Spay Swag

Hi all,

I'm sure nothing can be done about this, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Picasso has a really fat spay swag. Is there anything I can do to reduce the size of this, just shy of cosmetic surgery?

Not that I know of. Some cats get a really pronounced "pouch" there, even when they're the proper weight, while others don't. It doesn't seem to bother them, though it can look funny when it sways back and forth when they're running.

it does look funny and she's perfect weight. The swag I dont think bothers her, but it does make her look fat, lol. She gets annoyed when I rub her belly there

Crumb is a male and he has a pooch there, despite not really being overweight. I think it's genetic. He's just kinda shaped weird, where Harvey is long and lean.

In my experience, it has nothing to do with spaying, but more to do with the particular cat. My two that do a lot of climbing outside, one neutered, one not, have the biggest swags, the ones that expend their play energy on the ground have less. All cats have it to some extent.

sk_pacer said:

In my experience, it has nothing to do with spaying, but more to do with the particular cat. My two that do a lot of climbing outside, one neutered, one not, have the biggest swags, the ones that expend their play energy on the ground have less. All cats have it to some extent.

Click to expand...

This, definitely. It all has to do with the muscles. If you can get her running around more on the ground, chasing something, it may help reduce it a bit. If you find that she likes swimming, you can fill up the bathtub, put a little life jacket on her and let her tread water while you hold onto the handle. DO NOT do it if she hates water or only tolerates it though, it's not worth it just for something cosmetic. 

Here's more information on the primordial pouch
There's also at least one old thread about it: Floppy belly pouch, is this normal? - take a look at post #9

It's even listed in the breed standards for Pixiebobs

Torso: Medium to large, rangy but with great depth. Has prominent shoulder blades producing a rolling gait, and uneven back; dip behind the shoulder with an upwards slope towards the hips, which are higher than the shoulders. The flank is deep and powerful. Has a long sloping croup to the tail.
The chest is broad and well developed. Both male and female Pixie Bobs have a primordial belly pouch visible.

Click to expand...

thanks for the information! I will exercise her more. Very interesting to know about the swag a bit more! Especially the thread jcat posted

Simon (and to a much lesser extent, Garfunkel), has a chunky gut that hangs down at the bottom of his belly.  It feels like loose skin, but heavier.  I vaguely remember reading something over teh summer that this could be related to his neuter surgery but I'm not sure.  Garfunkel's is much, much smaller, almost nonexistent.

Is this normal?  Do you have any male cats with this beer belly?

I think they call this a spay sway...or a ponch. Dunno what it's for but some cats have it and some don't. Some have bigger ones too. Just my guess though

Lokilove said:

I think they call this a spay sway...or a ponch. Dunno what it's for but some cats have it and some don't. Some have bigger ones too. Just my guess though

Click to expand...

Hmm, it must be normal then - if it has a nickname, lol!  What is it?  What causes it?  Does it causes any problems or whatever?

I had asked a similar question not too long ago. Maybe this will help? It helped me.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/238516/spay-swag

Oops... so sorry for essentially double-posting.  That's what I get for not being around much.    This thread definitely helped, thank you!!