*ON* Topic - Kitten Food

ON Topic - Kitten Food

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CatNipped - 16 Apr 2005 17:17 GMT

Trying again, for the third time. For those of you who hate the off-topic
flaming and profess to hold cats' welfare above all else...

Sammy just turned 1 year old. However she seems to have a lot of Maine Coon
in her ancestry. I've heard that Maine Coons keep growing until they are 3
years old. So my question is, should I continue to give her kitten formula,
even though she is getting a little pudgy, so she'll continue to get the
nutrients for growing bones and muscles? Or should I switch her to adult
formula, and if so, should I go with the "lite" formula?

She gets *plenty* of exercise! So, how does it affect her health, overall,
if she's a it pudgy? Should I worry about it now, or is it just "baby fat"
that she'll use to build more bones and muscle?

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

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Smokie Darling (Annie) - 16 Apr 2005 17:42 GMT

> Trying again, for the third time. For those of you who hate the off-topic
> flaming and profess to hold cats' welfare above all else...
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> CatNipped
> http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

Hi CatNipped,

Not that I'm the expert on this (I'm not). However, having done a
search (through Yahoo) for Maine Coon Cats, I have come across several
pages for cat food, they discuss food processed for "adults" from 1
through 10 years, so maybe it's typical of all kittens to just need the
additional nutrition for one year.

They said average weight of healthy adult female is 8 to 10 pounds.
The boys weigh more (obviously), but since Sammy is a bitty (ha)
girl...

They also said that Maine Coons don't like their whiskers touching the
sides of bowls, so the bowls of water need to be rather large (and
supposedly the MC loves water, which I know you leave a lot out for
them), and the food bowls also need to be wider.

Hope that helps.

Smokie Darling (Annie)

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CatNipped - 17 Apr 2005 01:16 GMT

> Hi CatNipped,
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> through 10 years, so maybe it's typical of all kittens to just need the
> additional nutrition for one year.

That's what I was wondering. If she is going to continue growing (*boggle*)
for two more years, I thought she might need the extra nutrients during that
time to prevent any deficiencies that might cause long-term health problems.
But I guess the continued growth won't be nearly as much as she grew (and
grew, and grew ;>) in the first year.

> They said average weight of healthy adult female is 8 to 10 pounds.
> The boys weigh more (obviously), but since Sammy is a bitty (ha)
> girl...

Wow, Sammy passed the 10 pound mark when she was 7 months old. She's almost
15 pounds now!!! But as I said, I can still easily feel her ribs (it's her
hind quarters that are a bit, um, fluffy). Also, she is very *long* - she
can stand on the floor and put her fron paws on my kitchen counter! And
strong - I have a cat "condo" (round, about 3' in diameter and 2' tall
weighing about20 pounds) that she "wrestles" with and moves all over my
carpeted bedroom!!!

> They also said that Maine Coons don't like their whiskers touching the
> sides of bowls, so the bowls of water need to be rather large (and
> supposedly the MC loves water, which I know you leave a lot out for
> them), and the food bowls also need to be wider.

That's something I'd never heard! About the water, yeah, she *loves* to
play in water. For a while I kept 2 plastic bowls of water downstairs along
with the Drinkwell fountain, but every single morning I would wake up to
find them overturned. So I bought a *huge* ceramic dog dish to use instead
and she seems to like that (which would fit, since it's wide enough to
accomodate her very long whiskers).

> Hope that helps.

It does! Thank you for answering!!

Hugs,

CatNipped

> Smokie Darling (Annie)

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Wendy - 17 Apr 2005 01:00 GMT

I'd switch to adult food and avoid "lite" food like the plague. I've tried
that stuff on my cat and all that was accomplished was to line the pockets
of the cat food mfg. The cat actually gained weight on the "lite" formula. I
got her to lose by feeding less of the regular food. According to my vet the
recommended serving size on the cat food packaging is VERY generous. His
comment was the mfg's goal after all is to sell more food.

Reply to this Message

CatNipped - 17 Apr 2005 01:17 GMT

> I'd switch to adult food and avoid "lite" food like the plague. I've tried
> that stuff on my cat and all that was accomplished was to line the pockets
> of the cat food mfg. The cat actually gained weight on the "lite" formula. I
> got her to lose by feeding less of the regular food. According to my vet the
> recommended serving size on the cat food packaging is VERY generous. His
> comment was the mfg's goal after all is to sell more food.

Thanks Wendy, I think I'll try that. I was loathe to go with the "lite"
formula anyway since it's hard to feed all my cats separately and two of
them are a bit underweight. The main thing I am worried about is, if Sammy
is going to continue to grow for a while, that she gets the proper nutrients
for bones and muscles to prevent any long-term health problems. I'm
thinking of just exercising her more for now - at least until I can talk to
her vet.

Thank you for responding!

Hugs,

CatNipped

> > Trying again, for the third time. For those of you who hate the off-topic
> > flaming and profess to hold cats' welfare above all else...
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> > CatNipped
> > http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

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Joe Canuck - 17 Apr 2005 12:45 GMT

I have a Ragdoll where the claim is the same, that they continue growing
until about 4 years old.

In my experience with the Ragdoll it is true, she has continued to
slowly put on weight, fill out and change in appearance.

I switched her to adult food after the first year, which was when the
extra nutrients were needed for the rapid growth during that time.

"Pudgy" is all relative. Some would say my cat is pudgy at 18 pounds,
but in reality she isn't.

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CatNipped - 17 Apr 2005 14:53 GMT

> > Trying again, for the third time. For those of you who hate the off-topic
> > flaming and profess to hold cats' welfare above all else...
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
> "Pudgy" is all relative. Some would say my cat is pudgy at 18 pounds,
> but in reality she isn't.

You're right, it's hard to tell, I guess, what pudgy is. Being a bit pudgy
(at least in her hind quarters) certainly hasn't slowed her down any - she's
running and jumping constantly (it's funny to watch an almost 15 pound
kitten playing! ;>) As I mentioned, I can still easily feel her ribs.
She'll see the vet next month for her yearly check-up and inoculations so
I'll talk to the vet about it then. After reading all the replies, though,
I think it's safe to put her on the adult formula. I think that and giving
her extra exercise should keep her fit.

Thanks for answering, Joe!

Hugs,

CatNipped

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