Skinny cat can't seem to put on weight

We have a feral cat who lives in our yard who seems too thin. We actually took him to the vet and had a full blood chemistry and fecal test done but the results showed him to be quite healthy. He eats well and seems very happy otherwise. So is he just a skinny cat by nature? It's a tougher situation because he is feral and lives outside but we have many ferals and they're all bordering on obese! Has anybody ever had a cat who was always thin?

Originally Posted by jimmylegs

We have a feral cat who lives in our yard who seems too thin. We actually took him to the vet and had a full blood chemistry and fecal test done but the results showed him to be quite healthy. He eats well and seems very happy otherwise. So is he just a skinny cat by nature? It's a tougher situation because he is feral and lives outside but we have many ferals and they're all bordering on obese! Has anybody ever had a cat who was always thin?

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How thin is he, actually? He may just be a perfectly healthy, lithe and athletic boy and only LOOK "too thin" next to the obese kitties.

What did the vet say about him?

All of my cats are on the slender side. Prior to switching to raw, however, my Rachel was what I would consider "too thin". When I took her in to see my vet, he told me she was on the lower end of what he likes to see, but was in no way dangerously or alarmingly underweight. (Now that she's on raw, she's still slender but has put on enough that both the vet and I are happy.)

AC

Its been my experience that the majority of people have gotten so accustomed to seeing slightly overweight house cats that when they see one with proper proportions, they look skinny to them.

I have a slightly overweight cat, slightly meaning she could proably stand to lose half to one pound, and people have commented on how skinny she is.
While my fit, lithe, atheletic girl is apparently scrawny to their eyes.

To me, a cat is too skinny visually, if their shoulders, hips and/or backbone can be seen easily.

I have to agree with the others. I thought Shelly was thin. You can see his shoulders and his hips - but they're not dramatically sticking out. And he has a noticable waist. The vet told me he could stand to lose one pound.

thanks everybody, you might be right! most of our cats are overweight, so maybe he's where he's supposed to be. It's just odd since he's the only one of the group. I will keep an eye on him, he sure didn't like going to the vet!

Don't know if it'll help at all, but here's an illustration of sorts...

This is Ralph a couple of months after being rescued. He is still too thin in this pic. His shoulder blades and hip bones are obvious and his ribs can almost be seen:


Here he is today. Still slender, with a clear waistline, but also nicely muscled over his bones:


AC