I'm not much of a cat person but my 13-year old twin girls love them, so I brought home two kittens for them last year. They're just about grown now. I may be a single mother who makes decent money but we run out of bags and cans of cat food so quickly. One cat in particular gained more than a few pounds. My daughters keep insisting that cats require different food portions than people. But I can't help but to wonder if they're being overfed. That's why these cats are so FAT. Any tips?

Good heavens! Feeding cats six times a day? Your daughters are killing these cats with kindness.
Cats that get too fat are prone to shortened lives, and all sorts of problems, including diabetes. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
So, it's going to be hard, but you have to cut back on the food.
I understand that they love interacting with their cats, and feel that this is love, but it's spoiling them, and harms them.

We have two adult cats, and the routine is that each gets a half a can of wet food in the morning, and then there is 1 cup (only 1 cup) of cat kibble put down in their food dish that they can free feed on for the rest of the day.
We do give them kitty treats, but in a limited quantity, and only once a day (after we have had our dinner). This is a schedule that we can maintain, and the cats are both healthy and happy.
I've attached some links with more information.
If you are buying bags and bags and cans and cans of food, you are probably looking for the best buys. By cutting back on the amount you are feeding these two little gluttons, you can invest in a high-quality food which is better for the cats, and will be better for your wallet in the long run.

Tell your twins that a fat cat is not a happy cat. It's just a fat cat.

pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

I had a rescue cat once, and he was always slim, sleek and active, and he lived to be almost 20.

At this age, cats can eat 2 times a day. You can give them a small amount of canned food in the morning and leave out dry food for the rest of the day. Tell you daughters that overfeeding leads to obesity and diabetes. If the cats are fat, then only feed twice a day and not let a bowl of dry food down during the day. Feed the canned in the morning, the dry at night and that's it. Leave fresh water down at all times.

Cats truly need fresh raw meat, they were created that way. Many Vets suggest preparing your own cat food. I have tried this with a cat that always wanted food. It helped a lot but was very expensive and time consuming.

pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

Apparently one of your cats came from a different litter or was deprived of food at birth and later discovered that eating all the time kept him/her happy. Unfortunately this now bad eating habit is very difficult to change. Possibly a Vet, specializing in natural treatments could help but your in for a lot of care time wise and a lot of expense.

I care for two cats belonging to someone else from time to time and they seem very happy eating commercial cat food once a day.

Adult cats (and kittens over 6 months old) should be fed two meals a day (portioned out) rather then leaving food out all the time. Most cats don't regulate their intake and will over eat as long as the food is out. Once they get overweight its difficult to take off the pounds.

You will need to have a vet determine how much weight they need to lose. All dry will cause more weight gain then one meal of dry, one meal of canned each day.

6-hell no. I feed mine twice a day and not very much and they are perfectly healthy cats.

feed them only twice! this can become a serious issue if you continue to feed them like that.

feed them 2 times a day not 6

I have always had cats. Throughout the day, I keep a full bowl of dry food available to them along with a full bowl of fresh water. I have never rationed food. All the cats I have had regulate their own body weight through activity and only eat what they need. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

Animals come in contact with fleas, even if they are on really good flea prevention. Ingesting these fleas can cause intestinal worms. Pregnant females can pass these worms to their litters, even before birth.