Question about weight of cats

catkiki

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I have a question about how much, the weight range of cats.

Ever since I got Princess spayed, she has gained a lot of weight. She weighs about 11 pounds now. She doesn't look fat, but she is very solid. I wonder if she needs to go on a diet. She is 13 months old.

Thanks
 

gizmocat

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Princess certainly sounds as if she is overweight. This has nothing to do with spaying, but everything to do with what she eats and how much she moves around.

There are charts on the web showing proper cat silhouette but the best guide is the naked eye.

Stand over Princess and look down at her while she is standing up. If she is shaped like a football, she is overweight.

You should see a marked indentation just before the hipbone (that is the waist) and her pelvis should taper toward the tail.
If you look at her from the side her belly should tuck up a bit at the back. (Gizmo's tuck is only visible when she stands on her hind legs since she has a bit of droopy skin there, so I go by the 'top view'.)

If Princess is a Maine Coon cat she will weigh more than most other breeds.

Gizmo was actually a pound overweight this year and she lost the excess water when I put her on non-allergenic food (rabbit meat instead of chicken.)

If you are feeding Princess a store brand like Meow Mix or Fancy Feast, these are mostly filler. Get a good brand of cat food that contains no corn or wheat or byproducts and has a high meat content and her weight should come down. Play with her more to get her to exercise and run around.
Good luck.
 

arlyn

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Princess' head shot in your sig says ragdoll to me, which means she'd still be a large breed, other than that, the visual ques gizmocat gave you are right on the money.
 

icklemiss21

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Different breeds and types of cats have different 'normal' weights. Bumper is naturally a big cat and the vet said a healthy weight for him is 14lbs which to me sounded huge... a vet can help if you happen to be going in soon for shots or a check up etc.

this link
shows what a healthy weight / overweight cat looks like (as decribed above but easier when compared to pics)
 

tru

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Originally Posted by gizmocat

Stand over Princess and look down at her while she is standing up. If she is shaped like a football, she is overweight.
A football?
I've always said my Nugie looks like he swalloed a Beach Ball!
 
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