Buttons has put too much weight on

I don't know how this has happened because Buttons only eats the same as the other three. In the last two or three weeks Buttons has put so much weight on I have become a bit concerned. She is only small and she is waddling. Her little legs are too small to carry excess weight. I am taking her to the vet Monday morning to make sure she is OK. Could there be some illness causing this? If she has to go on a diet how do I manage this with three other cats eating? I am thinking all sorts of things could be wrong. She is the sweetest little thing and the joy of my life.

Originally Posted by Cilla

I don't know how this has happened because Buttons only eats the same as the other three. In the last two or three weeks Buttons has put so much weight on I have become a bit concerned. She is only small and she is waddling. Her little legs are too small to carry excess weight. I am taking her to the vet Monday morning to make sure she is OK. Could there be some illness causing this? If she has to go on a diet how do I manage this with three other cats eating? I am thinking all sorts of things could be wrong. She is the sweetest little thing and the joy of my life.

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Hi Cilla,

I will let one of the vet tech's comment on what might cause such weight gain, but had a few thoughts on how to handle perhaps needing to feed her seperately.

1: consider timed feedings in seperate locations...feed her seperately from the other 3, and pull the food up after 30 minutes (put her in a bathroom or a seperate room with a door i.e. a den).

2: schedule her for a 15-20 minute session of interactive play with you each day....ball toss (use something light like a crinkle ball or a mylar ball, a wool pompom), use a wand toy with a long string to really make her chase after it.

3: pick up some self-play toys...ping pong balls for kitty soccer, one of the self-righting toys that she can bat this way and that.

4: if you have stairs, and could feed her in a room where she has to go up or down a flight of stairs to get to that room...feed her there. Every bit of exercise, if a diet is what your vet prescribes, will help.

I'm sure others here will have some good suggestions to add,

Thanks for coming back to me Pat & Alix. I can't understand the exercise bit because she is a very active cat, quick as lightning, until she put this weight on she was the quickest of the four. She runs about playing, they all run up and down the stairs, and I play with them much more than half an hour a day. She climbs, jumps, play fights and I don't really think she should be putting weight on like she is. Buttons is very playful and interested in everything that is going on. Whatever I am doing she is there with me 'helping'. Should they take blood samples when I take her on Monday?

p.s. They all have loads of toys they can play with themselves and which I play with them. feathers on wands, balls of all types, mice, mice on stands, plus she plays with odd things which she has turned into toys.

Hi Cilla,

Well my suggestions are not worth a hill of beans you are already doing everything I could think of!

I would think after you give your history to your vet, including how much exercise Buttons does already get, they may want to include blood work as part of her exam, but I'd rather hear what the TCS vet tech thinks.

It certainly is a puzzle!

Let us know what the reason is for the weight gain when you come back from the vet..very curious...Hope she is ok!