Feeding kitten turning 1 year old?

Pogica Dallyca

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Hi, I hope I can get some guidance here. I feel like I have many things going on, I'm not sure if I should put them all in 1 thread or I should spread them out. I'll try to give you the idea of the over all situation with some important details. I have 2 cats, older one is a 4 yo girl, Pony Girl, and a boy, Dally, who will turn 1 in about a week. Pony Girl is a bit overweight since the day we adopted her (a year ago). I put her on a diet of 80% wet food and limited dry food (about 175 calories in total). Her weight went down just a bit from 12.5 to 12.1 lbs. Then we adopted Dally in February this year, he was 8 months. I struggled with feeding them both because Pony Girl has to lose weight but Dally has to eat as much as he needs since he's a growing kitten. I decided I'll let Pony eat dry food just as much as Dally does. They split 4 cans in a day (3 oz each) and have dry food in the gravity feeder. I give Dally more portion of the wet food. It all went fine, I figured if Pony gains weight, then I will start the diet again after Dally turns 1.

Two months ago, I started a thread about Pony pooping on the floor and she had soft stool. She did it 2 days in a row. We added a litter box on main level, hoping it would stop the problem. It did for a short time. A month later, Pony did it again, this time on the kitchen floor, I still saw the soft stool. Then we took her to the vet last week, they gave her metronidazole, Fortiflora and Hill's prescription wet food for digestive issue. Since then she's doing much better. I plan to have Fortiflora in hand, in case any cats have problems with digestion. At the vet's office, I was surprised to find out that Pony's weight is 11.3 lbs. I thought she would be heavier since she has access to dry food all the time.

So with Dally turning 1, should I start to limit their dry food? Dally has gained weight from 9 to 11.4 lbs. I haven't seen any health problem in him. Should I continue feeding them the same way? Sometimes I think Dally could use more wet food. Even though he's heavier now, he looks skinny compared to Pony. Anyone has suggestions for my situation? Also, can I give my cats Fortiflora regularly or should I only do it when they have digestion problem? I notice that it helps Pony take the pill hidden in the wet food. Maybe it will help when they try new flavors of wet food too.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Sorry no one has responded to your post yet! You can probably cut back some of the dry - gradually - since Dally is turning 1 now, and - yes - add a bit more wet food to his daily intake. Probably wouldn't hurt to do the same with Pony as well. If Pony does better with the Fortiflora, I don't think there is any harm in continuing to give it to her routinely. It is one of the probiotics that is known for helping with appetite, so if it helps to get her to take her meds, all the better. Just keep an eye on her to make sure that once she completes the metronidazole that her loose stool doesn't return - also another reason to keep her on the Fortiflora.

What is Pony's current caloric intake in a day? The general rule of thumb is to feed a cat 20-25 calories per pound of body weight. So, theoretically, using that guide, to maintain 11 pounds she could probably use to eat 220 - 275 calories. So, that might be why you saw her losing some weight with this last vet visit if she is eating a bit less than that.

Have you compared both your cats to a body condition chart just to see what you think about their current sizes? I have included one below for you to use. Dally might turn out to be a much bigger cat than Pony, so you have to take that into consideration when feeding them as well. Also, keep in mind Pony likely has what they call a primordial pouch (lower hanging belly right in front of the hind legs) and Dally may get one. This pouch is in no way to tied to being fat and sadly none of these body size charts ever depict it as part of a cat's normal adult anatomy/structure.
 

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mrsgreenjeens

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I agree with what FeebysOwner FeebysOwner has said. It's fine to cut back on the dry at this point, even stop it altogether if your cats don't object too loudly and you wish to do it.

I use FortiFlora at times as an enhancement to get one of mine to eat if he seems hesitant, but I rarely use a full packet. I just sprinkle a little bit on his food and let him smell the packet and he dives right in. I only use a full packet when he's having loose stools. But I make sure to always have it on hand.

If you have any doubts about how much either of them should weigh, ask your Vet. they should be able to tell you probably even from previous visits so a new visit wouldn't be required (assuming they were weighed on their last visit)
 
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Pogica Dallyca

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What is Pony's current caloric intake in a day? The general rule of thumb is to feed a cat 20-25 calories per pound of body weight. So, theoretically, using that guide, to maintain 11 pounds she could probably use to eat 220 - 275 calories. So, that might be why you saw her losing some weight with this last vet visit if she is eating a bit less than that.
Currently, I give her either 2 cans of 3 oz or 1 can of 5.5 oz wet food (168 to 181 calories?) and she has access to dry food anytime. I can't say for sure how much kibbles she eats in a day. Pony's weight was fluctuating. At one point, she was 12.8 lbs. I think that's when I gave her about 200 calories a day. I had to lower it down to 175, with very limited dry food. She would eat dry food too fast until she puked, so I put the kibbles in puzzle feeder to make her eat slower. Again I was surprised that she actually slowed down eating kibbles from the gravity feeder, and she only eats a little bit at a time.

Have you compared both your cats to a body condition chart just to see what you think about their current sizes? I have included one below for you to use. Dally might turn out to be a much bigger cat than Pony, so you have to take that into consideration when feeding them as well. Also, keep in mind Pony likely has what they call a primordial pouch (lower hanging belly right in front of the hind legs) and Dally may get one. This pouch is in no way to tied to being fat and sadly none of these body size charts ever depict it as part of a cat's normal adult anatomy/structure.
20210609_134211.jpg 20210613_213512.jpg
From the chart, Pony seems to be at 6? She has a waist line but her chest is a little bulging. I'm attaching photos of her and Dally taken from the top. Pony is grey and Dally is the orange one. Dally looks slimmer, maybe at ideal weight, number 5. He has bigger built, longer than Pony. Vet says, Pony is a petite and should be 9.5 lbs. Dally hasn't been to the Vet since his last booster shot just after we got him. They both do have primordial pouch.
 
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Pogica Dallyca

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Thank you, mrsgreenjeens. I will get Fortiflora in stock, in case any of them has loose stool. I will regulate their caloric intake to make sure they have the best portions of wet and dry food.
 

FeebysOwner

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Cute cats! A 5 and a 6 on that chart is actually pretty good!! 6 for Pony seems about right to me. I am not sure if you used the 'feel' part of the chart - especially the rib section, but from the overhead view it would be hard for me to believe that Pony needs to lose 2 pounds! Of course, I am just basing that on a pic!
 
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