Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   So when I took him in last Oct he was just over 1. and he was 12lbs exactly. the vet said he was 1 lb overweight and that I should do something about that, as of April he was 12.2lbs,

   Does he look overweight or Ideal? The recent pic I got of him well on the comp is the one in my picture of him with his tongue stuck out.

   that was in Oct when he was 12lbs but he looks the same.

   Should I listen to the vet and do something about that one little pound of his? or no? I keep saying that one extra pound is more to love lol

   Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

2. 

   I am the worst person to ask as all of the crew weighs at least 11 lbs +....did your vet give suggestions like play more with Dexter, gradually decrease his food, etc.?

   Posted 9 months ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

3. 

   just to take his food away after only 5 minutes of it being on the floor, but he doesnt eat a whole 5 minutes,

   I never heard a vet say keep the bowl on the floor for 5 minutes every 24 hours that doesnt seem right. it's like people eating their meals for 5 minutes each meal and I am sure everyone each breakfast, lunch and supper more than 5 minutes for each.

   Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

4. 

   and dexter also does play.. i have a laser light and will have him run up and down the stairs(slowly) lol he fractured his jaw on those stairs so it's now slowly going up lol

   Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

5. 

   I would think that restricting the amount of time the food is down might backfire; Dexter might eat faster if he's afraid his food is going to disappear, and that can lead to barfing (sorry, gross, but I speak from experience)

   Posted 9 months ago by Kilroy #

6. 

   thats why i dont want to take his food away, he follows me(so cute) so he wont eat if I leave the room, and he already gagged on his treat, he didnt even eat that one again lol

   Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

7. 

   One extra pound on a cat is like 12-15 on a human. I wouldn't pick his bowl up after 5 minutes, but you could cut back on the amount you give him by a tablespoon or so.

   P.S. He looks perfect to me, but I seldom see a cat who doesn't look perfect.

   Posted 9 months ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

8. 

   That's a good point, CBM; I was just going to do the math to figure out what 1 pound on a 12 lb. cat was percentage-wise...OK, so 1 pound is about 8% of his total weight. Not enormous, but not 1-2% either.

   *hugs for Dexter, who is perfect no matter what and who's meomy loves him*

   Posted 9 months ago by Kilroy #

9. 

   Your cats all sound so light in weight. My 3 Muskateers (Misty,Spunky & Rusty) just turned 4yrs.old a couple months back. Of the 3 siblings,the only one I had weight probs. with was Spunky. It's really hard to put one on a diet when the 3 eat their meals together. When Spunky peaked at 22 lbs. I was terrified he had something wrong. I started him so slowly he didn't know he was on a diet.
   I focused more on letting them have all the wet food they wanted but, started cutting back on the kibble until they were all at a happy level of eating. I'm real selfosh w/the kibble to them now bcuz him & his bro Rusty were both developing crystals from the kibble.
   Spunky I guess is the oddball in his family. I was never able to get him down under 20 lbs. He's a very big,but solid boy. He's a picture of health. His brother is now at 17 lbs. & their little sister is only 10 pounds.
   The trick is to not curve back too much too quick. Otherwise,when they do get to eat a good bowl of the crunchies, alot of times they heave it back up from gulping it down too quick.

   Posted 9 months ago by feral #

10. 

    Oh....& I wouldn't worry too much about his weight. I'mcalculating that Dexter is going on his 2nd yr.? That 12 lbs. sounds just about perfect for his age. Not all cats stop their growth spurts byt age 2. Spunky & Rusty both kept growing well into their 3rd birthday.

    Posted 9 months ago by feral #

11. 

    Time to pull out the weight chart again

    http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Img/211899/0062148.jpg

    look him over from a top and a side view and evaluate his condition.

    Posted 9 months ago by ailuromaniac #

12. 

    Both of mine weigh in at just about 4 Kg (8.8 lbs). It depends on the cat's frame. A tiny Burmese type cat would be horrendously overweight at 8lbs. A big Maine Coone would be horribly underweight ....

    Posted 9 months ago by Pollys_Mum_in_UK_2605 #

13. 

    ^^^ That weight chart, I would say Dexter is between 5-7, so 6? he has a little tiny belly so it's not 5, but hes not big like number 7.

    and yes, when he got checked in April at 12.2 lbs. he wasnt 2 yet, he was 2 at the end of April.

