weight in aprox. 8 month old kitten (photos)

[stevie_rae]

Hi guys, 
I just wanted to make sure I'm on the right track nutritionally. Good cat food is hard to come buy in Australia so i'm feeding my kitten the best i can find here which is Holistic Select. He gets mainly wet food with a bit of dry if I'm going out for longer than expected, and during the night when he wakes up demanding food at 4am!

He has been having one can of 5.5oz size per day, and about 2 handfuls of dry food.

They recommend: Adult: Feed about one can per 7 lbs. of body weight per day, Kitten: Feed up to twice the adult amount to kittens (for wet food)

Am i feeding him the right amount? he looks slim from ariel view but seems to have a bit of sag in his stomach (which appears to be skin)??

I will attach photos so you guys can see better (sorry its quite hard to get a good photo)

I put him on the bathroom scales and he is at 4.5kg. I always thought he looked like a pretty small cat but we aren't sure of his age (probably between 8-9 months)

Thanks!!

 

[bluerexbear]

Aww...pretty baby.    I think you are feeding just fine.  All kitties grow differently...some are big and some are petite.  I have adult cats that range in weight from a petite 7 pounds to a huge 12 pounds!  All are healthy for their body type.  If your kitty doesn't walk around crying for food all the time, then you are likely doing just fine.   

 

[speakhandsforme]

If you're really worried, just feed him more until he gets to the official adult size, which is one year. It's really hard to make a kitten overweight since they're so active. My kitten is 7 months and extremely active and he gets TWO 5.5 oz cans a day and free fed on grain-free kibble. He's a pig. :lol3:

 

[noxcnx]

He looks very healthy to me. My Mollie is fully grown and she looks almost the same (only she has that loose flap they all get under their bellies). He actually looks really trim and fit, but it's hard to tell from photos. Check the cat body weight charts they usually hang at the vet:

 

[x2006nkg]

He looks similar in size to my 7 month old kitten. We feed him one can of dry, and 1/3-1/2 cup of dry food per day (we give him some more if his dish is getting empty before we go to bed - we don't want any 4am wake ups either 

). Your boy is so pretty 

 

[stevie_rae]

thanks guys! glad to hear that he looks like he is on the right track. you would not believe that this kitten was one sick boy! almost lost him countless times to malnutrition, URI and ringworm when we got him - he was a mess. I'm glad that he is now looking quite healthy too 

Is it normal for all cats to have that flap of skin under the bellys?

 

[stevie_rae]

by the way - no idea why this is posted in behaviour.. was meant to be in nutrition. sorry about that!

 

[JAG]

Our girl came to us at about 6 weeks weighing just .8 of a pound with neurological problems. She's about 9 months now and has weighed 5.2 pounds for the past 3 months. She doesn't like wet food anymore, she eats about 1/2-3/4 cup Blue Buffalo Wildnernes High Protein Kitten food daily. Vet blood work up showed organ functions normal but definitely has brain damage. She's a playful goofy girl and we adore her. Can't spay due to brain damage; went through 1 heat about 2 months ago; she will always be an indoor cat.

 

[Alldara]

Looks like you're on the right track! If he bugs for extra food periodically, you can give a bit more. Cats can grow until they are 2 years old. So keeping food up a little during those first few years is fine.

 

[susanm9006]

thanks guys! glad to hear that he looks like he is on the right track. you would not believe that this kitten was one sick boy! almost lost him countless times to malnutrition, URI and ringworm when we got him - he was a mess. I'm glad that he is now looking quite healthy too

Is it normal for all cats to have that flap of skin under the bellys?

Yes, some cats have what is called a primordial pouch. Just something nature gave them.

 

[susanm9006]

Our girl came to us at about 6 weeks weighing just .8 of a pound with neurological problems. She's about 9 months now and has weighed 5.2 pounds for the past 3 months. She doesn't like wet food anymore, she eats about 1/2-3/4 cup Blue Buffalo Wildnernes High Protein Kitten food daily. Vet blood work up showed organ functions normal but definitely has brain damage. She's a playful goofy girl and we adore her. Can't spay due to brain damage; went through 1 heat about 2 months ago; she will always be an indoor cat.

Has your vet talked to you about using medication then to prevent heats? They will occur more often and are terribly hard on a cat and she could manage to slip out and mate.

 

[JAG]

Has your vet talked to you about using medication then to prevent heats? They will occur more often and are terribly hard on a cat and she could manage to slip out and mate.

No, vet had no information for us on meds to prevent heat.........however she has just had the one so far in mid January. Maybe her brain damage has stopped the heat cycle? She has little to no voice; possible injury on her way to us? And she never tried to call for a mate; all she did was constant licking & her bottom was quite red. We just pray there wont be any more heats.

 

[susanm9006]

At first the heat cycles are further apart but over time become much more frequent so it‘s almost like they are continuous. They are loud and just don’t have anything on their mind but mating so pretty hard to live with. I would definitely talk to your vet.

 

[JAG]

Vet told us that because she has brain damage, head shaking can indicate a brain tumor. We've noticed more head shaking, ear scratching, more intense twitching. We are considering taking her to University of Minnesota Veterinarian Neurology for a check up and they are the only place that has an MRI to determine how severe her brain damage is. We don't want her to suffer the heat/mating problems in addition to her brain damage.

 

[susanm9006]

Vet told us that because she has brain damage, head shaking can indicate a brain tumor. We've noticed more head shaking, ear scratching, more intense twitching. We are considering taking her to University of Minnesota Veterinarian Neurology for a check up and they are the only place that has an MRI to determine how severe her brain damage is. We don't want her to suffer the heat/mating problems in addition to her brain damage.

There might be a wait to get in there but I would at least make an appointment with another vet to get a second opinion about the spay and/or medication.