 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / January 2004opinions on cat's weight wanted
Took my cats to the vet for their annual checkup. Jessie who's at least 8 years old (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) weighs 9 pounds and the vet was very pleased with that. Oscar and Felix who are 2 year old brothers (gotten as kittens from a shelter) each weigh 13 pounds. Felix is part Maine Coon and Oscar is all black. The vet was not too pleased and said that was a "gigantic" weight for a cat. I'm just curious what the group thinks since there are many knowledgeable people here. Is 13 pounds too fat? They don't look fat... Well you can't tell with Felix, he's all full of fluffy fur, but Oscar is very sleek. Thanks Judy F > Took my cats to the vet for their annual checkup. Jessie who's at least 8 > years old (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) > weighs 9 pounds and the vet was very pleased with that. Oscar and Felix who > are 2 year old brothers (gotten as kittens from a shelter) each weigh 13 > pounds. Felix is part Maine Coon and Oscar is all black. The vet was not too > pleased and said that was a "gigantic" weight for a cat. He doesn't see too many Norweigen (sp?) Forest cats, eh? They can hit 22 pounds. > I'm just curious > what the group thinks since there are many knowledgeable people here. Is 13 > pounds too fat? They don't look fat... Well you can't tell with Felix, he's > all full of fluffy fur, but Oscar is very sleek. Thanks > Judy F You can't go by pounds. It varies by body type. You should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them. You should be able to feel the hip bones, but not see them. (For long-hairs, wet the cat in the bath so the fur doesn't make him look bigger than he is.) You should be able to see a noticable waist when looking from above. You should be able to see a noticable abdomen (that is, it is supposed to tuck slightly, not bulge out) when he is standing. My MC or Norweigen(sp?) mix (we think) was 18 pounds of solid muscle when he was young and healthy. (RIP Tommy boy) Biggest cat I ever had. My Mom has an MC-type cat (moggie; who the heck knows what's in him, but his body type is similar to an MC) that is 12 pounds and not a bit overweight. My tabby male is 12 pounds and IS overweight. My girls are 8 pounds or so and are at their ideal weight. So, it really depends on the cat.  Signature-- ~kaeli~ Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace >Took my cats to the vet for their annual checkup. Jessie who's at least 8 >years old (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >all full of fluffy fur, but Oscar is very sleek. Thanks >Judy F As with people, the weight itself doesn't mean much. One of our cats weighed in at 13 lbs. 6 oz. this morning and that's too fat for her--we'd like to get her down to 12.8--but it's better than the 14 lbs she was at last spring. But if our 9 lb cat ever got to 12 lbs she'd be absolutely enormous--she's already too fat, and on the other hand, our third cat is too thin at 7 and a half pounds--I'd like to get her up to 8. My point is that it really all depends on the size and bone structure of the cat. If your cats are are large, which they probably are if part Maine Coon, 13 lbs may be just right. Yes, it can be hard to tell on a fluffy cat, but feel how your "just right" cat feels and then run your hands over the other two. Can you feel more fat over the shoulders and hips? Can you feel the ribs or is there too much padding? There are also visual guides but I haven't found those to be too useful with our cats. From above, our pudgy cat always looks like the slim picture because she has a broad rib cage. I can tell more by how prominent her shoulder blades feel (and of course, we weigh her twice a month now). > Took my cats to the vet for their annual checkup. Jessie who's at least 8 > years old (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > all full of fluffy fur, but Oscar is very sleek. Thanks > Judy F That's about what Grant has always weighed since adulthood and he is not fat. Karen It really isn't the number of pounds, it's whether the cat is in proportion to its bone structure. I have a big-boned female who was just diagnosed as hyperthyroid, and my vet said she was "a bit thin". I have a slender male whom the vet said was "getting a bit chunky". They each weigh the same -- 10.6 pounds. Can you feel the cat's ribs if you press your hand against her side? If so, she's not overweight. If not, there may indeed be a problem. Daria Timing is