Is my cat fat or is my Vet a crook?

Question

I took my Mojo to the vet the other day and she weighed 9 lbs. She is a fairly long and muscle cat, she doesn't look at all fat! Well the vet gave me the bad pet owner look and told me that she was 10% overweight! And that I should by this special expensive cat food sold at his office. He acted like being 9lbs for a cat was unacceptable. I don't have a lot of money so 20 bucks for a small bag is too much. I see nothing wrong with her, she is healthy and happy. Should I take his warning to heart or is he just trying to rip me off? What is too heavy for a cat?

Answer 1

READ ME HERE!

Now that I got your attention, I wanted to provide you with a way to tell if your cat is overweight. The best way to tell is by looking at your cat from overhead (bird's eye view) while she is standing on all 4 legs. You should be able to see her waist. The waist is an indentation just before the hind quarters. If you can see her waist, the next step is to look at her abdomen. It is wider than the width of her whiskers? (Note, a cat can use their whiskers to gauge the width of an opening they can safely fit through!) If no, quess what? Your cat is perfectly fine! In general, 9 lbs is hardly overweight for an adult cat. It could be severely underweight for a Maine Coon or severely overweight for a 6 month old kitten, but for an adult cat, not at all.

While it is in your kitty's best interest to be fed a high quality pet food, it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Just stay away from the supermarket brands which have artificial colors and cheap fillers. And of course, be wary of the brands in the Menu Foods pet food recal.

Good luck!

Answer 2

That's ridiculous! Sounds to me like your vet is trying to make some extra money off of you by getting you to buy some fancy cat food from him. I'd change vets if I were you and get a second opinion. Nine pounds isn't bad for a cat; my cats weigh about that much and my vets have never told me they were overweight. And even if your cat were overweight, you don't have to spend $20 on a small bag of some expensive cat food when there are many commercial brands of "diet" cat food (such as IAMS Weight Control) that cost less and work just as well. If you are concerned about her weight I would try just feeding her a little less and engaging her in more physical activity by playing with her more, but for the most part I don't think you need to worry. Just find yourself a more competent vet!

Answer 3

You should easily be able to feel her ribs when rubbing your hand against her body- if you have to press hard to find individual ribs- your cat is too fat. If you can feel them without pressing hard at all- too skinny. Even a muscular cat should have easily defined ribs.
9 lbs could be unacceptable for some cats. Others can hit 30 lbs and be a healthy weight.
As for buying the expensive food you do not need to.- you can also just cut down calorie intake of whatever food you give her- give her 1/4 cup less a day or so to have a gradual loss.

Answer 4

His honesty or lack thereof aside, DON'T buy that food.

9 pounds does not sound excessive, although with a smaller cat perhaps it is.

However, the bag of food he's trying to sell you is going to be full of carbs and your cat won't lose any weight eating it.

If your cat truly needs to lose weight, you should either switch him to eating raw or to a good quality canned food. That's what I did and it's working.

Unfortunately, many vets know squat about cat nutrition. It's not a required course for them! Go figure.

If you don't want to put in any effort on learning about cat nutrition, you could perhaps cut back on the food a bit, assuming you don't already have him on small rations. Or if you're "free feeding" stop doing that and just set a daily amount which is given in at least two equal feedings per day.

Answer 5

It sounds like the vet is trying to make some money.

The average for an adult female cat is between 7 and 12 pounds, and for a male it is 9 and 15. From the sound of it your cat falls well within this range and probably doesn't need to be on a diet.

Good luck.
E.

Answer 6

My female is 13 pounds and the vet said she is in the normal range. Purina One Healthy Weight Management is a good food for overweight kitties and a lot cheaper than $20.00. My kitty grew up on Purina One and she is a healthy happy 15 year old who now gets the Senior Formula.

Answer 7

I think your vet is just being a crook, I have relatively small cat whose is 9lbs and I thought she was overweight cause she is tiny and my vet said she is perfectly healthy and that average weight for a cat is 9-12lbs. Depending on their body structure. I would look into another vet.

Answer 8

That is a bit on the heavy side for many felines, though certainly not the worst. There are plenty of other healthy cat foods out there that could help her build even more muscle tone and slim down a little more.

Answer 9

Your vet is Ripping you off. My cats are 11lbs each. Each time I go to our vet , they check out Fine. An I have not once got the Bad Owner look. Try Purina , insted of the Really $$$$ stuff.

Answer 10

Your vet is ripping you off. There are plenty of brands of weight control formula that cost well under $20 for a small bag. Plus, there are techniques such as a time controlled feedings that you could try as well is she is overweight.