Ragdoll Cat Forums

hi, i have a question..

So Achilles is 10 months now, and since he's still a kitten, I've been free-feeding him. I noticed however that his abdomen kind of bulges on the sides, but I can still feel his ribs although there's a layer of fat over them. So is he fat, and should I reduce the amount of food he eats? Or I'm thinking could it possibly be something else like worms? His abdomen feels kind of firm and he doesn't have as much of a fat pad compared to Shoko, his stools are normal (and i haven't noticed worms in his stools or anything), and his energy level seems high enough. Thanks

Do not diet kittens. They have growth spurts and then slower periods. They need the fuel for the growth periods. Cats are generally very good about moderating their food intake.

Leyla,is around the same age as yours and she feels and looks like a little bag of potatoes.
I wouldn't worry as long as he is running and playing I'm sure he is fine.He is just a baby and still growing like Jan said.

thanks for the advice. so when do you recommend to discontinue free feeding then? or just free feed for rest of their lives?

Absent some particular issue, cats are better off being free fed. They graze and eat many small meals throughout the day and night.

It depends on the cat. With my cats, Ollie would be fine with free feeding if I were to let them do that but Winston tends to overeat, and so the only way that I can control his weight to any degree is by meal feeding. I switched them over to meal feeding at around one year old, when Winston's weight became a concern. So it depends on your cats.