everything. Thanks everyone for your comments. I can feel Oscar and Jessie's ribs, but not Felix's...he is a big boy... Judy F > It really isn't the number of pounds, it's whether the cat is in proportion to > its bone structure. I have a big-boned female who was just diagnosed as [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Daria > Timing is everything. > Took my cats to the vet for their annual checkup. Jessie who's at least 8 > years old (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > all full of fluffy fur, but Oscar is very sleek. Thanks > Judy F Frankly your vet sounds like he's ignorant and that's a bit scary. There are some Maine Coon cats that weigh 20 lbs or more simply because they're big cats. There's a formal 1-10 scale used to assess whether a cat's weight is appropriate based upon the signs of body fat; for example, (I'm going from memory because I saw the scale at the vet, so the examples may not be exactly accurate) a "3" would be a cat with a protruding spine, ribs and shoulder blades; a "5" is a cat whose ribs are not visible but can be fairly easily felt through a small layer of fat, a "7" would be a cat which does not have a deliniated waist and whose ribs are a difficult to find without a little pressure, etc. The "3" body is considered underweight, the "5" roughly the right weight, and the "7" a bit overweight. Just as in people, the absolute weight of a cat doesn't determine by itself whether the cat is overweight; just like with people it's the percentage of body fat that really determines the issue. Tiger, I believe, is at least part Maine Coon and at the last vet visit he weighed 19 pounds. His long hair makes him appear fat. -MIKE Tiger, I believe, is at least part Maine Coon and at the last vet visit he weighed 19 pounds. His long hair makes him appear fat. -MIKE What did your vet say? I wasn't at all concerned about Felix's weight (2 years old and 13 pounds - also part Maine Coon) cause I know they take longer to mature and are often very large, but my vet got me concerned. I do know that overweight cats can have health problems. thanks Judy F > Tiger, I believe, is at least part Maine Coon and at the last vet visit > he weighed 19 pounds. His long hair makes him appear fat. > > -MIKE > Took my cats to the vet for their annual checkup. Jessie who's at least 8 > years old (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > pounds too fat? They don't look fat... Well you can't tell with Felix, he's > all full of fluffy fur, but Oscar is very sleek. Thanks Thirteen pounds is a pretty big housecat. The best test is whether it feels fat, has fat deposits in the lower abdomin, that sort of thing. Cats are naturally lean animals. > Took my cats to the vet for their annual checkup. Jessie who's at least 8 > years old (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > all full of fluffy fur, but Oscar is very sleek. Thanks > Judy F Your vet is full of it. Some cats can naturally weigh 20# or more. Get a new vet. -L. >Felix is part Maine Coon and Oscar is all black. The vet was not too >> pleased and said that was a "gigantic" weight for a cat. I'm just curious [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >-L. I agee. 13# isn't a gigantic weight for a cat unless it has a really small frame. 17-20 pounds can be a normal weight for a male Main Coon. Orion weighs 20 and he's quite lean. Sherry >Felix is part Maine Coon and Oscar is all black. The vet was not too >> pleased and said that was a "gigantic" weight for a cat. I'm just curious [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >-L. I agee. 13# isn't a gigantic weight for a cat unless it has a really small frame. 17-20 pounds can be a normal weight for a male Main Coon. Orion weighs 20 and he's quite lean. Sherry Agreed. If the cat has a large frame then 13 lbs. isn't a lot. My Ralf went 15 and the vet never said anything about him being overweight but if Tiggy gets past 10 they start giving me flack. My Isabelle appears to be part persian but she is FAT at 13 lbs. How can I tell? - the fat saggy tummy and the buldge side-to-side from an overhead view (bowling ball on legs). She looks like she has a large frame but most of that is the fur - and the fat. Thanks again for all your comments. I think Felix is just fine right now at 13 pounds, but I think the vet was responding to the fact that he weighed 11 pounds at his one year check-up and he's gained 2 pounds since then! If this is a trend, I think it might be problematic... I'll just keep watch and see what happens... I really hate weighing