when do kittens reach adult weight?

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mark_galeck_spam_magnet@yahoo.com - 23 Jun 2006 12:46 GMT

Hello, I read that kittens reach adult weight at between 8 and 12
months of age. However, I have a 6 months old kitten, who has been fed
free-choice dry kitten food and has now reached 9 pounds and has
started to show signs of overweight, that is, when standing, the bottom
of the belly drops down just a little from straight line. So I am in a
dilemma, should I switch to rationed maintenance food and make him drop
down a little bit until the belly is straight, or should I continue
free-choice until at least 8 months - I don't want to harm his growth
needs? Thank you for insight, Mark

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CatNipped - 23 Jun 2006 14:22 GMT

> Hello, I read that kittens reach adult weight at between 8 and 12
> months of age. However, I have a 6 months old kitten, who has been fed
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> free-choice until at least 8 months - I don't want to harm his growth
> needs? Thank you for insight, Mark

I would continue with the kitten food for the full year to promote bone and
muscle tissue development.

Some belly sway is normal in some cats and not necessarily a sign of
overweight. The best way to judge a cat's weight is to look at him from
above - does the belly protrude out to the sides?

If he is overweight you might want to try switching to a canned food diet to
cut down on the carbohydrates he's eating - he would still get the other
nutrients he needs to continue bone and muscle growth. Also, try getting
him to exercise more.

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dgk - 23 Jun 2006 20:42 GMT

>Hello, I read that kittens reach adult weight at between 8 and 12
>months of age. However, I have a 6 months old kitten, who has been fed
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>free-choice until at least 8 months - I don't want to harm his growth
>needs? Thank you for insight, Mark

My Espy has a drooping stomach and is only around 9 lbs. Not
overweight at all, he just has a droopy stomach.

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Gail Futoran - 23 Jun 2006 20:45 GMT

> Hello, I read that kittens reach adult weight at between 8 and 12
> months of age.

That can depend on the breed. I once took in a
stray that was small, around 7 lbs. The vet said
she was a year old (based on teeth). Over the next
year she literally doubled in size, growing into her
very large baby feet. My other cats reached adult
size by one year or younger.

However, I have a 6 months old kitten, who has been fed

> free-choice dry kitten food and has now reached 9 pounds and has
> started to show signs of overweight, that is, when standing, the bottom
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> free-choice until at least 8 months - I don't want to harm his growth
> needs? Thank you for insight, Mark

I agree with the other poster who said continue
with the kitten food. I once had two unrelated
Burmese kittens. The male came to me with a
cold and underweight. He got better and ate a
lot, became chubby but still active. The female
was a good weight at 3 months and ate normally
but stayed quite slender. So even within breeds
there can be a great deal of variance in feeding.

If you continue to be concerned, you can
always take your kitten to the vet to make sure
there isn't some medical problem.

Gail F.
Downstairs Maid for Lao Ma, Ephiny,
Minya, Melosa

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