Fat Cat

[CRSeaside]

My kitty is getting a little chubby. Do cats need to eat all at once?
  How much food?  She is full grown,lean & hunts most of the night. I'd say she's on the small side. Medium height. If that matters as to how much I should give her to eat. There's a picture of her on my profile. Her name is Mommy Baby
Thanks.

[CRSeaside]

Thanks! Lots if great ideas.
  Kitty & I play Drinky Water. She has a favorite coffee cup. I fill it almost to the top & hold it for her & she comes & laps up the water. I praise her softly.
Saying, oh, what an angel, Drinky water, such an angel, Drinky her water.
   I started this to see how much & if she was drinking water. I still let her have a few kernels of dry food, in her play tube, or by my hand.
   After reading how bad the hard food can be, here on MedHelp, for forming if crystals, ect; I thought I'd offset it by the water game.  If she's not thirsty, she won't play.   Pamela

[AnnieBrooke]

If kitty is a hunter, there is of course the chance that the fat tummy is a nice, full-sized tapeworm.  Are you worming often?  Out in the country where we are, with all of our cats mousers, there are definitely tapeworms in the vector.  I really should worm the cats every two or three months, but just do it when their coats get dry (which usually comes out to be about once in 6 months).  Or when I see tapeworm segments wiggling on their tail, ugh, usually at night in bed or when the cat is in my lap, double ugh.  Once one of my cats vomited up a whole tapeworm, most unusual thing to do, and it was huge.  

[AppleBr]

Cats need few portions of food many times a day.If you cat is not "permanently hungry" you can let the food on the bowl.But if the cat is like  mines you better set the daily amount and divide in 4 portions ( as breakfast,lunch.,dinner and night meal)
Food all day long on the bowl lose crunchy and atracts ants-as well as other cats or dogs if indoor.No to mention other animals...
Loreena refuse old food let there.Other 2 would eat till get sick and trow up everthing :-)

[CRSeaside]

Thanks. The photo is old of Mommy Baby. She had just been rescued & had 2 kittens. Poor thing was living in the side of a cantina Bar & had no real care
She doesn't look fat, she's heavier. When the caretakers are here with her & I return,she's always so skinny.   Pamela

[Piparskeggr]

Miss Teia is 12#, which the vet says is a good weight for her frame.  When we took her in she weighed nearly 19#.

Hildiekatt is 18# and is quite rotund, also diabetic (which condition is well controlled).  She could stand to shed a few.

Chesapeake is 20# and is very round (I have to wash her hind end about once a week to help keep her clean).  She could stand to loose about 5 - 6.

HOWEVER, as a veterinarian friend of mine once told me, cats withstand being overweight better than any other specie with which she's worked.

[opus88]

hi .....just had a look at Mommy Baby's photo, perhaps its an older one but she sure doesn't appear to be fat at all.....
I don't know her frame..if its large or small, but a good rule of thumb is a weight of 14-15lbs IMO, I don't consider that overweight. My Sami is a large frame kitty and weights only 12 lbs....he's very muscular and could stand to be a bit heavier. Cats don't normally over eat.....especially when on a species appropriate diet like your hunter..
its the heavy carb content of dry foods that add on the pounds......:(