him cause I do it by weighing myself and then weighing myself holding him on a digital scale... I really don't want to see what I weigh, sigh, but I'll do it for Felix...:) Judy F > >Felix is part Maine Coon and Oscar is all black. The vet was not too > >> pleased and said that was a "gigantic" weight for a cat. I'm just curious [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > the buldge side-to-side from an overhead view (bowling ball on legs). She > looks like she has a large frame but most of that is the fur - and the fat. >Thanks again for all your comments. I think Felix is just fine right now at >13 pounds, but I think the vet was responding to the fact that he weighed 11 >pounds at his one year check-up and he's gained 2 pounds since then! If this >is a trend, I think it might be problematic... Is he now two years old? If he's gained two pounds in a year, I can see that the vet would not want that trend to continue. I'd say that it may be normal growth, if he's also gotten taller in a year, but yeah, you don't want him to keep packing it on. It was the same with one of our cats--the vet said she wasn't really too fat yet, but she had been gaining close to a pound a year and he wanted us to make sure she didn't gain any more. I'll just keep watch and see >what happens... I really hate weighing him cause I do it by weighing myself >and then weighing myself holding him on a digital scale... I really don't >want to see what I weigh, sigh, but I'll do it for Felix...:) >Judy F We finally broke down and bought a pediatric scale to weigh our cats. We found we couldn't really tell by the way they looked or whether or not they felt heavier or lighter, so when they would get weighed at the vet's it would often be a surprise. With three cats it can be hard sometimes to keep track of how much each one is eating so the scale has been helpful in getting more control over weight gain and loss. Unfortunately we have two cats that tend to eat too much, and one that's overpicky and it's hard to keep her weight up to what it should be, so it's quite a balancing act to try to get them all at the right weights. Yup he's only two now! Part of the problem is he's a big boy, with tons of fluffy fur, so it's hard to see where fur ends and cat begins... but 13 may be alot for a 2 yr old, and if he's 15 next year, I think a diet may be in Felix's future.... > Is he now two years old? If he's gained two pounds in a year, I can see that > the vet would not want that trend to continue. I'd say that it may be normal > growth, if he's also gotten taller in a year, but yeah, you don't want him to > keep packing it on. It was the same with one of our cats--the vet said she > wasn't really too fat yet, but she had been gaining close to a pound a year and > he wanted us to make sure she didn't gain any more. I totally agree about it being hard to keep track of their weights and eating. I have 3 cats too, and they all eat together, sometimes pushing each other out of the bowl that they're eating so it works out that they share all the bowls even though I put out three separate ones. It's impossible to know who ate what... Judy F > We finally broke down and bought a pediatric scale to weigh our cats. We found > we couldn't really tell by the way they looked or whether or not they felt [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > should be, so it's quite a balancing act to try to get them all at the right > weights. >Agreed. If the cat has a large frame then 13 lbs. isn't a lot. My Ralf went >15 and the vet never said anything about him being overweight but if Tiggy >gets past 10 they start giving me flack. My Isabelle appears to be part >persian but she is FAT at 13 lbs. How can I tell? - the fat saggy tummy and >the buldge side-to-side from an overhead view (bowling ball on legs). She >looks like she has a large frame but most of that is the fur - and the fat. Ohhhh yeah. Cherokee failed the "bowling ball on legs" test for obesity. He went way past "Fluffy" and toward downright fat. It was so hard to regulate what he ate, I did try. Miraculously, he lived healthy to age 17. I swear I will never let another cat get that fat, knowing more about cat health than I did back then. Sherry >Agreed. If the cat has a large frame then 13 lbs. isn't a lot. My Ralf went >15 and the vet never said anything about him being overweight but if Tiggy >gets past 10 they start giving me flack. My Isabelle appears to be part >persian but she is FAT at 13 lbs. How can I tell? - the fat saggy tummy and >the buldge side-to-side from