Older kitten feeding advice

[skimomma]

We have always adopted adult cats but somehow we ended up with a kitten after a friend had to give her up when she was about 10 weeks old.  She is now one year old and very fun.  We feed all of our cats raw food, including the kitten.  I had been following the feeding quantity guidelines I find online.  We have been weighing the kitten weekly to make sure she was on track.  About two months ago, we started to get concerned because she was still gaining linearly but had stopped growing in height/length.  She was getting quite chubby, actually.  What I cannot seem to find on any feeding guidelines is at what age do you transition to the amount you would feed an adult cat.  I have seen everything from 9 months to 2 years.  So at 10 months, being concerned about her continued weight gain, we cut her food quantity to slightly more than what an adult cat of her size should be eating.  She seems fine in every way, healthy, active, alert, etc....  She is always hungry at meal time and consumes her food quickly then patiently stares at the other cat while she eats.  The first handful of weekly weigh-ins showed the slope flattening.  Then the last two weeks, there has been a slight decrease in weight.  She is still on a chubby side and there is for sure no definition of "waist" or ribs that the guides say to look for in an adult cat.

Can anyone tell me if we are on track here?  At what age does a kitten become a "cat" when it comes to feeding amounts?  Our vet is closed for all but emergencies....and also 100% disagrees with raw food for cats....so is not a great source of advice on this issue.

 

 

[MEmama]

Idk about raw food, but everything I’ve read is to transition to adult food around a year. 10 months isn’t too off track. But I wouldn’t be surprised if some kitties gain weight before a growth spurt, just like some kids.

Does kitty eat everything she can, or does she stop when she’s full? 

Does she get lots of exercise? Will she play fetch with a ball or run around the house/up and down the stairs for a feather toy, etc? I’d make sure to play with her extra before reducing food. 

[Pawz4me]

If she were on canned or kibble I'd feel comfortable transitioning her to an adult food anywhere after eight months.

BUT . . .cats and dogs are just like people. Some need more calories than others to maintain a given weight. I wouldn't be overly concerned as long as she's still chubby, but if she loses too much I wouldn't hesitate to increase the amount of her food a little each week until you find a good spot. Guidelines are just guidelines, not set in stone rules for every single individual.

[skimomma]

2 hours ago, MEmama said:

Idk about raw food, but everything I’ve read is to transition to adult food around a year. 10 months isn’t too off track. But I wouldn’t be surprised if some kitties gain weight before a growth spurt, just like some kids.

Does kitty eat everything she can, or does she stop when she’s full? 

Does she get lots of exercise? Will she play fetch with a ball or run around the house/up and down the stairs for a feather toy, etc? I’d make sure to play with her extra before reducing food. 

 

From what I understand, raw food guidelines are similar to grain-free canned food.  The nutrient profile is about the same by weight.

She eats the full amount no matter what I put down.  She has never been given free access to unlimited food but at the height of her kitten-hood, I was feeding her double what she currently gets and she ate every last morsel.  But she was often burpy afterwards and even threw up a couple of times which was another factor that led us to reduce the quantity slowly to where we are now.

She has never been very interested in running games with us but she does like jumping games, which we do several times a day.  She and our older cat chase each other all over the house for what seems like the ENTIRE night.  Since we are home all day and often are bored, she is getting pretty constant attention when not napping.

For reference, older cat has been eating raw her entire 16 years, is a significantly larger cat in both weight and size, has been eating the same quantity the entire time, and is still slightly overweight despite being very active for an older cat.

[MEmama]

It sounds like she’s thriving. Idk, our two cats have very different body shapes. The kitten (maybe now around 10 months- a year old, a Russian Blue mix) is shorter and more stocky than our just 2 year old cat, who is naturally long and svelte (Bengal mix).

It sounds like she’s been losing a little weight since you reduced her food a bit? Maybe keep that up, closer to the amount you would feed a younger adult cat, monitoring her energy and appetite. If she doesn’t complain and isn’t ravenous (as opposed to hungry) at mealtime, you’ve probably found a good balance. It doesn’t sound from your description like she’s in danger of being seriously overweight?

[skimomma]

7 minutes ago, MEmama said:

It sounds like she’s thriving. Idk, our two cats have very different body shapes. The kitten (maybe now around 10 months- a year old, a Russian Blue mix) is shorter and more stocky than our just 2 year old cat, who is naturally long and svelte (Bengal mix).

It sounds like she’s been losing a little weight since you reduced her food a bit? Maybe keep that up, closer to the amount you would feed a younger adult cat, monitoring her energy and appetite. If she doesn’t complain and isn’t ravenous (as opposed to hungry) at mealtime, you’ve probably found a good balance. It doesn’t sound from your description like she’s in danger of being seriously overweight?

 

Thanks!

No, I don't think she was headed towards seriously overweight.  She was just starting to cross the line between chonky kitten cuteness into maybe-too-round.  She has lost a little weight over the course of a month....about 4 ounces.  She is still a bit of a chunk.  Not sure how to tell if she is ravenous vs. hungry.  Every cat we have ever had begs for food, steals people food when they can, and eats quickly but none have been anywhere near underweight.  I have just never done the kitten thing before and some things I read alarmed me...some saying kittens should always be gaining and if they aren't, they are not getting enough food.  But what I cannot find is what defines "kitten" when it comes to this advice.  I've seen "kitten" to mean up to 24 months and I am quite sure if this cat gains, even a little, up to 24 months, she will be seriously overweight!