Does my cat look overweight?

[catthecatlover]

My boy Niko (he’s technically my sister’s cat but I feel she doesn’t take good enough care of him) is about 5 and he is a classic tabby shorthair I believe. For a while my sister has been using a feeding bowl where the food refills whenever he eats and I’m worried he is eating too much and getting overweight. I know ideal cat weights are different for every cat. He is about 14 lbs

 

[Caspers Human]

Ten to twelve pounds is the average weight for a healthy cat. Add a pound or two for an all-indoor cat.

If you pet a cat with both hands, down the sides, you should be able to feel its rib bones without using a lot of pressure. There should be some "cushioning" over the ribs but not so much that you have to squeeze to feel them. You should also be able to feel the little nubs along the top of his spine without using a lot of pressure. The more pressure you have to use, the fatter the cat is.

The cat's abdomen should be a little bit thinner than its torso so that there is a visible curve. If the abdomen bulges out, that's too fat!

Casper weighs thirteen pounds. We can still feel his ribs and spine. He has a gorge pouch that makes him look like he's wearing baggy pants but his tummy still curves in if you account for that. We figure that Casper is at the upper limit for healthy weight.

I wouldn't say that Niko is too fat but he is starting to get a little pudgy. I'd say he's at the upper limit, too.

I try to get Casper's Girl-Human to put him on a diet but it never seems to happen.

Since Casper isn't gaining any weight, I don't worry.

 

[neely]

What type of food are you or your sister feeding him? The reason I asked is because wet (canned) food is preferable for cats that need to lose some weight. Here is a thread that might have some helpful information for you if you feel Niko is slightly overweight:
Good weight loss foods?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I agree with all of the above. Niko looks like he might carry a tad bit of extra weight, but not overly concerning. I am basing that in the 'above' pic you shared of him. Here are a couple of guides you can use (see links below) - weight itself is too much of a variable. Note in the second document about the primordial pouch (belly 'weight') and how that is not a great determinant of whether or not a cat is overweight.

 

[catthecatlover]

thank you to everyone replying, we do feed him dry food but I will look into switching, after a talk with my sister we decided to see about that. He is an all-indoor cat because we live in an area with coyotes