11 Month - Overweight or just big plus some diet questions

lucentstreak

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Hi,

Hugo just got his first yearly check up (at 11 months or so) and he weighs 4.9 kg or close to 11 pounds. The vet has concerns about him being overweight (He has a loose flap of skin on his belly) and mentioned that Hugo ideally be at 4.5kg/10 pounds. i) I'm just curious if he is right since Hugo is exceptionally big/long or is he overweight?

I have always been attentive on his diet and he is on a combination of orijen cat and kitten  (roughly 60 g/ translates to 120 kcal) and another half a 5.5oz can of Merricks  (70-80 kcal) a day.

ii) Autumn is coming but it is hardly cold here - over the last one week, Hugo's appetite has increased rather dramatically in a manner that requires me to feed him 1/3 more dry (80 g/160 kcal) than usual. I'm just wondering if this is symptomatic of the seasons changing? Do people change cat food for higher protein during the cold season? Also, in line with him with my concerns about him getting chubby.





 

bigperm20

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He doesn't look chubby to me. Comparedcto my kitties he's skinny as a rail :eek:

It's common for some cats to have a fat pocket on their stomachs. This isn't really an indicator of obesity, unless it's especially large. A little pooch belly is fine.

He actually looks quite thin to me. The best way to check if a cat is overweight is by feeling of their ribs. if you can easily feel the ribs on either side of their torso, then it can be assumed they are not overweight.

As far as dietary changes go, I'd say it has more to do with his getting larger, than having anything to do with a particular season. If I suggest anything, it would be adding additional wet food instead of additional dry. Wet food is generally much healthier than dry, with lower carbohydrate content. It does depend in the food though.
 

bonepicker

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Merricks has 180 cal in 5.5 ounce can of chicken or duck! Try cutting dry ration down for dieting or go to weruva paw licken chicken wet pretty low in calories.
 

bigperm20

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Imho, kcal's aside a grain free wet will probably be your best bet. Even if dry food is grain free, it still has added carbohydrates to hold it together. Grains free wet has some carbohydrate but usually much less.
 

bigperm20

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All that being said though, I don't think he looks overweight. Did your vet try to sell you a "special diet food"? If so, trust me you don't want it. Most of the stuff vets sell is loaded with corn.
 
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lucentstreak

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Hi all,

Thank you for the quick replies.

I'm not sure if the vet was trying to sell me "special diet food" - especially since Hugo went to the SPCA for a check up (long story: they didn't get a scan of his microchip and didn't have it on record until I asked them for it last week). 

@StephenQ: I have frequently consulted the BSC chart and thus found it puzzling that the vet told me that Hugo was overweight. I'm not so sure about going back to the SPCA again since the vet seemed taken aback when I asked what was the ideal weight and other stuff. Not to mention Hugo was frantically trying to be boisterous by running away from the vet and out wailing most of the others in the clinic.

@bonepicker and @bigperm20: Thank you so much. My work requires me to be away for erratic hours and thus the reason behind Orijen. I would rather feed him a rather expensive dry than to fear that he will get hungry while I am working. Also, I'm not based in USA or Europe, thus limiting my choice of wet grainfree food that I can afford or feel comfortable with. We don't even get Sheba classic pate here and most of wet food around here usually have fish in it (Mostly Friskies and other Japanese cat food) thus I am quite limited to getting US cat food at a rather exorbitant prices (For 12 cans, US $2 for a 5.5oz can of Merricks and an occasional US $2.50 of Wellness core)  which does not come in 12 oz cans. Right now, this half and half situation works out for my monthly budget and since both are relatively low carb and high protein. Hugo has a water fountain to make up for the water issue.
 

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Hi all,

Thank you for the quick replies.

I'm not sure if the vet was trying to sell me "special diet food" - especially since Hugo went to the SPCA for a check up (long story: they didn't get a scan of his microchip and didn't have it on record until I asked them for it last week). 

@StephenQ: I have frequently consulted the BSC chart and thus found it puzzling that the vet told me that Hugo was overweight. I'm not so sure about going back to the SPCA again since the vet seemed taken aback when I asked what was the ideal weight and other stuff. Not to mention Hugo was frantically trying to be boisterous by running away from the vet and out wailing most of the others in the clinic.

@bonepicker and @bigperm20: Thank you so much. My work requires me to be away for erratic hours and thus the reason behind Orijen. I would rather feed him a rather expensive dry than to fear that he will get hungry while I am working. Also, I'm not based in USA or Europe, thus limiting my choice of wet grainfree food that I can afford or feel comfortable with. We don't even get Sheba classic pate here and most of wet food around here usually have fish in it (Mostly Friskies and other Japanese cat food) thus I am quite limited to getting US cat food at a rather exorbitant prices (For 12 cans, US $2 for a 5.5oz can of Merricks and an occasional US $2.50 of Wellness core)  which does not come in 12 oz cans. Right now, this half and half situation works out for my monthly budget and since both are relatively low carb and high protein. Hugo has a water fountain to make up for the water issue.
Understood.  Perhaps its time for a new vet...?
 

momto3cats

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I wonder how much this vet actually knows about cats - maybe they see mostly dogs? The flap of loose skin and small fat pad on the belly is completely normal, and your cat does not look the slightest bit overweight to me.

