11 pounds, and stays at that weight, so I do not worry. I have cut back some on her food, only canned in the morning, and I free feed the dry. She is a grazer.

Here is a link that has a Purina weight chart which is excellent in determining where you cat fits in.

http://www.cathelp-online.com/phpBB2/vi ... php?t=2441

Mona, Honeybun and Chloe

[JessK]

Thanks all for your answers. I've decided he is a bit fat, but since he is still a kitten I'm not going to worry about it because I'd rather err on the side of too much food rather than too little. If he gets fatter as an adult I might have to institute some slight food cutbacks.