    I hope he doesnt grow much taller, he's a tall boy already, I never seen a cat who is his size of tall, lol

    Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

14. 

    ok just looking at the pic again, and Dexter is def, 5! but he does have a little belly, but nothing like #7 in the pic.

    Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

15. 

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v73/JessNick2330/IMG00530.jpg

    NEW PICTURE OF DEXTER, I think he's in the 6-7 section :(

    Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

16. 

    Dexter is young and active. Just trim back a bit on his food. Add in a treat ball to make him work for his snacks. He needs to transition from the growing boy needs of a kitten and get into the healthy calorie range of an adult.
    You can do this. He will punish you but remember it is for his own good because you love him.

    Posted 9 months ago by ailuromaniac #

17. 

    Melinda is a 5, Bronson is a six, Spice is probably a 4 or 5, can't see thru her thick, long fur coat...

    Posted 9 months ago by CSBM #

18. 

    i free feed only because Spice nibbles, has nibbled all her life, and likes to nibble. She hates wet food. i refuse to make her gulp her food because she does an above average number of hairballs due to her very long, thick coat...

    Posted 9 months ago by CSBM #

19. 

    I would leave the food out for not five but about 20 minutes. Feed about 4 to 5 times a day. I believe it is very unhealthy for cats to "free feed" all the time: it leads to obesity and greater risk of diabetes, heart problems and other health problems. Imagine if we humans had a buffet of food sitting in our living room or workplaces all day! Sheesh, we'd all be waddling around like the morbidly obese.

    Posted 9 months ago by Mojo #

20. 

    see the thing is I leave the house at 7am, and come back at 1pm, and he only mainly eat during the night when I am sleeping, :(
    Unless I give him a few pieces of food in his bowl(not a few but like 10 pieces of food every time

    He already knocked his food bucket on the floor before, he can do that again if there is no food lol

    Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

21. 

    oh and I was playing with him for about 15 minutes three times last night with his laser toy.

    Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

22. 

    How much food should I be feeding Dexter a day?
    He's an indoor cat, and I only feed him 1/2 - 1/3 cup of food a day, and he's very active.

    Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

23. 

    So I would feed him 1/3 of his daily allotment of food before you leave at 7 a.m. 1/2 cup sounds very small for a cat of his weight, but you should go by what is on the food package. Give him the other 1/3 allotment around 5 pm and the final meal before you go to bed or around 9 pm. Be sure he has multiple dishes of clean water around to drink from. You might even want to get a water fountain to encourage water consumption.

    Posted 9 months ago by Mojo #

24. 

    You may also want to consider *gradually* transitioning him to a high protein, low or no grain diet. If he likes it, it could help him lose weight.

    Posted 9 months ago by Mojo #

25. 

    According to my Sammy, almost every cat is severely underweight.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/12371542@N03/5222070563/in/photostream

    Posted 9 months ago by Dee #

26. 

    Aww, Sammy sure is cute. What 'cattitude'!

    Posted 9 months ago by Mojo #

27. 

    I must say, I have trouble with feeding schedules myself. They always seem to break down. Kensho is the only one who I have to worry about overeating, as he is always eating first and the most.

    Posted 9 months ago by Mojo #

28. 

    so I should give Dexter more food? lol I am slowly transferring him to friskies, He seems to not even mind it's different that the food he had for over a year now, he just eats it like it's food and yea, he's not a picky eater when it comes to dry cat food.

    Question about the food though,
    I been told you have to slowly transfer them like mixed the old and new food, my question is why? Will it make them sick? or have the runs?

    Posted 9 months ago by Dexter Chewie #

29. 

    Some cats have very sensitive digestive systems and can react with vomiting or diarrhea to a sudden change of food. It does not always happen though. I don't usually do the super gradual changeover although when I serve a new food I serve a small amount. I've just changed the cats from Wellness grain-free back to the economical Friskies because of Kensho's diarrhea, and with added psyillium it seems to be helping.

    Posted 9 months ago by Mojo #

30. 

    You could put the amount of food you think is right for Dexter in a small bowl (with a tight lid) each morning. Give him a part of it in the morning, part when you get home and part before you go to bed. Measuring a day's worth at one time makes it easier to slowly reduce the amount you are feeding him while you watch what his weight is doing.

    Posted 9 months ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply »

You must log in to post.