I've noticed my cats eat a bit more during the fall and winter, every year. 
 
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bigperm20

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@lucentstreak I'm assuming you're in SE Asia somewhere. We have another member here who lives in Thailand if I remember correctly.

He posted a few pics of the label ingredients of Thai cat food (9 lives and friskies I think), and I was shocked. It looked absolutely horrible.

I'd say you're doing great as it seems he is getting only high quality foods. I do know from my experience that dry (aside from it's lack of moisture) tends to have a lot of calories. If he's a good drinker and is getting some wet you have nothing to worry about there.

Still though, I think maybe your vet doesn't see a lot of cats. Once cats are spayed or neutered they all develop a little fat pouch in that spot. It doesn't mean they are overweight.
 
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lucentstreak

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@lucentstreak I'm assuming you're in SE Asia somewhere. We have another member here who lives in Thailand if I remember correctly.

He posted a few pics of the label ingredients of Thai cat food (9 lives and friskies I think), and I was shocked. It looked absolutely horrible.

I'd say you're doing great as it seems he is getting only high quality foods. I do know from my experience that dry (aside from it's lack of moisture) tends to have a lot of calories. If he's a good drinker and is getting some wet you have nothing to worry about there.

Still though, I think maybe your vet doesn't see a lot of cats. Once cats are spayed or neutered they all develop a little fat pouch in that spot. It doesn't mean they are overweight.
 Hi, 

I'm in Hong Kong, actually.  And yes, 9 lives and Friskies.... Sandwiched between the Thai, Malaysian and Japanese cat food shelves is a headache inducer for me. The first two countries usually manufacture Friskies and other grocery store dry food and you might as well call them grain. The last is just more often than not, have some form of Fish and tuna in them. It has been quite a ride trying to find good food for him and quite an education - mostly coming from this forum. I'm also thankful for the expat community here where accessibility to better cat food isn't that much of an issue except for the price point.

And yes, I agree about the vet part. I had higher hopes given that this was at the SPCA.  I'll try to keep my eyes out for another vet - there are a few around in my area but the last last one (the previous one before the SPCA), tried to push Science Diet to me. Sigh.
 

bigperm20

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@lucentstreak I'm assuming you're in SE Asia somewhere. We have another member here who lives in Thailand if I remember correctly.

He posted a few pics of the label ingredients of Thai cat food (9 lives and friskies I think), and I was shocked. It looked absolutely horrible.

I'd say you're doing great as it seems he is getting only high quality foods. I do know from my experience that dry (aside from it's lack of moisture) tends to have a lot of calories. If he's a good drinker and is getting some wet you have nothing to worry about there.

Still though, I think maybe your vet doesn't see a lot of cats. Once cats are spayed or neutered they all develop a little fat pouch in that spot. It doesn't mean they are overweight.
 Hi, 



I'm in Hong Kong, actually.  And yes, 9 lives and Friskies.... Sandwiched between the Thai, Malaysian and Japanese cat food shelves is a headache inducer for me. The first two countries usually manufacture Friskies and other grocery store dry food and you might as well call them grain. The last is just more often than not, have some form of Fish and tuna in them. It has been quite a ride trying to find good food for him and quite an education - mostly coming from this forum. I'm also thankful for the expat community here where accessibility to better cat food isn't that much of an issue except for the price point.



And yes, I agree about the vet part. I had higher hopes given that this was at the SPCA.  I'll try to keep my eyes out for another vet - there are a few around in my area but the last last one (the previous one before the SPCA), tried to push Science Diet to me. Sigh.
Are you close to the downtown area at all? Have the protests affected you?
 
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lucentstreak

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It's close to my home and I have to pass by it every day.

The protests have been everywhere here. I have gone down every night or so but there are some misgivings.

I heard they are opening up roads but we have to see what happens.

Addendum: Spoke too soon - clashes have been reported. Mostly between the pro-BJ (they are thugs - groping and abusing) and occupiers. Things are murky there has been instances of paid thugs creating disturbances. 
 
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bonepicker

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Vet told me my boy should lose weight also, he has hip definition looking down at him from above but he has the droopy fad pad. My little female eats the same amount as he does. Neither get dry food. I believe he has slow metabolism. I wii go to a lower calorie food when current supply of food is gone?????
 
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bigperm20

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Vet told me my boy should lose weight also, he has hip definition looking down at him from above but he has the droopy fad pad. My little female eats the same amount as he does. Neither get dry food. I believe he has slow metabolism. I wii go to a lower calorie food when current supply of food is gone?????
Can you feel his ribs easily when you run your hand down his side? If so he's not fat. A fat pocket is not the end of the world on a neutered cat :eek:
 

bigperm20

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It's close to my home and I have to pass by it every day.


The protests have been everywhere here. I have gone down every night or so but there are some misgivings.




I heard they are opening up roads but we have to see what happens.



Addendum: Spoke too soon - clashes have been reported. Mostly between the pro-BJ (they are thugs - groping and abusing) and occupiers. Things are murky there has been instances of paid thugs creating disturbances. 
I certainly hope things work out ok. I have a bad feeling about the whole situation.
 
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