Is My Kitten Borderline Overweight?

[Paris Pluto]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if I'm just being paranoid or not but as this is the first time I've had a kitten, I'm not 100% sure. I read somewhere that with kittens, it's almost impossible to overfeed them when they're young. Jiggy is 13 weeks old and I feed her around 1-2 pouches of Felix Kitten daily which are 85 grams and she eats a little kibble here and there.

I have attached some pictures and would like some opinions on whether or not she looks abit chubs. I feel like she has a little bit of a belly but I'm not sure. She's been dewormed twice and a fecal exam came back negative for any parasites.

Should I continue feeding her the same amount or reduce it a little?

 

[epona]

Kittens grow a lot and have regular growth spurts. I would not restrict access to food to a kitten that age, just let her have however much she wants to eat, just try to make sure you are offering a good quality diet rather than junk food. She looks fine (and very very cute!)

 

[Paris Pluto]

Kittens grow a lot and have regular growth spurts. I would not restrict access to food to a kitten that age, just let her have however much she wants to eat, just try to make sure you are offering a good quality diet rather than junk food. She looks fine (and very very cute!)

Thanks for your swift reply! I've got her on Felix kitten because that's what she was on before I got her... I have no idea where to go regarding good quality goods but I will do my research.

 

[epona]

Thanks for your swift reply! I've got her on Felix kitten because that's what she was on before I got her... I have no idea where to go regarding good quality goods but I will do my research.

I actually think it's important to try a whole range of different foods with kittens, so they do not end up too fussy. Good quality foods would be ones with a higher meat content and no wheat/corn/soya in the ingredients.

 

[duckpond]

She is beautiful! I don't think she looks overweight. Can you lightly feel her ribs if you try? Kittens her age are doing a lot of developing and growing, we don't want to restrict their access to food. but it is best to feed a high protein, moderate fat, low carb foods, so she grows muscle and not fat.

Feed her all she wants, at that age i always let them have free access to food, no restrictions.

 

[LokiNApolloMami]

Omygoodness jiggy is just as cute as a button, she is perfect!!!

 

[Paris Pluto]

She is beautiful! I don't think she looks overweight. Can you lightly feel her ribs if you try? Kittens her age are doing a lot of developing and growing, we don't want to restrict their access to food. but it is best to feed a high protein, moderate fat, low carb foods, so she grows muscle and not fat.

Feed her all she wants, at that age i always let them have free access to food, no restrictions.

Thanks so much for your reply! Yes I can slightly feel her ribs when I run my fingers on her side

 

[Paris Pluto]

Omygoodness jiggy is just as cute as a button, she is perfect!!!

Aww thank you, I love her so much!

 

[Neo_23]

As others said, she doesn’t look overweight. Also the position that she is in will make her tummy look bigger than it is because she’s laying on it.

 

[Kieka]

This chart may help with overweight judging. But I'd agree not overweight and I wouldn't try to start paying attention until 6 months at the earliest. A kitten can get a food belly pretty easily and maybe growing at a different way then what is considered normal. My girl went through a barrel phase (honestly she never really outgrew it) where she looked very chunky in the middle and felt more solid in the middle. But she wasn't actually gaining weight it was just her adult body shape of being round with tiny legs taking shape.

fat-cat-scale.png

• Kieka
• Feb 1, 2017
• 3

 

[talkingpeanut]

You don’t need to worry about kittens being overweight, but you do want to make sure that she has been dewormed.

 

[LTS3]

What country are you in? I know there is a list of good UK foods here on TCS. ZooPlus is popular European pet supply web site to buy food from.

 

[Paris Pluto]

This chart may help with overweight judging. But I'd agree not overweight and I wouldn't try to start paying attention until 6 months at the earliest. A kitten can get a food belly pretty easily and maybe growing at a different way then what is considered normal. My girl went through a barrel phase (honestly she never really outgrew it) where she looked very chunky in the middle and felt more solid in the middle. But she wasn't actually gaining weight it was just her adult body shape of being round with tiny legs taking shape.

fat-cat-scale.png

• Kieka
• Feb 1, 2017
• 3

Thanks so much! That is very helpful.

What country are you in? I know there is a list of good UK foods here on TCS. ZooPlus is popular European pet supply web site to buy food from.

I'm from Australia.. I'm currently looking into Royal Canin but I'm not sure if that is high quality or not.

 

[cheesycats]

I know australia Royal Canin is a bit different then here in the us but tbh, It’s over priced extremely high carb cat food. Not something I would ever buy. Not very different to the likes of cat chow but double the price. Is ziwi peak available to you? It’s made in New Zealand. Also look into Orijen which I believe is available in Austrialia Could be wrong through. And make sure to include wet foods that are low in carbs as well (carbs are grains, peas, potatoes etc) and maybe even include some raw/cooked fresh meats when you can.

 

[LokiNApolloMami]

IDK how good royal canin cat food is but I feed my pom the mini dog food and she likes it, her her fur is shiny and soft and she has got a good build, and she really likes it. I usually feed my cats solid gold, but I just got a bag of chicken soup for the soul, and they like that too!

 

[Neo_23]

Royal Canin is low quality food. I would go to an independent pet store near you as they tend to have higher quality products.

 

[LTS3]

I found these TCS threads on Australian brands of food:

Help with Australian cat food choices
Another Post About Kitten Food, Sorry!

 

[Paris Pluto]

Thanks all for your opinions! That's why this community is amazing. The information and options are endless, thanks again.

 

[LokiNApolloMami]

I seriously LOVE thecatsite.com!!!!

 

[ailish]

To me she looks darn good. I get paranoid sometimes when my cat is sitting in certain positions, but she is fine. I see pictures on YouTube sometimes and some of those vats are WHALES. I get so worried when I see them. Ailish is 2 1/2 and still very active and I pay attention to calories. She can leap tall bookcases in a single bound and I want to keep it that way.