i have a cat who is severly over weight?

Question

i have a cat who is huge who cant bath himself because so under his left arm there is a big bald spot dose he have irritation to his skin or what ?

Answer 1

It could possibly be the rubbing constantly. Or maybe the food he is eating is irriatating his skin.. there are lots of different reasons. If your cat is obese, I would suggest getting him on O.M. food by Purina (overweight management) and only feed him 70g a day.

Answer 2

If he is lying around a lot the fur may just fall out on the side the cat prefers. If it is red or scaby, or you see brown/black flecks, it could be fleas. Fleas will hide where a cat has difficulty reaching. Underarms are ideal. Give the cat a flea treatment. In fact, give him a bath first. And, get him on a good quality low cal cat food. Preferably with some fish oils, for dry skin. Fat cats are likely to suffer from fatty liver syndrome and die much younger - just like people. And, it's hard on their kidneys too.

Afternote: The above suggestions are right on the money, excellent!

Answer 3

first of all go to the store and buy food formulated for overweight cats, or weight management. it should say something on the label about weight and health. when I had a cat like this, I realized that it was because she had constant access to food, as I was just leaving a dish of it in the garage for all of the cats. it was when she got big that I figured out that she was the only one eating it most of the time. if you aren't already, give your cat a "meal time." a scoop of food at breakfast, another at lunch, etc., and if necessary, give her a separate bowl in a separate area from the other cat for a while. make food a bit more of a routine than an all day activity, but make sure that she has a bowl of water all day. this really helped my cat, as did getting her to play a little bit. all the best! good luck!

Answer 4

Skin conditions are one of the complications of obesity - in humans as well as animals. You might want to get this checked by a vet, especially if you're not regularly de-fleaing the animal.

Now about his weight - it's important to get him to lose it. Overweight cats have dramatically shortened lifespans due to all the complications of the excess weight - heart and joint problems, urinary problems, increased risk of cancer, and skin problems. Also, as you've observed, it makes it difficult for them to live properly!

Do get hold of a diet food for cats - they can eat a decent amount of the stuff but still lose weight. This is better than just cutting down on current food intake, which may result in too rapid weight loss and a hungry kitty. I recommend Hills r/d, which I use for all my weight clinic clients. Diet needs to be accompanied by exercise, so start swinging a toy on a string at your cat, or using a laser pen toy to get him moving!

Please feel free to email me for further info/support, weight loss in animals is my main area of interest.expertise.

Chalice

Answer 5

i have two cats. i've had Haley for almost 10 years and Celine almost 4. i was nervous to switch to a "diet" kitty food because the younger cat is still very active and very lean. however, haley was pretty hefty. she need to lose several pounds. i don't think she was obese but she was heavy. i made the decision to switch to science diet light. she has lost almost 4 pounds and she looks much healthier. she plays more and is able to clean herself better. you may also see a vet. it could be a health issue causing the weight gain.

Answer 6

My thought would be that if your cat is large enough to where is leg is always touching his body, when he walks it rubs so tightly together that it is rubbing off the hair. It could also be a skin problem but its more likely from rubbing together.