Hey guys. It's me again. The initial issues with Hunter are more or less resolved, so I figured I'd start a new thread. We did finally find a dry food he likes. He's still not eating massive amounts of it, as I give him wet food on demand, but it's nice to have something I know he'll eat while I'm at work, especially for nights I'm stuck in later than expected. I will not continue free-feeding him as an adult, but will probably leave out a small amount occasionally, if I know I have a long day ahead of me (something like 10-15% of his daily calories, which I think is normally the allowed treat budget).
But now I'm starting to get worried about how much weight he's been gaining. I don't think it's the dry food, as he's still more nibbling on it than really eating it. He eats a lot of wet food though, possibly even when he's not hungry. I'm going to post pictures and I mostly was hoping to know if he is getting too heavy and, if so, do I need to start restricting his food access? Just taking away the dry isn't going to do it, a he was gaining even before I introduced it, and he eats it very moderately (I measure how much I put in the bowl and he eats a full meal for his size spread out over two or three days, which shouldn't be enough to be a problem). Is he just getting a bigger build as he matures or do I have a problem brewing here? I don't know if this belongs in Health or Nutrition, but am taking a guess that it's more of a food issue:
Here is Hunter between 3 and 4 months, a little after I first got him:
And today, between 4 and 5 months (before I cut the bell off his collar. He's not microchipped yet, so he needs to wear something, although I'm considering switching to a woofwear one as I've heard good things and don't like how easily he can escape the one I got from Petsmart):
For his age, he is an appropriate weight (he was 4.1 pounds at 16 weeks) but it may be too much for his build. Should I be worried or am I over-reacting? He is a rag doll which is generally a bigger breed, but has been small for his age since I've gotten him. He is not a big player for a kitten. I do try and engage him with the wand toys, but he loses interest after 10 or 15 minutes and walks away if I make things too challenging for him. I have experimented with all the popular attachments and have tried rotating in new ones. He's interested in the new ones until they're attached to a wand, in which case he decides he doesn't care any more. He does really like that "undercover mouse" toy and will play with it for hours, but it's not that much moving around. He likes chasing balls we throw also and is a huge fan of the "ball-in-track" games, so we think he prefers toys that stay on the ground, if anyone has any other recommendations. We don't have much of an issue with play aggression or other "bored" behaviors, so we think he's just low-energy for a kitten. Is he likely to be a low energy cat, if he's already this calm, or do some kittens actually gain in energy as they get older? He is definitely healthy, doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort when he is chasing something and will go nuts for some light-up balls we got as a less-frustrating alternative to the laser toy and isn't distressed by the wand toys just not terribly interested. He is not scared of me at all either, not even close, and is generally interested in what I'm doing and enjoys following me and just watching me move around. Oh, and if it helps, he is not a jumper. At nearly five months old, the only things he'll climb are his cat tree and scratching post and he still seems uncomfortable making large jumps. I have sticky tape ready for the countertops, as I'm sure he'll change his mind one of these days, but right now they appear to be beyond his ambition.
Also, are there any treats I can offer to get him chewing? We're not doing a raw diet. I did look into some of the treated commercial brands (I don't even keep uncooked meat for me in the kitchen so untreated is still not an option) but they all came already ground or in small pieces. As the only aspect I'm really concerned about is the dental health one, that doesn't do me any good. But his adult teeth are coming in and I'd really like to keep them healthy and really doubt he's going to let me brush them. I am currently giving him, for treats, Greenies, Deli Turkey and some jerky treats originally designed for dogs (but checked the ingredients to make sure it's fine for cats. It is, is just meat and a few herbs that are not toxic to dogs or cats). Is there anything else I can offer he will chew on? He's one of those weird cats that actually does chew his dry food (I see and hear him crunching away at it), but I don't want that to become a dietary stable.
For dry, he is on Royal Canin kitten, as it is literally the only one he'll eat. We feed a mix of wet brands, but the two main ones are Royal Canin and Wellness (both core and the regular variety, as he'll gladly eat either). He like Fancy Feast, but it's only an occasional treat as I don't love the ingredients. I'm not sold on the necessity of grain-free, but want him eating something that is in case he develops an intolerance later in life. Thinking along the same lines, I'm trying to mix up his protein sources, but he's not a fan of any of the non-poultry items I've tried, even when mixed in with foods he does like. And he's still too young for me to feel comfortable letting him skip a meal because he doesn't like what's being offered and he knows it, so he'll just wait until I give him something he likes. Plus, he hates Nature's Variety, in every flavor, even the chicken. And I have no idea why, as he'll eat pretty much anything else that is turkey or chicken flavored but I've stopped buying it altogether as he's very clearly telling me he's not interested.
