mogs Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 We've rescued a neglected kitten who is almost constantly hungry, and will eat the dog biscuits in between. He weighs 2.6 kg and we have dewormed him a few days ago. We know his age and background so that's not a guess.He is looking better than when we first had him but is his weight and appetite for food normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnie Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I've just weighed our cat Ianto who is now 9 months old. He weighs 3.1kg. He still has a healthy appetite but in small doses - he likes to graze. He soon complains if there's no food down even if he's just eaten and doesn't really want it! On this basis his weight doesn't sound too bad as Ianto has been sterilized. Good luck with him..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 A very rough rule of thumb for a cats weight is if you can feel it's ribs.Feeding wise I don't think it's uncommon for cats which have lived in the wild to want to eat at every opportunity, the cat which adopted us would have eaten all day long in the beginning, and probably would still if you gave her the chance, but we limited her to twice a day with no tidbits or anything in between and despite vocal complaint she came to accept that, you can now almost set the clock by her !Fortunately there are no dogs or other animals about for her to steal from although she has developed a taste for the fish sticks I feed the goldfish with and will quickly hoover the odd few I occasionally spill.Previously in UK we'd always had at least 3 or 4 cats and at one time had nine and although they were all rescue cats the had been been taken in as new borns or come from domestic circumstances and had always been fed by regime so never exhibited the same uncontrolled appetites.Training, or rather conditioning because we all know that you can't train a cat, is the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Quote : He is looking better than when we first had him but is his weight and appetite for food normal? In my experience it's about right ... both the weight and the appetite, especially if you have just wormed him.As AnOther says rescue animals are geared up to eat food whenever they can as they can never be sure where or when the next meal is to be had. It can take years for them to settle down and relax.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Our cats are a bit older. All 3 are rescues, the youngest a foundling as an abandoned kitten. They have free access to dry food and water all the time, and none are overweight despite being quite food motivated. It seems that once they are aware they can eat when they like, they take only what they need. Admittedly, it would be nigh on impossible for us to feed them any other way, as one of the two older ones ( they're siblings) displays all the behaviours of a feral cat and avoids human contact. The sight of a human sends him fleeing for cover, so expecting him to present himself for regular meals isn't an option.Our youngest stray was about 2 kg at roughly 8 weeks when weighed at the vets. Mind you, we have no idea how long she had been without food. She ate a lot in the beginning, but is now slim enough despite being able to eat when she likes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Ours is a foundling, found in a dustbin and probably not even weaned he was that small. Like Betty's, he has dry food and fresh water available all the time and only ever eats what he needs and isn't over weight. He soon lets us know if he thinks that his food bowl is getting too low, he is 11 or 12 years old now and still needs to know that he has food when he wants it.Ask your vet, you'll need to see the vet at some point or other won't you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 There is no numerical answer to this question and ANO's reply is a good one to judge the correct weight.We picked up 4 strays abandoned at the side of the road and by the time they were around 9 months (we cannot be exact about this since we do not know the birth date), they varied from just under 3kg up to nearly 4.5kg. We assume they were from the same litter, so this gives a good idea of the range of weights possible. As they have grown they have maintained their relative weights, so the smallest one remains very petite, while the largest is a bit of a tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Sorry..I just read what I posted before. I should have typed1kg, not 2. Oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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