overweight??

Question

is my cat overweight?? he is about 22 pounds but he runs like anyother cat and plays with things... help??

&hearts

Answer 1

Depending on the size of your cat, I think it probably is overweight. I have 3 cats and I have finally got them all down to around 12 pounds. I bought the light cat food and slowly introduced it into their diet. They now get half regular and half light. It seems to have stopped the weight gain.

Answer 2

He may be active thanks to youth, but recognize that you don't want a fat cat. Obese cats develop sooooo many health problems. That's the last thing you want. Look at your cat's bone structure. A small frame cat should weigh between 7-9 pounds. A medium frame cat (most cats) should weigh between 10-12 pounds. A large frame cat can weigh anywhere from 15 to 20 pounds but this size is rare in domestic mixed-breeds. 22 pounds is generally only seen in certain large breed cats like the Siberian, Maine Coon and Ragdoll.

Another way to tell if your cat is over weight is to view your cat from above while it is standing on four legs. In an obese cat, you will not be able to see its waist and the abdomen will be round and wider than the width of the whiskers. In a healthy cat, you should be able to see the cat's waist, just before the hind quarters and past the abdomen. The abdomen should be as wide as the cat's whiskers (did you know that cat's use their whiskers to determine whether an opening is large enough for them to fit through?!) In an underweight cat, the abdomen will be sunken in and you will clearly see or feel the cats ribcage through the fur.

Indoor cats are susceptible to obesity. You can help alleviate the situation by feeding your cat set portions, twice a day. Leaving a never-ending-supply of food out all day is not recommended, especially if your cat is overweight. Another way to alleviate the problem is to play with your cat as often as possible so it can get some exercise indoors. Teaser fishing-rod toys and laser light toys are great interactive toys that will have your cat running and jumping around like mad.

Your best bet is to visit your vet if you are concerned. They will be able to give you a plan to reduce your cats weight. Good luck!

Answer 3

It really depends on the kind of cat he is and what size he is. Obviously a bigger breed of cat is gonna weigh more. Even if he is overweight the fact that he runs and plays shows he is still healthy so I would say there is nothing to worry about unless that changes.

Answer 4

It depends on his breed. Some breed of cats are absolutely huge. Maine coons are one breed who can be 15lbs and still be a healthy weight while that would be overweight for a regular domestic shorthair, Siamese or another breed. More than likely your cat is overweight. Your vet can tell you for sure. If he is overweight, I would highly recommend you get his weight down. Overweight cats can have so many medical problems. One of the biggest being diabetes and I've noticed from my clinic that all but one of our diabetic cats are males, and we have a fair amount. But it can also affect the heart, kidneys, liver etc... I would recommend getting a diet from your vet called Hill's Prescription Diet R/D. It's a weight reducing diet. Feed him the correct amount for a 17lb cat. Once he gets down to 17lb, feed him for a 12lb cat and so on until he's at his ideal and healthy weight. Once he's at his ideal weight you can feed him a weight maintenance diet from the pet or grocery store, or you can feed him another food your vet should have that's called W/D. And as always, your vet is the best answer.

Answer 5

I think it's great that your cat (no matter its breed is running along) to be honest...you DON'T need any help, Overweighted cats in your oppinion might just be their natural breed...in simple words he just looks like that...that's his type :-)

What I'm happy about is that normally these big catsaren't very active.....just don't torture it by cutting off it's food supplies over overffeed it....your cat is PERFECT!

Answer 6

He is overweight. get him on a diet, there are special diet foods for cats. He might feel OK and play, but he can develop problems like diabetis if this goes on.

Answer 7

Unless you have a Bobcat then yes your cat is overweight. that is the weight of a medium sized dog. You need to decrease his food intake.