is my kitten on the road to obesity???

[seejanerun]

I have two beautiful, orange, one year old kittens from the same litter - one girl and one boy. Both are fixed and healthy. Cyrus, the boy, is quite a bit bigger than his sister and less active. He is about fifteen pounds and a little overweight, while his sister, although smaller, is thin and very active. I just caught Cyrus lying down next to his food bowl and eating. This is the ultimate in lazy and I'm afraid he'll get too fat. I feed them dry food -Iams. And not a lot, but I think he eats hers.
Any advice about what to do when your kitten is sooo relaxed that he lies down to eat?
Jane

[Katygal]

Let me just let you know, from a very unprofessional standpoint, If your cat is happy, and you don't feed him too much, let him live his life happily! My kitty, who recently passed away, always ate laying down. A little extra fat won't kill him, as long as you make sure he doesn't become overly obese. Maybe, since your girl kitty is more agile, you can put her food up high, and have them eat in separate places. That is what my cats do, and they eventually get used to it, and they don't try to eat each others food.

[AmyH]

Jane-

Do you "free feed" your kitties (ie, leave food out for them 24/7)? If so, try scheduled feedings, giving them a measured quantity of food out twice a day for approximatley 20 minutes each time; after the 20 minutes, pick up the bowls. If your cats are used to free-feeding, it may take a day or two for them to adjust to scheduled feedings, but they do catch on quickly!

Scheduled feeding has several advantages; it allows you to monitor and control how much each cat eats (which really is very important); it is a great indicator if one of them isn't feeling well because it will be obvious when one isn't eating normally (and therefore it will possibly help you catch any illnesses earlier rather than later); and it is supposed to be better for their digestive systems.

A little extra fat won't hurt anything, but too much extra weight can lead to all the same problems overweight humans can have - diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, etc. And on a little kitty even an extra 2 lbs can be way too much extra weight...once it's there it's not easy to get off. It's great that you're noticing this trend before he does get too pudgy!

As for him laying down - that may just be the way he's comfortable eating.

Oh, and interactive play time with you is a great way to get a kitty moving. Maybe get some new and different toys for him to spark his interest.

[Traci]

If you can determine from the feline body condition score chart that your male may be overweight, make an appointment with your vet to discuss a weight management plan or dietary adjustment. Since he is only a year old, you need to get a handle on this to prevent future health problems associated with obesity.

You also need to encourage playtime and activity for him, as exercise would also be a vital part of the weight management plan advised by your vet.