Is my cat over weight?

I have 2 cats. A 1 year old female DLH that's roughly 10lbs and a Male who is roughly 7 months old (I found him in a dumpster back in October as a baby and the vet estimated his birth around late September 2012) he is roughly 9lbs.

Getting these two darlings is my first go at being the sole care giver for a feline friend (had cats growing up but my parents fed them and I just cuddled them) I'm learning a ton every day.

I'm a little concerned about the weight of the male. It seems high for 7 months old. Also, his head looks kinda small in comparison to his body, but that could just be how he is growing.

I'm wondering if any of you have any insight on this? I just started my vet tech training so I'm still learning all the things about my little guys.


About the cats: both are indoors except 1-2 hours a day supervised in the back yard. I used to feed them dry food by just filling the bowl once a day, about a month ago I switched to half wet food. Now they are only wet food and they each get half a 5 oz can in the morning and at night (5oz total per day) and in the middle of the day I give them about 1/4 cup dry food as a snack/treat because they love it so much.

Am I over or under feeding them? I just started the fully wet food last week, so I am not yet sure the effect it has on their weight.

I'll attach some photos so you can see them as well.

The male is the black and white short hair and the female is the grey long hair.

What do you think? Ok weight, over weight? Should I change anything up?

I start work at a Vets office next week and after the first month I get a free monthly wellness exam and discounted treatment, so I will have them full and professionally evaluated in June, but in the mean time I'm curious of your opinions and wether I should change anything in the mean time.

Also, at what point do the stop growing? Is my 1 year old at her full grown? Or is her getting larger or putting on more weight ok?

Aren't they cute! 

From the pictures, they don't look overweight to me.  When you look down at them, can you see a waistline (probably not on her, since she's a longhair) but on him?  Just a slight indentation right in front of his back legs?

As far as the amount of food, he may need a little more, since he's still a growing boy, and she may need a little less.  It's really hard to say because each cat is different.  All I know is that the food manufacturers usually say to feed more than they really need .  But a lot of it also depends on how active they are.  Do they  play really hard together?  If they are really active, obviously they need more food.  If they just lie around, then they need less. 

IMHO, she is done growing.  He still has a little bit of  growing to do.

That's what I though, she hasn't seemed to grow much recently (although I never though she was growing and then one day boom she was a cat! Haha) on both of them I can't "see" a waste line, but if I run my hand down them lightly I can feel it and easily feel the rib cage. They are both pretty active, but in the house I'm renting now they don't get to be out of my room much because my roommates dog is poorly trained. But we go outside together and play, and they role around on each other all night and pounce on me at 5am.

I was just shocked at how big my little guy is, my girl was much smaller at his age, but I suppose different genetics and being a male play a roll in that.

Does his head look too small? Haha he seems like he has the head of a kitten and the body of a cat.

I think it may be that black "hat" on his head that makes it appear to you that his head is small

He looks AOK to me.  A very handsome boy.

From the pictures, I would say their weight looks great. I wouldn't put any more weight on them and I wouldn't try to lose any. And your male looks like a little live-wire too, in those pics! 

I was surprised, too, when a couple of my males reached near-adulthood or full-adulthood and I tried to pick them up. I have a male who is just teetering at 15 pounds and I've just begun to lessen his food, seeing his waist has now started to disappear. I had been wondering about his 'heft' for a while, though, keeping my eye on him since he was just over a year old. My other big male was lean as the eye could see, but weighed about 16 pounds. Both have muscular builds, as well, so remember that muscle weighs more than fat.  

I'm glad you're concerned, too. I feel bad for fussing over their weight, but I see so many people overfeeding their cats, and think, 'Surely a total lack of ability to move can't be the best thing for them?'  

It is so hard to tell from pictures... but they're growing, and kitties do go through spurts. Once your boy is over a year old, it'd probably be a good idea to take them back to the vet for a check-in. She'd due for an annual anyway, no?

I have learned that proper weight cats are actually quite thin. We have two boys that are tall and long - and both always looked thin to me. So I was shocked when we went to the vet and she said they could stand to lose a pound. :lol3:

I think we're just accustomed to seeing cats that weigh more than they should, so cats that are the "right" weight look skinny to us.

But at 7 months... it'd be hard to say you should cut back on the food. They're still growing at that age.

I'm taking her in for her 1 year check up in a few weeks. I just started at a vets office as an assistant and I will be getting discounted care and free exams starting in about two weeks. So at that point I will take them both in for a check up and and necessary vaccine boosters.

And yes he is a little live wire! Always after my feet in the middle of the night, or trying to chew up card board boxes and make nests out of them.

LucyLittleKitty said:

Also, at what point do the stop growing? Is my 1 year old at her full grown? Or is her getting larger or putting on more weight ok?

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A good 2 years for DSH's. I don't think either of them look over weight and I have cats that are similar age and weight to yours. I do more by feel that the scale though, can you feel the individual ribs still? If so they are fine. 

Do DLH stop growing sooner? She's kinda a mix of the two. I can't believe how big my little guy is at 8 months!

They look fine to me, and the fact you can feel their ribs is a good sign. If you're taking them in in a month and they're overweight, they won't gain that much in between now and then anyway.