Fat cat and skinny cat.

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Anyone have any ideas on this?

3 yr old obese neutered male, fairly healthy.
13 yr old spayed female cat with multiple health issues and underweight.

She has to eat Royal Canin limited antigen diet rabbit canned only. She can only eat small amounts at each sitting and I feed her whenever she wants. She takes a long time to eat and revisits the food often.

Fatty cat eats constantly. He always shows up when she is fed and finishes her food. Then she comes back and wants more so of course I feed her.

I am literally going through a case of Royal Canin a week. So over $350.00 a month for cat food. I don’t mind the money, but he just is obese. I work all day and can’t keep them separated. She freaks out if anything is different or changes, like her dish, and won’t eat. So, any kind of remote or chip activated dish won’t work.

 

[Draco]

You will have to find a time where you can separate them. Feeding them in separate rooms at the same time will prevent your chonky kitty from stealing food. Scheduled feeding would work, eventually she'll learn she needs to eat all her food in one sitting or it will be taken away

And you can feed him different food to keep the prescription all to your little girl.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Just curious what is going on with the male that you think is overweight? Is he really overweight, or just looks that way when compared to your female? Cats come in all different size/shapes, so maybe he isn't as overweight as you think he is. Are you restricting his food and that is what is causing him to eat hers? Do you feed the same food to both all the time, or does he get something else and maybe just likes her food better?

Can you start out with a new dish - one that can become chip activated, but not just yet, to see if you can get her used to another dish?
You could also work with her to use a chip activated cat door to another room that would enable her to get to food when she wants it but deny him access. Either of these things is not going to be automatic but can be accomplished by working with her over time. While you are working with her, things can stay as they are - no harm done there considering what is going on now.

You can't rule out options to try because of your older cat and her preferences - that is pretty much self-prophesizing defeat. After all, the less she eats, the worse it is for her.
My Cat Steals Food From My Other Cat - Why and What to Do (animalwised.com)
Why Does My Cat Steal My Other Cat's Food? (A Veterinarian Explains) - All About Cats

 

[Furballsmom]

I agree, you need to stop him in whatever way from eating her food.

Also, start working with him so he gets more exercise. That's the best means of keeping him healthy. Since he's food motivated, pick up his food dish and walk around the house so he follows you and gets some exercise that way. If you can and haven't already, train him to a harness and leash and take him outside. This is fantastic for cats both physically and mentally.

Have you had him in for a wellness check lately?

 

[Alldara]

You'll have to stop him physically, or feed her somewhere where you can close the door. Separate meals would likely solve issues of weight on both ends.

I also can't tell from the photo, a top-down and full side view gives a better idea of body condition for cats. but he actually looks okay from here.

 

[silent meowlook]

 

[silent meowlook]

I really didn’t think he was that fat. I can feel his hips and he has a waist. I would have put him at a BCS of 6 and a MCS of 5. But, the new vet I work for acted shocked when she saw him and said he was obese.

I play with him all the time. He has multiple wand toys that I rotate to keep it interesting. He leaps and jumps and runs after them. He loves to play and will bring me the toys to play. I probably play with him until he gets tired for 5 sessions a night and in the morning briefly. I do this mostly so he doesn’t treat Cheetah like his favorite squeaky toy. She plays too. It helps boost her confidence as she was a very feral cat when I got her and is shy. She does tire out much quicker due to her health.

The thing with Cheetah is that any kind of change freaks her out. I switched her food dish and she refused to eat. I have tried to change her feeding location and she stops eating.

It sounds bad, but she is number one car as far as I am concerned. I’ve had her 13 years. I got her when I still had Rusty, the sweetest cat in the world. She followed him and spent all her time with him. She was several generations feral living in the mountains and somehow fell into a 30 foot dried up water well. She was there 3 days before I heard about it. I took her in to tame her and she had to live in a cage quite a while before finally being ok with a small room etc. it was a long transition time for her but she latched on to Rusty, which was good.

