Is he too big?

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ceb2 - 05 Jul 2006 20:26 GMT

This is our two year old tuxedo:

http://img445.imageshack.us/img445/9373/im0019220vj.jpg

He weighs about 20 - 22 lbs, is an indoor cat who shares our house with
two other cats, a Pomeranian, and an Australian Sheppard. All three
cats get about a third of a dish of low cal, low fat science diet every
day. He gets about as much execize as you would expect an indoor cat to
get while also sometimes having to run from a very playful Aussie. He
looks extremely fat, but he's also quite long and very long. He can fit
just about everywhere the other two and there are only a few places
they can jump that he can't. We occassionally place the other two cats'
food too high for him. He's a great cat, lots of personality and maybe
the best behaved of all the pets. Just want to make sure he's around as
long as possible.

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Katia - 05 Jul 2006 21:01 GMT

Have you had the cat checked out by a vet? Urinary track problems and
Diabetes can both be assoiciated with overweight. He sounds fine, but
for life span dropping about 6 pounds would most likely increase his
life span.

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ceb2 - 05 Jul 2006 21:07 GMT

> Have you had the cat checked out by a vet? Urinary track problems and
> Diabetes can both be assoiciated with overweight. He sounds fine, but
> for life span dropping about 6 pounds would most likely increase his
> life span.

Yeah, he saw the vet not long ago, who was concerned but not overly so.
He isn't obese as he appears to be. He's also extremely fuzzy.

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Matthew - 05 Jul 2006 22:46 GMT

Is he part Maine coon if he is he is about the right weight for them.

At any vets office there is a chart on how to observe a cat is overweight by
body style.

If your vet was not to worried about it and you trust him. Just ask him
next time it is a simple matter nothing that you need to jump at the phone
or in a cat this minute

IMO it does look like he is a little over weight and could lose a few
pounds but I am not a vet neither is anyone else here in the group

>> Have you had the cat checked out by a vet? Urinary track problems and
>> Diabetes can both be assoiciated with overweight. He sounds fine, but
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Yeah, he saw the vet not long ago, who was concerned but not overly so.
> He isn't obese as he appears to be. He's also extremely fuzzy.

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Matthew - 05 Jul 2006 22:48 GMT

sorry should have read in a car

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Toni - 05 Jul 2006 22:09 GMT

> This is our two year old tuxedo:
>
> http://img445.imageshack.us/img445/9373/im0019220vj.jpg
>
> He weighs about 20 - 22 lbs, is an indoor cat who shares our house with
> two other cats, a Pomeranian, and an Australian Sheppard.

Since you asked, yes, i think he is too heavy. I would definitely increase
his exercise via individual play sessions two or three times a day.

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Toni
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Winnifred - 06 Jul 2006 00:35 GMT

> This is our two year old tuxedo:
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> the best behaved of all the pets. Just want to make sure he's around as
> long as possible.

yes, that is too fat. I don't have any advice though. I have a cat that
is 22lbs and wears a tuxedo just like yours only less dark black and
we've tried everything he won't lose weight. We have two other cats
that are 10lbs each so I dont know why he's so big.maybe its a genetic
trait or metabolism issue?

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friesian@zoocrewphoto.com - 06 Jul 2006 07:48 GMT

> This is our two year old tuxedo:
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> the best behaved of all the pets. Just want to make sure he's around as
> long as possible.

It's harder to tell with fluffier cats. One thing you can do is feel
for the ribs. If you can feel them, then he isn't too heavy. If you
feel slabs of bacon, he needs to lose some weight.

Some cats are built larger like Maine Coons and Ragdolls. I have a
Ragdoll who is about 2 1/2 years old and probably 19-20 lbs now. He
looks really good, but his ribs are hard to feel, so he's a little on
the chubby side. But not really bad. He's been heavier before and he
lost weight with a better diet, more play, and possibly a growth spurt.

Does he inhale the food like there is no tomorrow? Jay Jay did that
when I got him. He was found outside wandering, so he was probably not
sure there was another meal coming. He gained very fast, and I had to
really limit his food. He would beg and beg, and I felt really bad.

When I switched his food (for other reasons), he started slowing down
iin his eating. The kibble were larger, so for the same time spent in
front of the bowl, he was eating less, and feeling satisfied enough to
walk away with food still there. He lost weight, and I was able to
leave food out 24/7 with no problem. Once he got down to a good weight,
he stablized there and slowly creep up as he matured.

Does he seem like a larger breed cat? Is his head larger and thicker
than your other cats? How about his feet and legs? If he is a larger
breed cat, you might want to switch to a food designed for them. I use
the Royal Canin Maine Coon food since it has glucosamine for joints
(larger cats are more prone to joint problems), and the larger kibbles
are designed for them. I don't know if there are any canned foods with
larger cats in mind. Jay Jay won't even sniff canned food, so I gave up
trying with him. The other cats enjoy theirs, and sticks to his
favorite kibble and a dog sized water fountain.

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