But now I'm starting to get worried about how much weight he's been gaining. I don't think it's the dry food, as he's still more nibbling on it than really eating it. He eats a lot of wet food though, possibly even when he's not hungry. I'm going to post pictures and I mostly was hoping to know if he is getting too heavy and, if so, do I need to start restricting his food access? Just taking away the dry isn't going to do it, a he was gaining even before I introduced it, and he eats it very moderately (I measure how much I put in the bowl and he eats a full meal for his size spread out over two or three days, which shouldn't be enough to be a problem). Is he just getting a bigger build as he matures or do I have a problem brewing here? I don't know if this belongs in Health or Nutrition, but am taking a guess that it's more of a food issue:
Here is Hunter between 3 and 4 months, a little after I first got him:
And today, between 4 and 5 months (before I cut the bell off his collar. He's not microchipped yet, so he needs to wear something, although I'm considering switching to a woofwear one as I've heard good things and don't like how easily he can escape the one I got from Petsmart):
For his age, he is an appropriate weight (he was 4.1 pounds at 16 weeks) but it may be too much for his build. Should I be worried or am I over-reacting? He is a rag doll which is generally a bigger breed, but has been small for his age since I've gotten him. He is not a big player for a kitten. I do try and engage him with the wand toys, but he loses interest after 10 or 15 minutes and walks away if I make things too challenging for him. I have experimented with all the popular attachments and have tried rotating in new ones. He's interested in the new ones until they're attached to a wand, in which case he decides he doesn't care any more. He does really like that "undercover mouse" toy and will play with it for hours, but it's not that much moving around. He likes chasing balls we throw also and is a huge fan of the "ball-in-track" games, so we think he prefers toys that stay on the ground, if anyone has any other recommendations. We don't have much of an issue with play aggression or other "bored" behaviors, so we think he's just low-energy for a kitten. Is he likely to be a low energy cat, if he's already this calm, or do some kittens actually gain in energy as they get older? He is definitely healthy, doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort when he is chasing something and will go nuts for some light-up balls we got as a less-frustrating alternative to the laser toy and isn't distressed by the wand toys just not terribly interested. He is not scared of me at all either, not even close, and is generally interested in what I'm doing and enjoys following me and just watching me move around. Oh, and if it helps, he is not a jumper. At nearly five months old, the only things he'll climb are his cat tree and scratching post and he still seems uncomfortable making large jumps. I have sticky tape ready for the countertops, as I'm sure he'll change his mind one of these days, but right now they appear to be beyond his ambition.
Also, are there any treats I can offer to get him chewing? We're not doing a raw diet. I did look into some of the treated commercial brands (I don't even keep uncooked meat for me in the kitchen so untreated is still not an option) but they all came already ground or in small pieces. As the only aspect I'm really concerned about is the dental health one, that doesn't do me any good. But his adult teeth are coming in and I'd really like to keep them healthy and really doubt he's going to let me brush them. I am currently giving him, for treats, Greenies, Deli Turkey and some jerky treats originally designed for dogs (but checked the ingredients to make sure it's fine for cats. It is, is just meat and a few herbs that are not toxic to dogs or cats). Is there anything else I can offer he will chew on? He's one of those weird cats that actually does chew his dry food (I see and hear him crunching away at it), but I don't want that to become a dietary stable.
For dry, he is on Royal Canin kitten, as it is literally the only one he'll eat. We feed a mix of wet brands, but the two main ones are Royal Canin and Wellness (both core and the regular variety, as he'll gladly eat either). He like Fancy Feast, but it's only an occasional treat as I don't love the ingredients. I'm not sold on the necessity of grain-free, but want him eating something that is in case he develops an intolerance later in life. Thinking along the same lines, I'm trying to mix up his protein sources, but he's not a fan of any of the non-poultry items I've tried, even when mixed in with foods he does like. And he's still too young for me to feel comfortable letting him skip a meal because he doesn't like what's being offered and he knows it, so he'll just wait until I give him something he likes. Plus, he hates Nature's Variety, in every flavor, even the chicken. And I have no idea why, as he'll eat pretty much anything else that is turkey or chicken flavored but I've stopped buying it altogether as he's very clearly telling me he's not interested.
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