Big chested cat- normal???

purrsita

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hi,
i am cat sitting (long term) my sisters elderly cat (she is 15 years old)

i have known this cat all her life, and she loves to eat and had gotten a bit plump


since being with me, she has lost some wt, which wasn't bad, since she was over wt to start with

but now i can see what i always wondered about before- this cat has a chest that seems, well, barrel-chested, to me- her rib cage seems to flare out at the base, and just seems too big

now, maybe this is due to the wt loss
or maybe some cats are just made this way

or- could this be a sign of a some problem (esp with her lungs or heart)

she shows NO SIGNS of illness at all, she seems happy and she is more active than she was at home, in short she seems well

but i don't know if perhaps something is developing that needs to be looked in to.....

if you have seen my other posts, i tend to worry!!
so it would help if anyone else knows of, or has, a cat with a large rib cage...


anyone?
 

badhabit

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To answer your question... It can be normal and it can be abnormal. All cats are built differently and some have bigger chests, bigger heads, shorter legs, longer tails ect.

At the same time if one day you noticed this change in her then it could possibly be a problem. Looking at her does it look like her abdomen is bloated? If this is the case then she should see the vet, if not then it might just a case of her losing weight and she no longer has the extra padding around her ribs.

Of course you can always take her to the vet if it will make you feel better. I took Mitzi in because someone told me they thought they felt a growth in her belly and her being 14 I didn't want to take any chances. It turned out to be nothing but I felt a lot better knowing that it was nothing rather than always worrying about what it was.
 
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