The vet says he's fat!!

[Tinkerbelle]

I dunno why.



He only weighs 7.7kgs. To be fair that is seriously not a flattering photo. He's supposed to lost at least 2kg. I'm going to shave him that'll be at least a kilo surely??

 

[kitten_with_claws]

Dunno, he sure is 'fluffy' though! lol

I've never weighed an animal in my life (except to medicate or worm them!) & whether it's dogs, cats or horses, I just go by:

If you can visibly see, or almost pick them up by, their ribs & there is little or minimal fat/muscle, they're too thin.

If you can feel soft, undulating 'nobbles' beneath the surface when you run your fingertips lightly along their ribs & their muscle tone is apparent & reasonably 'firm' when you handle them, they're OK.

If you need to fire up a road drill to find their ribs & they're squishy & flobby (I just made that up, it's not actually a word....as far as I know! lol) like a cushion or something, they're too fat.

Seemples! lol

 

[Tinkerbelle]

He has some health issues and is seeing a specialist who is familiar with the breed. She says he was a little heavy but after having him in for an operation she said she could tell that he is a big muscular cat underneath all that curly fluff.

I'm not too worried as he isn't as our of proportion as that photo suggests.

His brother is much leaner and less fluffy but a bigger cat altogether. My vet says he's the perfect weight. The specialist says he's underweight. Although he has put on weight since his treatment so perhaps he's fat now too lol.

 

[sublime]

What a gorgeous cat, Tinkerbelle!

Our last Russian Blue cat was a real couch potato. She'd naturally pile on layers of fat each winter to combat the icy blasts of the Russian Steppes, even though she'd never actually been there.

The vet told us to play pouncy-catchy-mousey-birdy games with her every day, and make sure that she ate a lower fat diet. The weight came off by spring, but it was a long, slow process, and we had to repeat it every year.

 

[Flying Pigs]

He is divine.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Ah now that sort if makes sense because he's a Norwegian Forest cat so again he would naturally bulk up for winter. Both the boys have really thick heavy coats in the winter too.

He is Sublime. Well they both are. True gentle giants. Alf ... the chubby one/avatar ... is possibly the cat equivalent of the love of my life. He's a lazy arse too. I'm trying to exercise him more but I'm the one running round the lounge after ****** ping pong balls.

 

[kitten_with_claws]

He is divine.

He is rather! :sun:

Re. his brother's weight, we've also had littermates, one of which was naturally lean & the other which was a right little porker, who had to always be kept an eye on weight wise, even though they did the same amount of work & were fed according to that & their respective size etc.

Love how he can be underweight, just right & potentially overweight all at the same time though, depending on who you speak to! LOL

 

[kitten_with_claws]

I'm trying to exercise him more but I'm the one running round the lounge after ****** ping pong balls.

I'm rubbish at playing with cats, they always look at me as if to say 'How utterly pathetic.....err, no, I don't think so!' but will scamper round with OH like a 6 week old kitten! lol
(I'm fine with cats otherwise, just not good at playing with them, except for one in kennels once, who liked retrieving paper balls etc., maybe 'cos he was more dog like! lol)

 

[SparklyBarbs]

My daughter says my cat is like a sausage roll. She's got a small face, and a bigger body. I always have her on a
diet. She eats that dried food, and we measure it every day, but her downfall is butter. She can't get enough of
it, and when we open the packet, she's there like a shot. So i only give her a little, but its hard, as its her treat.
She doesn't like those cat treats, so i feel mean refusing her. But we try, its hard , but tough love LOL

 

[Flying Pigs]

Cats always know how to pull our strings don't they!

 

[sublime]

Ah now that sort if makes sense because he's a Norwegian Forest cat so again he would naturally bulk up for winter. Both the boys have really thick heavy coats in the winter too.

Yep, the theory goes that the breeds from cold climates evolved to bulk up before winter, just to ensure the survival of the species.

Our pampered pets are probably pretty confident of getting decent grub over the winter but their genes tell them otherwise!
You could tell the seasons from the amount of food my dog and cat eat, they've been stuffing their faces for the past month or more.