When I euthanized Rusty due to advanced Renal disease and a mass in his abdomen, She was very upset for a long time. She would stay in his carrier I think because it was the last place she had seen him and it smelled like him. She looked for him for months, and she cried for him. It was heartbreaking.

She was supposed to be my last cat, but I saw Omypaw on Facebook as an injured stray etc so I took him to work and fixed his injuries and viral tested him. He stayed at work for a month and I repeated his viral testing and was going to adopt him out but I didn’t want him to just go to anyone, so....now he is mine. He is friendly and outgoing and really has no fear of people. I love him but I am more concerned about Cheetah’s health than his.

Tonight, when I fed them, I played with him and groomed him while Cheetah ate. Then he got to eat after.

Wow, this is such a long post if you made it this far, do you think he is obese? I feel hips, I don’t feel ribs.

Thank you all for the advice.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It is hard to tell in a pic where a cat is sitting - standing up and looking down at them is a better way to gauge from sight. Nonetheless, his weight might not be 'ideal' - but I think the vet is being a bit exaggerative by using the word obese. That seems to be common among many vets. All cats seem to need to be in a very specific weight range for the vets to think they are not overweight. He looks like he might be a bigger structured cat overall, when looking at the size of his neck. It isn't so big to overshadow is head, which is sometimes used as part of gauging fat, but rather it looks thick/muscular.

If you can continue the play and groom sessions with Omypaw while Cheetah eats - maybe, you have found the answer!

 

[Furballsmom]

I agree with feebysowner on all counts. I don't think he's obese. Being able to feel hips but not ribs just means to me that he needs what you're doing for him, by keeping him from the regular noshing of her food and continued play.

What a fun cat, bringing you his toys

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Thank you for the opinions and ideas. I can't get a picture of him standing because as soon as I go near, he either crouches to play or flops over and rolls around.

Omypaw is a big boned cat. His paws are about 4 times the size of Cheetah's.

 

[terestrife]

Automatic Pet Feeder - Sureflap - SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder - MPF001 - Suitable for Both Wet and Dry Food - Bonus eOutletDeals Pet Towel https://a.co/d/3ebFGEN



This is expensive but it works.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Omypaw is a big boned cat. His paws are about 4 times the size of Cheetah's.

He looks bigger in structure. That is why I think the term 'obese' is really inaccurate.

 

[Alldara]

Hi. Thank you for the opinions and ideas. I can't get a picture of him standing because as soon as I go near, he either crouches to play or flops over and rolls around.

Omypaw is a big boned cat. His paws are about 4 times the size of Cheetah's.

He looks like my Calcifer who has a similar build. You can see his waist but ribs are harder to feel. But again, also very active and such. Just like doctors, some vets may also not recognize body types as an influencing factor.

It sounds like you found the perfect way to distract him without punishment! Great job.

This is my top view of Calcifer. He didn't like being followed though so don't mind the pinned ears. He's a 6 on the body chart.

 

[silent meowlook]

Calcifer and Omypaw could have their own reality show. “Twin Tabbies”

 

[ladytimedramon]

Automatic Pet Feeder - Sureflap - SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder - MPF001 - Suitable for Both Wet and Dry Food - Bonus eOutletDeals Pet Towel https://a.co/d/3ebFGEN



This is expensive but it works.

Actually that's overpriced for it. On the MFG website the price is about $207. Online if you search you might find it cheaper. I also saw another brand that came out on Amazon, but I never heard of it before.

I swear by my microchip feeders. When I got them was a little while after I adopted my 2nd cat. Delilah would go over and eat anything Fancy left. Sometimes if Delilah left a little bit, Fancy would eat what she left. Delilah did put on weight. I invested in 2 microchip feeders and splurged on the connected model, which connects to an app and I can monitor who eats when. With it, I discovered that Delilah will finish hers in 1 to 3 sittings over an hour, while Fancy may go back half a dozen times over the whole time I'm at work. If she doesn't eat right when I feed them, I know how much she ate when. When Fancy developed food sensitivities and had to go on a limited ingredient diet, the microchip feeder lets me keep her out of Delilah's food, which will upset her tummy.

