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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2006How to tell the correct weight for a cat?
Is there a way to determine the correct weight for a cat? This is a large long-haired cat, taken over as a stray. The hair is so long that you can't get near enough to its body to see if you can feel its ribs. With humans you can use BMI - but is there a cat equivalent? It weighs 6.1 kg - but has enormous paws - which makes me think it probably should be big. Is there a reliable way of knowing for certain?  SignatureChris Your vet should be able to tell you. My guy is approx 9lbs and the vet said he is a bit overweight. I can feel his spine, but not his ribs. Good Luck Danielle > Is there a way to determine the correct weight for a cat? > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > -- > Chris > Is there a way to determine the correct weight for a cat? > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Is there a reliable way of knowing for certain? See if this helps: http://maxshouse.com/nutrition/Body_Scoring_System-Chart.jpg Phil > See if this helps: > > http://maxshouse.com/nutrition/Body_Scoring_System-Chart.jpg > > Phil Thanks Phil. Someone asked me the same question a few days, so I found it very interesting.You are full of information you know! S. > Is there a way to determine the correct weight for a cat? > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Is there a reliable way of knowing for certain? Ask your vet to be sure. Also, to make sure he is not too thin, when you pet his back, you should be able to feel his backbone but not the individual vertebrae. > Ask your vet to be sure. Also, to make sure he is not too thin, > when you pet his back, you should be able to feel his backbone > but not the individual vertebrae. Levi is WAY too skinny, despite eating like a pig (and definitely being parasite free). I can SEE his vertibrae. Otherwise he looks great - very bright eyes, soft, silky fur, tons of energy. Idiot vet had nothing to say about it, good or bad. Levi hasn't seen the new vet, yet, but will in early January. He is about 5 months old, and I don't recall any of my other 3 males being this thin ever. Is this a symptom of having FHV?? SignatureLynne >> Ask your vet to be sure. Also, to make sure he is not too thin, >> when you pet his back, you should be able to feel his backbone [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > He is about 5 months old, and I don't recall any of my other 3 males being > this thin ever. Is this a symptom of having FHV?? Oh, God, Lynne, I don't know, but don't even think that about Levi. What exactly did Idiot Vet do? > Oh, God, Lynne, I don't know, but don't even think that about Levi. > What exactly did Idiot Vet do? Well Levi does have FHV. Idiot vet just wanted to dose him with constant rounds of antibiotics, which is *never* a good idea. Levi's outbreaks come frequently, but also pass frequently and with no sign of infection in months. So unless and until that changes, he is only getting L-lysine supplements (and lots of suckling, hehe). Idiot vet agreed that Levi is underweight, but said that since he is growing, looks so good (other than being so thin) and has beyond normal energy, not to worry. I am not worrying, except of course when I think about it... SignatureLynne >> Oh, God, Lynne, I don't know, but don't even think that about Levi. >> What exactly did Idiot Vet do? > > Well Levi does have FHV. Ohh, I had missed that for some reason. Poor baby. > > Oh, God, Lynne, I don't know, but don't even think that about Levi. > > What exactly did Idiot Vet do? [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > -- > Lynne How much Lysine are you giving him? He should be getting no less than 250 mg/twice a day if it's as bad and chronic as you say. Cats like this generally are put on a more-or-less permanent schedule of Lysine supplementation. I know of cats like this, and the only way to minimize outbreaks and keep them healthy is to continue giving the Lysine throughout their lifetime. With all the antibiotics, he could have a serious imbalance of good gut bacteria. This could interfere with digestion. The best product i've heard of to get a cat back in balance is Primadopholis Junior: http://www.hilife-vitamins.com/nature-s-way-3367406870.html The reason this product is superior is because it is enteric coated, so the capsule doesn't break open until its in the intestine, where it needs to be. The capsules are also very small and ideal as a once-a-day dose for cats. Also, it sounds like you boys needs a lot of calories and a highly digestible food. You might want to consider getting him on Innova Evo (canned) or even a raw diet. I'm not a fan of dry food, and when you have issues like this, it's best to avoid grains and feed a high-quality and highly digestible diet. If you're interested in trying raw, here's a link to Nature's Variety, which is what I use: www.naturesvariety.com if you have questions, feel free to email me. Rene on Mon, 18 Dec 2006 22:09:44 GMT, "Rene S." <rschweitzer@kalmbach.com> wrote: > How much Lysine are you giving him? He should be getting no less than > 250 mg/twice a day if it's as bad and chronic as you say. Cats like > this generally are put on a more-or-less permanent schedule of Lysine > supplementation. I know of cats like this, and the only way to > minimize outbreaks and keep them healthy is to continue giving the > Lysine throughout their lifetime. He's on 250 mg twice per day and I plan on keeping him on it forever. My vet has been less than helpful on this subject (said, "you can use [Lysine] if you want") so I've been flying on my own. We have a new vet Levi will be seeing in January. The litmus test will be his advice on keeping Levi healthy. > With all the antibiotics, he could have a serious imbalance of good > gut bacteria. This could interfere with digestion. The best product > i've heard of to get a cat back in balance is Primadopholis