Oh, and I love, love, love Norwegian Forest cats.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Alf gets called a "sausage cat" but that's because he's got short legs. Well shorter legs than his brother and combined with his stupidly long coat it looks like he has really stumpy legs lol

Fortunately he's not interested in treats. He likes his meals but he doesn't pester for any treats at all. Probably because he shoves so much down his neck at mealtimes he's no room for treats. But also he had to have his back teeth out when he was very young so he prefer soft/wet food and most cat treats are hard. Of course his brother is always begging for treats.

I swear the vet believes the opposite is true.

Part of the trouble is of course I love him as he is. I call him my chunky munky. I want to believe the specialist who says not to worry about his weight.

He's curled up with me now. Purring away like a motorbike.

 

[madmax]

Hey you've solved my problem I must have evolved to live in cold climates so I NEED the extra layers of fat to keep me warm. Well that's my excuse and I am sticking to it.
He looks wonderful all cuddly and soft I bet he makes a great hot water bottle, you won't need any NN flannel on your bed with him around.

 

[janie]

he's gorgeous tink. i think vets are as obsessed with weight as doctors are. if he's happy and healthy, i wouldn't worry personally. if you've seen the other thread you'll know louis' fighting weight is about 6.3kg and the vet usually made a gentle remark that he was overweight at check-ups. since he's been ill, he went down to 4.9 (now back to 5.5) and i'm glad he had a bit of excess to fall back on. i also don't think he was fat in the first place because he's a long cat from head to tail. when i told the vet that, he laughed and said i see him through a mother's eyes

like us, they're all built differently. also like us, some put on weight and some don't - louis has never been a big eater and the last time he was in the cattery, there was an enormous cat who only had, or wanted, one sachet of food a day.

 

[AJL-C]

What a gorgeous puss cat:heart::heart::heart:

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Ah yes Janie I've read about Louis ... bless his little paws.

Alf has health issues. He's got a heart murmur and he has calicivirus. There's a question mark over whether he has an immune problem but I haven't had him tested. If he has, he has. There's no preventative treatment only treatment for the symptoms as and when they arise so what's the point in knowing.

So I think the vet feels he shouldn't be overweight. I don't dispute that but I wish the two vets would be consistent. Lisa says he's a little overweight. Helen says he's fat. The real issue though is that Helen has never seen let alone treated a NFC. Lisa has and Maine Coons too. And they disagree about his brother too so it's not just ol' chubby here lol.

Alf's a big old puss it has to be said. His brother is taller and longer. He measures over a metre from his nose to his tail. I think he weighed about 6kg with Lisa saying he ought to weigh another kg at least. He has put on weight but I don't know how much. He's still very lean though.

Oh well. I'll exercise Alf and keep an eye on his food but he eats less than he should if you calculate it by body weight. And all that ****** fur can't help can it?? I know all cats have fur but he's part sheep!

 

[minim]

I'm rubbish at playing with cats, they always look at me as if to say 'How utterly pathetic.....err, no, I don't think so!' but will scamper round with OH like a 6 week old kitten! lol
(I'm fine with cats otherwise, just not good at playing with them, except for one in kennels once, who liked retrieving paper balls etc., maybe 'cos he was more dog like! lol)

Lol. I think Meg often wishes I'd leave her alone. He eyes glitter sometimes.
I'm a firm believer in stimulating kids and cats ... I'd die of boredom otherwise.

Can't do metric. Meg was 14lbs in the summer - her lean period.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

He's about 17 pounds Min. I'd say he will probably stay there or thereabouts but go down to about 15 or 16 pounds in the summer.

His much leggier and leaner bro

 

[Frazzled]

My two cats are like Little and Large. Millie is "chubby" and my little man quite skinny. He always has been but is getting worse due to age.

The vet told me to watch Millie's weight but she doesn't eat most of the food put down for them. She goes out during the night and is not always hungry when I let her in - I think she goes on raids!

A few years ago then husband was fitting a kitchen a few doors up and one of our cats came through their cat flap. When H said hello to him the customer said, " Oh that's his name is it? he's always visiting"!!!!!

I like Millie the way she is, I wouldn't call her fat she's just a big cat, much bigger and taller than my male. :muscle:

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Oh that's funny that one of yours goes visiting.

One of my neighbours once said of Alf "oh is that YOUR cat. He eats the bread I put out for the birds". I could have died! That comment made me decide not to keep him on short rations. Surely proper cat food is better for him than stale bread. I don't think he goes visiting though as neither of mine like people much other than "immediate family".