Do you think my cat is fat?

Everyone who meets my petite, little GoGo tells me that he is fat. I must say, he is "large and in charge."

When I put food out for all four of my cats....GoGo tends to eat out of everyone else's bowl. Any suggestions or new feeding tips? Does my boy need to go on a diet?

Whoa!! From that picture he looks a bit hefty. I guess the only way for you to be sure is to lightly run your finger tip along his sides and if you can lightly feel his ribs then he's fine... If not then you might want to discuss with your veterinarian about getting him on a weight loss program.

You know, when people say how fat GoGo is in his presence, I tell them, "Shhhhhhhhhh, he's tiny. I don't want him to develop low self esteem."

LOL! Anyway, I will check for ribs. You know, his head and frame is so much larger than my other 3. Is it possible to blame his size, partially, on his "Big Bones"?

My poor big boy.....

>^,,^<
Kim

LOL:laughing2, sorry but the picture really captures him in all of his glory! He does look a bit hefty, but very cute.

-safron

He COULD be bigger boned but it also looks like he has some extra meat on his bones.

LOL I know what you mean by telling people to quiet down when they make comments. I have a Persian and he's so ugly he's cute. His face is completely flat and he's crossed eyed. When people make comments about his apperance I tell them to lower their voices because they're hurting his feelings. Poor Sampson.

We cat lovers have to look out for our furry kids and watch what is said in fron of them...because, well, maybe they do understand English. LOL.

>^,,^<
Kim

I went outside ,a moment ago, to check on GoGo and well, he "Gave me the Paw" - You know the mood..."Talk to the Back" - I think he knows we're discussing his weight...

LOL! Ok, maybe he's just being snotty at the moment. How Classic is this pose?

>^,,^<
Kim

Goodness, that is a very round kitty tummy!

I get that a lot from Ophelia. She truly knows that the world is hers and hers alone. She tosses her head while giving us what for. I don't even want to know what she is saying in kitty!

I agree with you. Maybe it is better that we do not understand Cat language— especially when they're in cranky mode.

Ophelia sounds like such a cutey-pie...

I guess, the reality is, we are merely "house keeping staff" and the cats are the true homeowners.


>^,,^<
Kim

Woo boy I don't think I want to know what may cats are saying. They probably have a lot of expletives and insults along with a few threats in their language.

BTW I love the last picture of Gogo. It really looks like he's pouting.

GoGo is a "Drama Cat" today. I'll have to really baby the heck out of him this evening.....maybe I'll use the "Flea Comb" on only him tonight...<grin> He loves that comb....whew!

>^,,^<
Kim

LOL you have a comb lover too? 3 of my cats LOVE the flea comb. If I have it out they will not leave me alone. You'd think it was food or something.

BUT the long haired cat hates combs brushes and anything else to do with grooming. It's too bad he doesn't have the same passion for the combs as the short haired kitties. It'd make it some much easier to groom him.

Kim, honey.......... you know I love you and you know I love Gogo (and the other 3 as well) but, GoGo IS rather large and most definitely in charge!!

I LOVE that belly of his and love how when he's in my lap how he cuts the circulation in my legs.

Give my boy a kiss from his Auntie.... cute cute pictures!!!!

Awwweee.... Auntie loves her GoGo!. You know, that is true love to let a giant orange cat lay in your lap, sound asleep all the while decreasing blood flow to the lower half of your body.

You're a good Auntie!

>^,,^<
Kim

P.S. Can everyone tell that Nicolette is my best friend? Not only that, she's the God-mother of all 4 of my boys....I bet she hopes NOTHING happens to me anytime soon! LOL!

BTW way, nicolette, you should post a few pics of the girls in here. I bet everyone would love to see Cocoa's speckled ears...what an interesting girl. Now if we could just record Lucy's "meow" so everyone can hear how unique that is...

LOL!

>^,,^<
Kim

I HAVE a big orange tabby her name is angel

I have a huge orange tabby, too! All 20 lbs. of him. He is big boned, has huge paws, a head like a softball, and ok, he's a little chubby. He's SO cuddly!

That is too funny... a head like a softball. That's my little
Go Go. You know we weighed him last night. He ended up weighing in at 18lbs. I guess that's not too bad. Plus I ran my fingertips along his body and felt his ribs..

Then after annoying GoGo with all of weighing and poking, I used his favorite flea comb on him. He was a happy boy....seemed to forget all about the "Fat" topic.

This morning I woke up to GoGo marching on my back, now I know he forgives me and still loves his mommy...

GoGo is beautiful, I so love orange kitties. However, I won't dance around the subject line. GoGo is very fat. Now there could be a lot of reasons for this, it could be hereditary, it could be poor nutrition, or it could be a hormonal imbalance. If you are feeding him, that is fine, but if you are feeding the bowl, then you are comprimising this wonderful kitty's health. You can help this wonderful guy out by talking to your vet and having him prescribe the right kind of food to feed him. Your vet can run a set of blood panels on GoGo to find out if there is an underlying problem with him that causes him to be so big.

There are a few things you can do to help GoGo slim down. When you feed him, feed a measured amount and resist the urge to pour "just a little more" in his direction. If you are feeding him table scraps, just slack off until you stop completely. Increase the time you spend with him actively playing, borrow an old fishing pole from your hubby and attach a furry mouse toy to the end of the line and play a lively game of "reel in the mouse" with GoGo. If he is an inside only cat, introduce him to harness and leash and start taking him for very short walks increasing the time outside with him as he grows slimmer.

Any veterinarian will tell you that an animal over 20% of their ideal weight is obese. This opens up the kitty to some dangers that are not present in normal-sized cats such as diabetes, certain types of fatty cell cancers, bone disorders, and even blood diseases.

I can tell by your posts and the pics that you love this cat, and I hope you take into consideration what I have shared here. I have 12 cats of my own, and only one that is considered obese. She was horribly abused when she was just a small kitten, and as a result of that, she will be obese for the rest of her life. But if I could help her to lose this weight I would.

Hi Hissy -

When I was in here yesterday discussing GoGo's weight , I gathered some valuable and greatly appreciated, information that made me feel a little bit better about his health.

One of the reasons we built our cat enclosure was because it offered all 4 of my cats a place to exercise. Before that, they were habitual couch potatoes.

Also, I was told to run my finger tips lightly around GoGo's rib cage to see if I could feel his ribs...and I could ribs! And what about his frame? His head is huge compared to the other 3..

Because of yesterday's learning experience, I felt very compelled to weigh my poor boy and guess what!? He only weighs 18 lbs. I swear he looks heavier than that. <grin> He used to weigh 20 at his last vet visit. I hope his doctor will be proud of him, I know I was surprised.

I still think his girth might be considered larger than normal, so I am going to try and feed GoGo in a separate room from the other cats (because he likes to eat out of everybody's bowl) ...then when the cats are done eating, I am going to put the bowls away until their next feeding. At least, I'm going to try this method for awhile - not sure it will work yet.

I think I have figured out all 4 of my cats habits and patterns enough to know that they really only eat twice a day....but GoGo eats out of boredom. LOL!

I'll have to report back to this forum on whether or not this experiment of mine works...I am curious as to what your thoughts are about my plan of action. <grin>


>^,,^<
Kim