Junior: > http://www.hilife-vitamins.com/nature-s-way-3367406870.html I've managed to keep Levi on very few rounds of antibiotics. I have a standing Rx at the pharmacy I can fill for him whenever I feel it is neccessary, but I haven't in almost 2 months now. I had a dog who was over treated with antibiotics and developed serious health problems as a result (complicated by his other conditions, long story). So I am very conservative with using them. > The reason this product is superior is because it is enteric coated, > so the capsule doesn't break open until its in the intestine, where it > needs to be. The capsules are also very small and ideal as a > once-a-day dose for cats. This is great information for future reference. Thank you. > Also, it sounds like you boys needs a lot of calories and a highly > digestible food. You might want to consider getting him on Innova Evo [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > trying raw, here's a link to Nature's Variety, which is what I use: > www.naturesvariety.com I was looking at Innova Evo and the mfg states it is a supplement to feeding raw. Can I feed Evo as his only food? He definitely needs more calories. Right now he is eating Nutro chicken & liver (wet) kitten food 3 times a day, but also has access to dry if he ever wants any. > if you have questions, feel free to email me. > > Rene I'll copy this to your email, too. Thank you, Rene! SignatureLynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ > > if you have questions, feel free to email me. > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ Lynne, I got your email, and will respond to you directly. Rene I posted this in another thread, but thought I'd repost with the new subject. Does FHV cause cats to be underweight? on Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:41:23 GMT, Lynne <unmonitored.email@gmail.com> wrote: > Levi is WAY too skinny, despite eating like a pig (and definitely > being parasite free). I can SEE his vertibrae. Otherwise he looks [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > He is about 5 months old, and I don't recall any of my other 3 males > being this thin ever. Is this a symptom of having FHV?? SignatureLynne > He is about 5 months old, and I don't recall any of my other 3 > males being this thin ever. Is this a symptom of having FHV?? In and of itself, I'd say no. But if he often has URI symptoms and can't smell, he won't eat as much as he should. I had that problem with my Scarlett in her first 6 months or so. She came from a litter (her brother included, who I took in with her) that were all sickly early on. She couldn't be safely spayed because she just couldn't get healthy until she was close to 5 months old. I'm used to them being able to be neutered at 8 weeks, or 2 pounds. At 5 months she was still only about 4 lbs, but still having recurring URIs. Here's a picture of her very skinny, and she was nearly 5 months old. This was just after her spay surgery (which resulted in complications, though it isn't positive that her complications were a direct result of FHV). She's a healthy happy fit 2-1/2 year old now, and a far cry from this skinny minnie. She's about 9 lbs, but very long. http://new.photos.yahoo.com/shambondow/album/576460762371497983/photo/2949288039 89682442/52 (I hope that works - Yahoo changed my pages to their new format finally) SignatureCheryl on Fri, 15 Dec 2006 01:37:07 GMT, Cheryl <jlhshadow@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote: > In and of itself, I'd say no. But if he often has URI symptoms > and can't smell, he won't eat as much as he should. I had that > problem with my Scarlett in her first 6 months or so. She came > from a litter (her brother included, who I took in with her) that > were all sickly early on. Ah, the smell thing makes sense. He has frequent nasal congestion (I affectionately call him Mr. SnotRocket sometimes). > She couldn't be safely spayed because > she just couldn't get healthy until she was close to 5 months old. > I'm used to them being able to be neutered at 8 weeks, or 2 > pounds. At 5 months she was still only about 4 lbs, but still > having recurring URIs. Levi should be spayed in January (I do my boys at 6 months), but I'm nervous for him because of the FHV. I am going to talk to the vet about putting him on antibiotics a few days prior to the surgery and leaving him on for a 2 week course. > Here's a picture of her very skinny, and she was nearly 5 months > old. This was just after her spay surgery (which resulted in [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > (I hope that works - Yahoo changed my pages to their new format > finally) It worked. I love her markings! Levi is even skinnier for his size in comparison. His little hip bones stick out, and it makes my heart ache sometimes. He LOVES his wet food and also has dry out all the time (both are kitten foods). His energy levels are VERY high and he seems to be eating enough. I'll be discussing this with his new vet to see if he thinks there is anything else I need to do. Thanks for posting, I'm glad to hear your girl is at a good weight and healthy. Perhaps Levi will do just as well eventually. I love this little guy so much he just has to! SignatureLynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ > Thanks for posting, I'm glad to hear your girl is at a good > weight and healthy. Perhaps Levi will do just as well > eventually. I love this little guy so much he just has to! I have to say it was very difficult with her when she was sickly. It took daily hand feedings to get enough food into her (you'd never know it now; she LOVES to eat now. But back then, we had daily sessions of her sitting on my lap and me with a bowl of either watered down mushed up kitten food or baby food (she liked the chicken or ham best) and I'd feed it to her on a spoon. About socialization, her and her brother were from the same litter, grew up in my house from 9 wks on, but she adjusted better to people