How can I tell if my cat is too fat? And is it OK to feed my cats just every other day?

Question

There are two cats, a mother and daughter, letting us humans live in their household. The mother is probably about 4 to 4-1/2 years old--she adopted us as a stray just over three years ago. She's started to develop quite a pudge on her belly and has begun to have a fold of fat start to form in her lower abdominal area. I think we've stumbled upon an exercise she really likes that will help make her more active--chasing light from a laser penlight up and down the stairs--but I got to wondering, how can someone tell if their cat is too fat? And for those of us who have odd schedules and find it somewhat difficult to keep pets on a regular exercise schedule, is it OK to feed them just every other day? I guess this would be less of an issue if there were only one cat in the house, if it's advisable to lessen the cat's feeding schedule, but not being a veterinary expert, I figured I'd throw the question out here for discussion. Any other suggestions for exercises or toys for the cat?

I'm not trying to starve my cat, Fluffy Alien, I just wanted to get advice. ;-) I couldn't have coffee just every other day, so I guess I see your point. :-)

Coffee is a major food group for me, Fluffy Alien, but I do see your point. Now that I think about it, though, I think what got me to wondering about not feeding cats every day was various other pets my brothers and I had growing up--but I guess it was just fish, an iguana and other non-mammalian species that didn't need daily feeding. So that probably wouldn't be the case with mammals.

Answer 1

You have gotten some really good answers, and I agree, coffee is a major food group!

One thing that was not addressed (or maybe I just missed it, I have not had my coffee this morning) was whether or not your cats are strictly indoor or indoor/outdoor cats.
I have two cats , nicknamed Heffalump and Woozle- appropriately- Woozle looks like a weasel- she is extremely picky about her food and very long and skinny- her siste Heffalump on the other hand is a LUMP- she is a fatty and I don't know why. She gained some weight rather quickly after she was fixed so it may have been a hormonal thing. She is not in the unhealthy range at this point but pretty close.
We only feed them once a day so I know we are not overfeeding them and they get plenty of exercise- the problem , however , is that they are allowed outside and only God knows what scraps they are finding or who in the neighborhood is feeling sorry for our poor starving cats and supplementing their diets. If your cats are allowed outdoors, it is vrtually impossible to completely monitor their diets.

As far as exercise goes, the only things my cats will play for any length of time is the laser dot and a coiled up piece of pipe cleaner. I quit buying toys or catnip for them because I paid for them, and brought them home specifically for the cats, therefore, the unspoken cat law says they cannot lay paw or whisker to them.

If they are getting outside, they are likely getting a decent amount of exercise. While I would not suggest skipping a day feeding the cats, feeding them smaller portions and possibly talking to your vet about an appropriate cat food for overweight cats will do the trick. Also, as much as they act all starving and pathetic, and give ou the sweet "your my favorite person in the world" look- try hard to avoid giving them table scraps or bits of what you are eating- a little here and a little there adds up.

Answer 2

You should be able to just feel a cats ribs when you run your hands down their spines. If you can't or have to put preasure on the cats sides then your cat is fat.

It is NOT okay to just feed a cat every other day. How would you like to not be able to eat every other day? It's flat out cruel to not feed an animal every single day.

Edit: Food is way more important than coffee. You can give up coffee completely with no long term effects. Your cats cannot go without food.

Answer 3

The cat's waistline must taper in, not bulge out.

Feeding every other day is too seldom. However, cats can occasionally fast for one day.

The serving size for an overweight cat is shockingly small. Even special diet food necessarily contains a substantial quantity of calories and fat, and must be fed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Commercially available cat grass is also healthful for cats. It is normal for cats to sometimes spit the grass back up after eating. This combats hairballs.

Exercise is also important, and an indoor cat should get lots of play with cat teasers, catnip mice, and other toys.

Weight loss in a cat should be very gradual. When the total weight ranges from five to 15 or 20 pounds, losing one pound is equivalent to a human losing 15 to 30 pounds.

Answer 4

The best way to tell if your cat is overweight is by checking the cat. Move your hands along the sides of the body and gently try to feel the ribs. If the cat is within range of its ideal weight, you should be able to easily count the ribs. The ribs should be covered with a layer of fat, but not to an extent that would make it difficult to feel them.

With obese cats it is easy to see that they are larger than usual, have a large abdomen, and experience difficulty walking and grooming themselves. Obesity can sometimes be a side-effect of a more serious disease and requires urgent veterinary attention.

Don't skip a day when you feed your cat. Just feed less food, or get her one that is for weight management. One of my cats was overweight when I was free-feeding them. Now, I give them 1/2 cup in the morning, and 1/2 cup in the evening. My 18-lber has lost 4 lbs and has a lot more energy.

My female cat loves to chase the laser pointer and always has. She's never had a weight problem. My male, who I nicknamed "Tubby" would catch it only if it didn't require him moving, lol. He prefers to chase an actual object. We used a kids fishing rod with a jingley ball tied to the end (the plastic ones with slats on the sides and a bell inside). Cast it out and go "cat fishing".

Like I said, he's lost weight and has more energy. He chases my other cat around and they play together more.

