Is my cat overweight?

[FlowersAndShit]

He is 4.5kg. Vet says he should be close to 4kg. To me, he looks fine but I might be biased. He gets two pouches of good quality wet food a day, plus dry is available all the day which he munches on. He also gets a few dreamies during the week and maybe a lick of the yogurt carton!

He's a 2 year old neutured male, not very active. Sorry about the awful photos, I'm in the middle of decorating.

[QuiteLikely5]

Looks very slender to me!

[SoupDragon]

How does the amount of food that he is given match with the recommended amount? Remember that Dreamies count.

I've recently got FatCat to his target weight (6.4kg! He's huge) and it's amazing how easy it is to over feed a cat.

[SoupDragon]

He was carrying his weight underneath like a beer belly so, from above, he looked reasonably slender.

[FlowersAndShit]

Hmm he does have a saggy belly underneath, but I thought that was normal?

[cozietoesie]

He looks more or less OK but 'on the edge' from those photos. I'd give him some or most of his dried in a food toy for starters to see if you can up his activity levels. (And also his satisfaction levels.) I'd generally go by what the vet says, though - they've actually seen him. Have they given you any recommendations? Dried is generally quite concentrated so constant snacking on that can really pile it on if you're not careful.

Do you weigh him regularly?

[FlowersAndShit]

Thanks cozie. I've bought him a flying frenzy which is the only toy he really likes. I'm going to use that everyday with him to get him moving more. The vet didn't say anything more, just weighed him and I asked if his weight was okay, she just said he should be closer to 4kg.

I'm going to just put the dry food down before bed rather than let him snack throughout the day. I weigh him regularly, I've only had him 2 months and his weight has always been the same.

[cozietoesie]

I'd try him on a food toy nonetheless - they're only cheap from a pet store or supermarket (for eg a basic food ball) or you can make them yourself if you have Blue Peter skills. It makes them happier to have to ferret out or chase their food a little as well as upping their activity.

[lljkk]

I don't think a saggy tum is ever healthy*. Maybe very normal, but normal != healthy.

*maybe fine on a female who recently gave birth. Otherwise...

[LanaorAna1]

He is adorable! Not fat at all. But maybe the vet was warning you that any more weight might not be great. 5kg isn't overweight for a large cat by any means. Especially not for a neutered gentleman. But he will love the food toy ball...

[SoupDragon]

But the vet thinks he should be 4kg which is not a large cat.

I think it's easier to take control of their weight before it gets to the point of needing to diet.

[Archfarchnad]

That's exactly the same quantity (and quality) we give our 4-yo neutered male who is very active, but who is very big boned and weighs 6.5 kilos. So that amount for a 4-kilo mog seems a lot to me.

[FlowersAndShit]

I got Boycat a treat ball thing, but he's not interested in it. He's such a lazy cat

I did stop putting dry down during the day, but whenever I went into the kitchen he'd meow at me because he's probably hungry .

[SoupDragon]

He probably isn't hungry, he just wants to snack.

I think that you need to work out the quantity of food that is appropriate for his ideal weight and dish that out during the day.

If FatCat really bothers me, I put some of his daily allowance into his bowl but it means he gets less at dinner time.

One thing the vet suggested was an anti gulp bowl. It has pillars/prongs in the bottom to make them work that little bit harder for their food and to eat slower. FatCat dislikes it but it definitely stops him wolfing down the food in 5 seconds.

[cozietoesie]

The trouble with feeding less is that it has to be so so gradual if they're to remain healthy. (I'll try to find a link on excess weight for you.) Maybe you could try one of the 'slimming' dry foods? I've never had to use them but some poster might be able to advise.

[SoupDragon]

FatCat is lazy too. I tried to get him interested in one of those laser pointer things but he looked at me with utter disdain.

[SoupDragon]

FatCat lost his weight on the Royal Canin Satiety food. Also known as Obesity food. He had one pouch and something tiny like 30g of dry a day. It looked nowhere near enough but his weight loss was gradual.

He lost about 900g over 6 months.

[Tubbyinthehottub]

Mine is the same, slim but saggy tum. Apparently some cats just have that tummy. Mine is usually 4kg but last time he was weighed in Jan he was nearer 4.5kg. The vet said it was fine, just winter chub.

[Archfarchnad]

Well, there's genuinely hungry, and there's 'hey, I've trained my person so well, I just meow at them and they put more food down!'. Of course he won't be interested in using his little feline brain on a treat ball when he just has to whinge at you for the same result.

[cozietoesie]

Here's that link. (Don't worry about the title.)

If he's really not interested in the treat ball, I'd be guessing he's more after attention than food - so would keep it out with fresh food in it.

How is he coping with the decorating? (Just wondering if he's feeling at all edgy and seizing upon 'food' as his security thing.)

[babyboomersrock]

I did stop putting dry down during the day, but whenever I went into the kitchen he'd meow at me because he's probably hungry

I don't think he's hungry, OP - but he'll be used to eating all day long. Cats should really have to work a bit for their food - at 2 years old, he's still very young and should be active. A saggy belly is not good, especially in a young cat.

I'd cut out all extras (licks of yoghurt pots, treats etc) and feed only the wet food. Cats shouldn't be snacking.

Does he go outside? It's much harder to get a cat moving indoors, I found - get him out (if you can) and let him find interesting things to chase.

The more weight he's carrying, the less likely he is to want to move around - keep him lean and fit and he'll do better long-term.

[Tubbyinthehottub]

I wouldn't leave dry out all day for him to pick at. Two meals a day is fine for him although obviously you will want to treat him sometimes as well

[StillMedusa]

I find that mine tend to fatten up during the winter then slim down as soon as the weather improves.
Portia doesn't..she's picky and dainty, but Obie is a giant pig of a cat... if he hears anyone heading for the kitchen he comes galloping down the stairs and chirps at me pathetically. Consequently after a wet winter where he has done nothing except eat... he's a bit tubby looking but over the last week with a bit of sun he has been out all day so not begging for snacks:) I'm hoping he has trimmed down before we next need the vets for anything!

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

Harry has always had a saggy belly - it swings when he runs . It's not really fat though, more like loose skin so I don't see how I can get rid of it. He has two pouches a day (the box says he can have up to six) and a couple of small bowls of dry food. One vet said he was fat but his usual one said he was fine.

[SoupDragon]

Up to six pouches? That seems a huge amount.

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

That's what I thought! I'm sure he'd have a go at eating them but he was sick the day I gave him 3!