Siamese weight

Our 3 year old traditional Siamese (lynx point) weighs 15 pounds.  He has a large-boned frame and is healthy and active.  He has a noticeable waist line, and I can feel his ribs with just slight pressure.  Our vet says he is overweight and advised us to put him on a lower calorie diet.  She recommended Hills metabolic food.

Monty does not look overweight to me, and I am skeptical of the vet's assessment and advice.  I would appreciate your opinions about his weight.  Thanks.

There is no need to go onto any special diet food.  Ideally he should be eating a diet that is mostly wet food and is primarily animal protein (meat and fat) and very low carbohydrates (grains, potatoes, carrots starch), and that will prevent him from getting fat and likely prevent him from getting any urinary problems as well. Most cats need somewhere around 180 calories per day, and less than 10% of that should be carbohydrates. 

I highly recommend the book "Your Cat:  Simple New Secrets to a Longer Stronger Life." by Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM

It was published in 2008 and is still way ahead of its time when it comes to the proper diet for our cats. It originally sold (hardcover) for $29.95 but you can get it on Amazon for much less now, and it's available in both paperback and on Kindle as well.  Prices vary, but right now it looks like they are going between $9.99 and $11.99 with one seller asking $54.95 for a hardbound copy.  It is really worth having as it covers everything from kittenhood to old age and it has lots of illustrative examples.

There are several excellent web sites also that deal with feline nutrition.  Do your research and choose a food that will support the obligate carnivore that your cat is.  We have a great Nutrition Forum here and many lively discussions go on where you can learn a lot. 

 
I highly recommend the book "Your Cat:  Simple New Secrets to a Longer Stronger Life." by Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM

It was published in 2008 and is still way ahead of its time when it comes to the proper diet for our cats. It originally sold (hardcover) for $29.95 but you can get it on Amazon for much less now, and it's available in both paperback and on Kindle as well.  Prices vary, but right now it looks like they are going between $9.99 and $11.99 with one seller asking $54.95 for a hardbound copy.  It is really worth having as it covers everything from kittenhood to old age and it has lots of illustrative examples.

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Your local library may also have a copy of the book. Just search the library catalog or ask a librarian.

Siamese in general are somewhat on the lean side. Prescription food is not necessary at all. Just feed your cat enough calories to maintain a healthy body weight. Feeding only canned food is the most popular way to do this. How much does the vet say your cat needs to weigh?

Link is a Siamese mix and he's a hefty 13 pounds if muscle. My vet didn't even look at the scale when I asked if his weight was okay. She felt his body, looked at him and proclaimed him perfect. He has a little pouch and she said that some cats have it but it doesn't mean he needs to lose weight and weight loss wouldn't get rid of that anyways. Below is him and Rocket to show what my vet said is perfect weight and well muscled on two very different cats. Rocket is 7 pound and very round but she also has a good waist line and muscle tone.

I'm not a fan of most diet cat foods. I stick with a 45% protein, 19% fat, no grain food and they do fine. No weight problems. I think carbs are to blame for a lot of overweight cats out there and the diet foods seem to have a lot of carbs.

I'd get a second opinion. Do you have a photo of yours?

arleross said:

 
Our 3 year old traditional Siamese (lynx point) weighs 15 pounds.  He has a large-boned frame and is healthy and active.  He has a noticeable waist line, and I can feel his ribs with just slight pressure.  Our vet says he is overweight and advised us to put him on a lower calorie diet.  She recommended Hills metabolic food.

Monty does not look overweight to me, and I am skeptical of the vet's assessment and advice.  I would appreciate your opinions about his weight.  Thanks.

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Sounds like a normal variation.  There are 6 foot 6" Caucasian men and five foot 6" Caucasian men.  Both should live a normal life expectancy as long as they don't smoke, drink too much alcohol  nor get overweight.  Not that cats smoke  nor drink - they have more sense   .

With best wishes,

Geoffrey