 

[silent meowlook]

I think I have it figured out now. I play with him while she eats. He loves to play and she gets to eat. Sadly because of her illnesses, she can’t eat much at a time. I have also decided that he is not obese. Thank you for everyone’s opinions regarding his weight. I got a baby scale for them. She politely weighed in at 7.5, was 9 lbs before she got sick. Omypaw on the other hand weighed in at a frantic spazzing out somewhere around 13 to 14 lbs. He is a thick cat, but it’s more important that she eat than for him to be bikini ready.
Thank you for the suggestions. She gets collar paralysis, so a chip wouldn’t work. She also gets freaked out by any change like a different food dish, and she won’t eat. If she is going to eat, and you go anywhere near her she runs away and won’t eat. She was very feral, and although I’ve had her 13 years, her personality is very fearful and untrusting of anything different. These traits are probably what kept her alive out in the mountains.

Omypaw on the other hand in just a happy go lucky playful team player. Unless of course you try to weigh him. I have no idea how he survived 2 years outside.

 

[Furballsmom]

so a chip wouldn’t work.

She doesn't have an ID microchip? Oh, I see, she was a feral and never got chipped.

Unless of course you try to weigh him.

 

[silent meowlook]

No, she doesn’t. I fully support them for other cats, but not her. I am in the mountains, if she got out there is nobody to find her. She also wouldn’t let anyone near her, and she wouldn’t survive. There are coyotes, packs of dogs, mountain lions and a bunch of cat killing beasts up here. Omypaw isn’t chipped either. I also don’t vaccinate after the first couple of fvrcp.

I am not recommending anyone do the same. My cats situations are unique and my neurosis is mine. I fully support microchips and vaccines for cats. I just have a massive fear of vaccine associated sarcoma.

My cats are not at risk as they are indoor only with no cat exposure and I am very careful not to bring anything home from work.

 

[terestrife]

Actually that's overpriced for it. On the MFG website the price is about $207. Online if you search you might find it cheaper. I also saw another brand that came out on Amazon, but I never heard of it before.

I swear by my microchip feeders. When I got them was a little while after I adopted my 2nd cat. Delilah would go over and eat anything Fancy left. Sometimes if Delilah left a little bit, Fancy would eat what she left. Delilah did put on weight. I invested in 2 microchip feeders and splurged on the connected model, which connects to an app and I can monitor who eats when. With it, I discovered that Delilah will finish hers in 1 to 3 sittings over an hour, while Fancy may go back half a dozen times over the whole time I'm at work. If she doesn't eat right when I feed them, I know how much she ate when. When Fancy developed food sensitivities and had to go on a limited ingredient diet, the microchip feeder lets me keep her out of Delilah's food, which will upset her tummy.

Thanks for letting me know. I like to have backups. I cannot be without my microchip feeders. Even if the cat is finicky I don't think it's impossible to teach them to use it. Especially if you use their favorite food. My two cats have used them, and they both do great. They really are lifesavers for me.

 

[terestrife]

No, she doesn’t. I fully support them for other cats, but not her. I am in the mountains, if she got out there is nobody to find her. She also wouldn’t let anyone near her, and she wouldn’t survive. There are coyotes, packs of dogs, mountain lions and a bunch of cat killing beasts up here. Omypaw isn’t chipped either. I also don’t vaccinate after the first couple of fvrcp.

I am not recommending anyone do the same. My cats situations are unique and my neurosis is mine. I fully support microchips and vaccines for cats. I just have a massive fear of vaccine associated sarcoma.

My cats are not at risk as they are indoor only with no cat exposure and I am very careful not to bring anything home from work.

My cats are fully indoors and they are microchipped. you can also use a breakaway collar and use the tag that comes with the feeder. One of my cats was chipped automatically at the shelter. Elsa had a bad reaction to a collar where she needed surgery to remove a piece of her neck skin. I got her chipped so she could keep using her feeder, otherwise Kitty would steal her food.