Domino Is Plump, Mr Poe Is Fine

[catapault]

Back story - last December when the boys went for their annual visit I mentioned that they both seemed always hungry, Mr Poe especially. Blood draw for thyroid showed all well in that regard. But vet said they'd both lost some weight.

They are fed Fancy Feast and / or Tiny Tiger, depending on what's available these days. Pate only.

So I upped it from two 3-ounce cans per cat to two and a half cans per cat per day.

Domino is not long hair by any means, just somewhat fluffy. He has been looking . . . plump. I weighed him yesterday and he is over 12 pounds. Weighed Mr Poe and he is over 10 pounds. So Poe is good but Domino needs to lose some weight.

They have each been getting 1/2 can for breakfast, 3/4 can for lunch, 1/2 can for dinner, 3/4 can at bedtime. Think I will change so Domino gets only 1/2 can for lunch. It will be slow, feeding only 1/4 can less per day, but that seems a sensible way to go about getting him back to a good weight. Agreed?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Weight is not the only factor to determining if a cat is overweight - size/shape matter too. See (below) if this body condition chart might give you any clues about how 'chubby' (or not) Domino is. Most all cats also have a primordial pouch (saggy pouch right in front of their back legs), which is sadly not depicted in the chart below, so keep that in mind, as that is not fat and shouldn't be considered a concern.

Yes, as far as the food reduction, you don't want too much of a reduction at once. That helps his body (and mind) adapt to the lower caloric intake. Most of the time, it is recommended that you don't reduce a cat's calories by any more than 10% at a time. So, it might be better if you know the calories in what they are eating, and the reduce them accordingly.

 

[catapault]

Thank you FeebysOwner He is too furry to distinguish ribs, waist, abdominal tuck with a visual inspection. To visually compare Domino to chart I would need to shave him down, then view once I am released from hospital.

Here are two pictures, taken today. A) He's furry. B) His markings also - somewhat - disguise his form. First image, sort of sideways and from above. Second image, he is eating his lunch and is hunkered down. He is not as obese as the second picture makes him look.

 

[FeebysOwner]

He is too furry to distinguish ribs, waist, abdominal tuck with a visual inspection. To visually compare Domino to chart I would need to shave him down, then view once I am released from hospital.

That is one of the reason for the foot notes at the bottom of the chart - they rely more on feel as pictures aren't always reliable by themselves. So, the other thing to do is follow to 'feel' guidelines (To Help You Gauge) in the chart too!

He doesn't look to be much overweight if you look solely at the first pic, but a directly overhead pic would be a clearer illustration. And, yes, even my cat would look a bit chubby if she were sitting in the same position as the second pic!!! I say that because using the 'feel' chart, I can feel Feeby's spine and almost nearly her ribs (but not quite). She weighs about 11.5 pounds and I am totally OK with that, but she is older and has lost some muscle mass, likely why I can feel her spine so well.