Advice regarding ragdoll kittens diets

[imay8]

Hello,

I have recently emailed my vets with the following, and thought I would ask for advice here too:

I have two ragdolls Susie (10 months) and Chester (4 months)

Susie is around 5.6kg, which I think is maybe a little big for a female ragdoll of her age, she is VERY fluffy and I can still feel her ribs. Chester is around 2.2kg

So currently, in the morning around 7:30am they have the Hills Science Food Plan for Kittens, with Susie having between 50-60g and Chester having around 30g, these are what is recommended on the packaging on the food in relation to their age and weight.

And for lunch and dinner, I have been using the Untamed meat and jelly tins (I did try Blink! when I first had Susie but she didnt like it, but LOVES the untamed tins), as after much research and advice from the breeders, ragdolls are not supposed to be on a dry food diet only due to their dietary needs and need for hydration. This food is to be fed complimentary alongside a balanced diet, I currently have Susie on just a little below 1 tin a day, and Chester on about little over half a tin split across two meals. Although the tins recommend, 2 tins for cats weighing 3-5kg and 1 tin for <3kg as this food is only complimentary.

Susie still seems hungry.

I am just wary as I hear so many different things from ragdoll owners on reddit and other cat forums and the customer service from untamed and then from the vets. (Who always seem to be negative and make me feel guilty)

I would like know whether you agree with the untamed: 2 tins for cats weighing 3-5kg and 1 tin for <3kg. I was thinking more along the tines on 1 and a half for susie and 1 for Chester as he often goes for her food when he is done with his.

I've taken some quick photos to show the sizes right now. (Ignore quality and the messy backgrounds) Chester seems to be alot smaller than Susie was at his age. And them together makes her look bigger.

I hope this makes sense, sorry for the length.

Oh gosh you’re really overthinking this! Honestly, just keep biscuits down during the day and then feed them a pouch/ tin twice a day. Something like that? Literally just put food down and jobs a good un.

I have 3 ragdolls. One ate some tinsel over Christmas and it cost nearly 7k to get her right again. So anything food wise goes to be honest, I just don’t recommend the tinsel diet. 🤣

stop worrying, stop reading up on it and perhaps consider if you have a spot of general anxiety which is causing you to overthink this

Haha yes I actually do have anxiety, and I am SUCH a worrier about everything. My BSH passed away earlier this year so I do think I am over thinking it due to wanting them to healthy.

Bless your ragdoll, I hope she is doing well now and you had a very festive (although expensive) Christmas time 😁

Your cats look perfect to me and it’s understandable you’re fretting if you’ve recently had one pass away.

id just settle on the brand you want to give them and stick with that if you can. Ragdolls have sensitive stomachs so I tend not to chop and change their diet but honestly, once you’ve settled on a food, just stick with that

they’re also prone to weight gain as they’re indoor cats so I would turn a deaf ear to pleasing for more food. Mine generally have perhaps 1.5 pouches a day each - it evens out to that. And I have biscuits down all day which they’ll graze on only - good quality biscuits and always a water fountain going as they’re indoor cats do like a drink

and thanks - she is on the mend now but it was a horrible couple of weeks in total as she had to have 3 surgeries, the stupid creature. Thank goodness for insurance!

At the boy's age, he should be fed more than you may think from, his current weight as he's got a LOT of growing to do - as well as kittens being hyper little beasties.

I have 2 indoor adult cats around 5.5 kg each. Girlcat (around 11) is perfect weight, Tobias (around 6) is a bit on the tubby side at that. They get a 70g pouch of HiLife between them in the mornings and an 85g pouch of Harringtons between them in the evening, and they have dry down near enough ad lib - but I use mostly the Royal Canin Lightweight which did help us at least from stopping Tobias from getting any fatter. Unfortunately Girlcat has become the Queen of Hairballs, so I do need to feed them a reasonable amount of hairball dry.

But as @LilyFeather suggests, you're probably overthinking things. Feed them up until one of them starts to get a little on the tubby side then cut it back a little at a time; you may well find that they self regulate once they realise food is available 24/7.

I give my boy ragdoll mix a packet of those soups for cats at lunch time, whatever he doesn't finish his much more petite sister will have.
They get 40g of dry food each every day and one tin of untamed between them twice a day. They're 4.5kg and just under 4kg.
They also have a water fountain which seems to get use more than their old water bowl.