Answer 5

TGhey ned to be fed every day and the best way to have them be healthy and lose weight is to feed the proper foods and that means NO DRY foods



Nutrition since there are so many bad things out there is very important to your cat’s health
Contrary to what you may have heard; dry foods are not a great thing to feed a cat.
Please read the label on what you are feeding? What are the ingredients? Do you know what they mean? Is the first ingrdiant a muscle meat like chicken or meal or other things?
http://www.catinfo.org/#Learn_How_To_Read_a_Pet_Food_Ingredient_Label
Dry foods are the number 1 cause of diabetes in cats as well as being a huge contributing factor to kidney disease, obesity, crystals, u.t.i’s and a host of other problems. Food allergies are very common when feeding dry foods. Rashes, scabs behind the tail and on the chin are all symptoms
The problems associated with Dry food is that they are loaded with carbohydrates which many cats (carnivores) cannot process them. Also, Most of the moisture a cat needs is suppose to be in the food but in
Dry, 95% of it is zapped out of dry foods in the processing. Another thing, most use horrible ingredients and don't use a muscle meat as the primary ingredient and use vegetable based protein versus animal. Not good for an animal that has to eat meat to survive.
You want to pick a canned food w/o gravy (gravy=carbs) that uses a muscle meat as the first ingredient and doesn't have corn at least in the first 3 ingredients if at all. Fancy feast is a middle grade food with 9lives, friskies whiskas lower grade canned and wellness and merrick upper grade human quality foods. Also, dry food is not proven to be better for teeth. Does a hard pretzel clean your teeth or do pieces of it get stuck? http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4a.php

Please read about cat nutrition.
http://www.newdestiny.us/nutritionbasics.html
http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm
http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm#Dry_Food_vs_Canned_Food.__Which_is_reall

Answer 6

First of all i love the fact that they adopted you!!

Your cat is too fat when their belly starts to "hang" AND you should NOT be able to feel their ribs for goodness sakes! come on people!

But i do have to agree that it is very important to feed them EVERY day. you can absolutely cut down the portion though.

Perfect amount=2 meals per day and available fresh water all day.
1/4 cup per meal should help her slim down, but remain healthy!
(i used to have the same problem with my boys)

Toy suggestion: cats love anything with a bell. they can play with it when you cant play with them, and will encourage healthy play habits when they are home alone.
hope this helps!

Answer 7

Every other day feeding will make them feel like they're starving and they'll scarf food even faster. Their digestion tract is short, so food doesn't stay inside long. Feed smaller portions, not longer apart.

Answer 8

good day to you,

if the cat seems fat
she fits the hat ; shes probably fat.

no medicine can cure what happiness cannot!

Feel blessed that this wonderful feline has adopted you and take the care of her/him as you would a member of your family. The greatest gift that God has sent to me is my beautiful Seal-Point Siamese cat who adopted me end of month August year of 2002. My best friend had just died,i was in quite dissaray. Without a long story of which i would be more than happy to tell, she was sent to me an Angel, spirit of my beloved friend, to give me hope, to 'save my life'
We have a bond that defies man and his hiddeuous need for
tidy explanation(s) she is more than a 'cat' >>
they are souls ,.. ask yourself how do you feel today?
Wake up and exclaim : tis a beautiful day me-meow,
is a beautiful day! Fill her bowl with kindess and listen what maybe speaking to you, from a 'cat'
I had anxiety and after 11 days of her adopting me and to her realization that she accepted ME in being her home(new home) , she then felt comfortable and no longer "meowed" at my window & doorstep. (hence mi' meow, mi'amiga; mi'amigo)
"MY MI MEOW" became LeAnn , and when i not even wanting to care anymore, my restless anxiety she did percieve and literally 'threw-up" whilst laying beside me, my woes. From that 11th day forward i vowed never to allow her to see me weep such sorrow. I got on with the matter of getting on with life, ... bought some cat food(as she had been eating leftover dog food i had in cuboard)got my electricity turned back on,.. celebrated life again. I keep her food bowl always with food. she eats when shes hungry , drinks when shes thirst and sleeps when she's tired. Not so unlikle me!
Trust listen learn abound.insight. ps. she doesn't like traditonal 'toys' so much she loves being able to come and go outside, she loves being loved.
[she likes when i play with her,.. an ostrich feather or a ball tied onto a long string, when she thinks i can't see her and i let her think i dont see her either. she likes to play with the comb i use , after brushing her hair,]
... even when she waits for me ends weeks, months on end in a 'place we don't want to be( we lost our home) she trusts me implicitly and waits for me to 'bring her home' again (a sanctury called a place you can call 'home' ,.. not a guise where the man has control and you leave then he wants you then you smile and know he is never ever worthy, yet you smile so your day to be better, until the day you can bring yourself, and the one you love
'back home'
PEACE
* also i keep dry food in her dish,at all times and give her
packets or canned 'wet' food 3x~week(gravy, she's crazy for the gravy) My Mom has a cat that is very very fat ,she tells me. I have never seen her, i love my mom she is my Angel as well, and so the story goes,.. her cat is just plain fat,.. big as a cow she tells me! loves her all the same .
Lifes funny like that.
god bless

Answer 9

Here is a weight chart from Purina for cats and you can compare your kitty to these models. It gives descriptions of body conditions from emaciated to obese.

I will second Ken's recommendations for nutrition. The links he provided will give you a good idea of how to feed your kitty to maintain optimum weight and give kitty a long, healthy life.