I'm changing my cat's name to Fatty.?

Question

He's about 9 months old and is getting noticeable heavy when I pick him up and has a belly. He is eating a lot more than he used to (I give him Iams kitten hard food and also one or two of the soft food in the small cans a day). I was under the impression you should let a cat eat as much as he wants while he is still growing. I want him to get big, not fat. Not sure if I should restrict his intake or not because I know he is still growing and don't want him to come up short on nutrients... Wondering what others thought about this.

Answer 1

It might not be jsut the amount of food. He could have a thyroid issue. Our family dog had a low thyroid and is on medication. Maybe you can talk to your vet about this.

Answer 2

Iams is an expensive, low-quality food. It has by-product meat and is almost 2/3 corn. Corn is used to fatten slaughter animals - not your objective in feeding your cat. I suspect the "small cans" are Fancy Feast, another expensive and poor quality food.

You have a lot of choices for high quality foods. Eagle Pack, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Felidae, Nature's Logic, Nature's Organic, Blue etc. These foods do not contain any corn and the first two ingredients are human-grade meat which is the best for your cat's nutrition. He doesn't need kitten food any longer, just high quality, nutritious meat.

The "belly" appears in many cats and is not necessarily a sign of overweight. I have several slim cats who have it. It's just a genetic hangover from the cat's desert ancestors.

Answer 3

It may be time to limit his food intake. There is a chart on the back the food bag It tells how much you should feed your cat. Iams offers a Lite formula too, that may help to trim kitty down a bit.

Answer 4

dont change his name. i let my cat get fat and he gained way too much and became a slug who just laid around. before he was active and playful. he went on a diet food strict 3 portions a day, he went from 20# to 12# in 6 months. slow process but now he's playful and happy again. your pet relies on you to do whats best for him. young kittens eat all they want but yours is old enough to be regimented. dry and can is good, but follow the feeding instructions for a grown cat. "fatty" will feel better. you know how you feel when you overeat and bloated? he does too. also maybe he needs to be more active, roll a ball across the floor or someting to get him moving.

Answer 5

You should change how much you feed him. You should follow the recommended serving on the bag of Iams and only feed him canned as a special treat, not every day.

Answer 6

whoa you feed him a lot...my vet told me to take my cat off the canned food cause he didnt need it...now i put him on iams weight control and let him eat as much as he wants for 15 mins in morning, afternoon, and evening

Answer 7

cats need to be fed twice a day, about 1/3 can each time! you shouldn't feed him that much, that's why he getting fat. take him to the vet so he can be checked out fully. then feed him what the vet told you too.

Answer 8

Make sure he gets plenty of play time.One of our cats has a weight problem and we let them go outside as they like and it helps her to keep the weight off.If it's safe for your cat to go out, maybe invest in a kitty door.One thing that definantly helps though,is a playmate.

Answer 9

Have a talk with the vet. He can suggest a good diet plan for your kitten

Answer 10

You could ask about it next time you see the vet. If you put him on a healthy, sensible diet then he should be fine.