than he did. I attribute that to the constant handling. Her brother got over the FHV earlier, and didn't require the constant babying that she did. Either it shows in their personalities, or every cat is that different, even from the same litter. He's actually very skittish to this day. Even with me sometimes, if I move too fast. When I have company in the house, they never see him. Just like my former feral, Bonnie. Scarlett and Shamrock are very social. SignatureCheryl on Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:12:42 GMT, Cheryl <jlhshadow@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote: > I have to say it was very difficult with her when she was sickly. > It took daily hand feedings to get enough food into her (you'd [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > When I have company in the house, they never see him. Just like my > former feral, Bonnie. Scarlett and Shamrock are very social. I feel like I was 'there' while Rhett and Scarlett were growing up! I just went through all of your photos - very fun. I am quite certain I could adore Shamrock, by the way. I'm not sure if there is a 'nature vs. nurture' debate when it comes to kitties, but I am a firm believer that it's all nurture in a cat that is of sound mind and body. (I have met more than a few tortie kittens that were insane and there wasn't enough nurture in the world to make them friendly...) I think you did what you had to in order to bring Scarlett along, and clearly you did a good job. Rhett looks very happy with his life, too, so I wouldn't worry about that. As long as all the kitties are getting along, it's all good. SignatureLynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ > I feel like I was 'there' while Rhett and Scarlett were growing > up! I just went through all of your photos - very fun. I am > quite certain I could adore Shamrock, by the way. I just went through the slideshow after posting that link, and I smiled some much needed smiles watching them grow up again. :) I'm glad you enjoyed them. > I'm not sure if there is a 'nature vs. nurture' debate when it > comes to kitties, but I am a firm believer that it's all nurture [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > so I wouldn't worry about that. As long as all the kitties are > getting along, it's all good. Thank you for that. I think something can be engrained in their genetics with cats, because some cats will just never be cuddly people friendly cats no matter what. I just thought it was interesting to see completely different purrsonalities among littermates. As for everyone getting along, LOL! Shamrock is a headcase. I think he has a few tightly wrapped wires, though he is a lovable boy. He is on clomicalm for behavior "modification". I think it is directly related to his allergy issues, or maybe was in the beginning. He was so miserable itching so much. He used to attack me, and I was seriously afraid of him at times. I've been around cats in a lot of situations; normal everyday housecats, rescue cats, feral cats ... but something about Shamrock isn't quite right. It got to where he wouldn't let me walk past him without climbing my legs. I was seriously afraid sometimes, and he inflicted serious damage, especially in the summer. Now he limits his "attacks" to a bite on my leg here and there when I am too close, or when I get in the shower. He also has a strange hatred of Bonnie ever since the kittens came to us, even though she gets along great with them, too. There were days he wouldn't allow her to come out from under the bed in my room. More pics, including Bonnie's socialization http://community.webshots.com/user/csellner SignatureCheryl on Fri, 15 Dec 2006 01:37:07 GMT, Cheryl <jlhshadow@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote: > (I hope that works - Yahoo changed my pages to their new format > finally) I'm looking at all of your pictures right now - I'm audibly oohing and aahing aver all the sweet kitten pics!! SignatureLynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ > Is there a way to determine the correct weight for a cat? Go into bathroom. Get on scale. Note weight read-out. Get off scale. Go find kat. Pick up kat. Go to bathroom. Get on scale with kat. Note weight read-out. Get off scale. Take little read-out number and subtract it from big read-out number. Left-over number is weight of kat. Hope this helps.. Oh, by the way... put kat down now.. IBen Getiner >> Is there a way to determine the correct weight for a cat? >Go into bathroom. Get on scale. Note weight read-out. Get off scale. Go >find kat. Pick up kat. Go to bathroom. Get on scale with kat. Note >weight read-out. Get off scale. Take little read-out number and >subtract it from big read-out number. Left-over number is weight of >kat. Hope this helps.. That's what I do to answer the question "What is an accurate estimate of the weight of this cat?" The question I'm interested in is "What weight should this cat ideally be, in order to be fit and healthy?" That is not so easy to answer. A Maine Coon can weigh twenty pounds. This cat is a mixture. And so furry you can't really get close enough to feel his ribs properly. SignatureChris > >> Is there a way to determine the correct weight for a cat? > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > That is not so easy to answer. Oh... I see. You should have made that clear from the start. I'd say to use a ratio and proportion formula. Use human weights and measurements and then just ratio them down. After all... both species are mammals, you know. > A Maine Coon can weigh twenty pounds. The average black male here hovers at around 185. Nothing but muscles, scars, more scars on top of those scars, and usually a more-than-adequate impregnation tool. No brain, though. > This cat is a mixture. > And so furry you can't really get close enough to feel his ribs > properly. Wet him down, Kris. That's the ticket. IBen Getiner
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