an overhead view (bowling ball on legs). She >looks like she has a large frame but most of that is the fur - and the fat. Ohhhh yeah. Cherokee failed the "bowling ball on legs" test for obesity. He went way past "Fluffy" and toward downright fat. It was so hard to regulate what he ate, I did try. Miraculously, he lived healthy to age 17. I swear I will never let another cat get that fat, knowing more about cat health than I did back then. Sherry Isabelle was a bowling ball when we adopted her. I'm not having a whole lot of success getting her to lose. Literally turn your back on her and she's into someone else's food. I'll have to check to see exactly how much the dh gives her in the morning. He tends to be a little liberal with the portions. >Isabelle was a bowling ball when we adopted her. I'm not having a whole lot >of success getting her to lose. Literally turn your back on her and she's >into someone else's food. I'll have to check to see exactly how much the dh >gives her in the morning. He tends to be a little liberal with the portions. I've learned that some cats are just piggish eaters. The ones I've had were ex-strays--it's almost like they don't know when they're going to eat next. Cherokee would honestly act like he was starving, when I knew he wasn't. Now I have another tuxedo who is a picky eater and doesn't eat enough! Good luck with your little bowling ball. Sherry >Isabelle was a bowling ball when we adopted her. I'm not having a whole lot >of success getting her to lose. Literally turn your back on her and she's >into someone else's food. I'll have to check to see exactly how much the dh >gives her in the morning. He tends to be a little liberal with the portions. I've learned that some cats are just piggish eaters. The ones I've had were ex-strays--it's almost like they don't know when they're going to eat next. Cherokee would honestly act like he was starving, when I knew he wasn't. Now I have another tuxedo who is a picky eater and doesn't eat enough! Good luck with your little bowling ball. Yea she was found outside last winter. She will cry for food even if she's just been fed and still has food in her bowl so maybe it's a "saving up for a rainy day" thing. Do they eventually get over this once they realize they aren't going anywhere and the food will come regularly? We are making progress here tho. Tiggy has her appitite back and is eating HER food. Boots is no longer barging in front of the girls to eat theirs since we switched him to the same brand they are getting (in the kitten variety). As long as Isabelle doesn't fit into Boot's box (where his food is) we can keep her out of his but as he gets bigger that's not going to work. Tiggy's food we just pick up when she's done and put back down when she asks for it. Then I have to stand guard to keep the BB out of it. circa Fri, 09 Jan 2004 16:52:51 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Judy F (xphile01@catlover.com) said, > Took my cats to the vet for their annual checkup. Jessie who's at least 8 > years old (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > pounds too fat? They don't look fat... Well you can't tell with Felix, he's > all full of fluffy fur, but Oscar is very sleek. Thanks One of my cats is heavier than that, albeit slowly slimming down. A cat I had who died in August was over twenty pounds in his prime, but he was also the size of a beagle. He wasn't fat. He was just *huge*. My parents' cat is a fat sow. My mother claims that at his most recent vet visit, Big Fat Rat Bastard (my pet name for the evil booger) was 16 pounds, but I told her I think he left some of his lard off the scale when the vet weighed him. He looks like a siamese tractor tire. Whether a weight is too high depends on the cat's bone structure and overall size, so it's hard to say if thirteen pounds is too much or not. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. Felix has some Maine Coon in him (I know everybody says this...) so he's extremely fluffy (fur in, on top of and behind his ears, big fluffy tail, and long fur on his belly) and he's a long cat although his legs are not as high as his brother Oscar. He really doesn't look fat to me, but if he continues to gain 2 pounds a year, we might have a problem. Guess we'll just have to see how the weight gain goes!!!! Judy F > circa Fri, 09 Jan 2004 16:52:51 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, > Judy F (xphile01@catlover.com) said, [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Laura |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.