some questions

[ratbrat21]

Ok these may be questions a vet could answer but I figure I should see if anyone knows here.

Ok first about Ninja. I know hes a kitten still and all but he sleeps a ton. If hes in a reall deep sleep you can pick him up and move him and hes still asleep. But he sleeps so much and I worry about that. Also he tends to shake some when hes sleeping. Not really bad but he twitches some and his mouth moves and I dunno, is that ok or could something be wrong with him?

The next question isnt as big or important but how much food a day should an adult cat get? Because tasha just never seems to stop growing. Shes so fat its really starting to worry me now. She has trouble breathing because of it too. We have been feeding all the cats 1/2 cup of food twice a day. So all are getting 1 cup of food. Now mind you some is left over...not much but a little bit and others will move in and get that if they are still hungry. Tasha doesnt eat that much. And I really dunno what to think. I worry because I don't want anything to be wrong with her. Tasha and felix are due for their yearly shots as well. But we are so behind on....everything.

First it was the kittens we were taking care of and got shots and everything. Then all these problems with my rats was alot too. And now we are getting ninja fixed and then vickie. And felix and tasha need there shots this year. And thats just the animals. Thats not counting we needed a new car...we did get one but it was crazy. And all of jeremys test bills and i wont even go into whats wrong and all because im not in the mood to have the rude annoying people harass me. I have been nothing but stressed lately and honestly, we can't afford to much more with vet bills. Its just been really insane this summer and the madness hasnt stopped.

Anyways sorry this is so long. Just trying to explain things.

[Nell]

Ninja's sleeping sounds pretty normal. Kittens play hard and so they'll sleep like rocks too, The twitching is probably just dreaming...perfectly normal, and pretty funny sometimes too.

How much food depends on the cat and on the food. What are you feeding right now? Regardless of what kind it is, and entire cup per day is probably way too much, especially dry food, even for a very active cat. Between 4 cats here (2 old, 2 young), we go through about 18 oz of canned food and 1/3-1/2 c dry food per day.
Tasha could very likely be eating even more than you think, as fat cats tend to be snackers and eat a little bit here and a little there and its hard to really notice the total amount.

[ratbrat21]

thanks Nell. You have put my mind at ease lol. I have never dealt with kittens before. Even when I lived with my grandparents we always just went to shelters and got older cats. So this is the first time I have actually dealt with kittens. I'm glad Ninja is ok. He is really hyper and sleeps like a rock. He is kinda cute when he twitches. When his mouth moves it looks like hes talking or mumbling in his sleep lol.

Yeah I figure but the cats always fuss for food so I never know how much to give them. Even with 1/2 each they fuss and always want food. But they are spoiled and get whatever they want when they fuss too so i guess that could be it also.

Any tips on exercise for tasha? I don't wanna do to much cuz I don't want her to have a heart attack or something. She plays with ninja some and that gets her moving. She adores ninja. Everyone adores ninja, even felix....except when ninja is mounting him lol.

Anyways thanks Nell :)

[Nell]

Most cats are going to fuss for food if they know you will give it to them, even if they don't really need it, so maybe the thing to do would be to only put down food twice a day at the same time and significantly cut the amount you are feeding. Since tasha is still gaining weight, it means that she's getting quite a bit more than she needs. I'd suggest weighing her on a regular basis. Cut the amount your feeding to maybe 2/3 c per cat each day. If Tasha stops gaining and continues to maintain the weight she's at now its progress, but you'll have to cut the amount again to get her to lose weight. Weight lose should be gradual, she should lose only about half a pound each month and absolutely not more than a pound in a month. Overweight cats that lose weight too quickly are at risk for developing serious liver disease because their bodies are not good at metabolizing stored fat.

Don't use low calorie or weight loss foods as these contain a lot of fillers and will make losing weight even harder. You want a good quality food with a low percent of carbs. If you can afford to feed some canned food that will also help.

Exercise is also important. Try using interactive toys to wear her out and get her moving. da Bird or a laser pointer usually work great. Don't worry about her having a heart attack because she won't.

[ratbrat21]

ok i will definatly keep all this in mind. I wanna have my tasha around for many more years. Even though she was 5 years when i found her but she should have another 10 good years you think? Anyways I will keep you updated on how her weight lose is going. Also where can I buy something to weigh her in???


edit

canned food helps them lose weight? I rarely feed my cats canned food. So I should feed more canned food then?