Is a 15lb cat too heavy?

[proboscis]

Our domestic short hair will be turning 2 next month. We got him when he was 7 months, and have fed him only a raw diet. First from Feline's Pride, next from Aunt Jeni's. We started off with 2oz three times a day, for 6oz total. Then we noticed he was growing a little too quickly, so we cut down to 1.5oz 3x a day, 4.5oz total. Now, he is 15 pounds. He is in excellent health and has clean vet visits, but geez, 15lbs. Now we're thinking of cutting back to 1oz 3x a day. Any thoughts on this please? Thanks

 

[margd]

Fifteen pounds is a lot but he might just be a big boy. My Paul's ideal weight is 17 pounds and he is "just" your garden variety black DSH. My Rainbow kitty Wesley, also a DSH, weighed 15 pounds and he was in excellent health. If your vet says he's a good weight, I would only cut back if he gains beyond that point.

 

[lokhismom]

 
Our domestic short hair will be turning 2 next month. We got him when he was 7 months, and have fed him only a raw diet. First from Feline's Pride, next from Aunt Jeni's. We started off with 2oz three times a day, for 6oz total. Then we noticed he was growing a little too quickly, so we cut down to 1.5oz 3x a day, 4.5oz total. Now, he is 15 pounds. He is in excellent health and has clean vet visits, but geez, 15lbs. Now we're thinking of cutting back to 1oz 3x a day. Any thoughts on this please? Thanks

3 oz's seems too little.   Maybe your cat is just meant to be a bigger cat.  

Take a look at this chart 

http://www.cathealth.com/weight-man...e-to-checking-if-your-cat-is-at-a-good-weight

 

[LTS3]

If the vet has given your cat a clean bill of health and hasn't noted a need for weight loss, then your cat may just be big. Some cats are just "big boned" and on the larger size than other cats, much like people. Breed plays a role but even average DSH cats can just be naturally big beause of some of the mixed genes.

Feline's Pride is low in calories per ouce, anywhere from 21 to 42 calories according to this chart (slightly out of date so calorie content is approximate). To maintain the 15 pounds, your cat would need to eat roughly 300 to 375 calories, about 6 oz or so depending on which variety of Feline's Pride you feed.  Try excercising your cat more with interactive toys.

 

[prrrrr]

Knowing which weight is the best for a cat is almost impossible. Many factors plays on weight ; male/female, bone structure, breed etc. For example, my two cats have only a pound of differnece, but one of them has a perfect weight (almost), and the other is HUGE! (in big letters because it's a huge huge!) . Still, a good way to know is the " cat size-o-meter " that you can see there:

image.jpg

• prrrrr
• Sep 6, 2015

Meow!

 

[lvmygrdn]

Our Trotter had his yearly check-up week ago and he weighed in at 15 lbs. Vet said he was fine, healthy, and looked good. I think like others have said it depends on the cat. Trotter is a big boy.

 

[fyllis]

My Keeker is a DSH.  At 16 months, he weighs 14.4 pounds and is very healthy - solid and muscular! However, my sister had a DSH that looked exactly like Keeker, but his heaviest weight in 11 years was only 8.0 pounds. 

And I have a Maine Coon, also 16 months (Kricket and Keeker were actually born on the same day!). He weighs 15.0 pounds and still has another 3 1/2 years of growing to do before he reaches full maturity.

I am pretty confident Keeker has probably topped out as far as his weight is concerned, but Main Coons 'can' get much bigger, so Kricket could still put some weight on. Time will tell. 

The numbers on the scale aren't as important as the over all health and fitness of the cat. 

Both my boys are free-fed dry food and they share a 3.0 oz. can of wet food once in the morning and once in the evening (occasionally, maybe once a week, they will get a 3rd can thrown in if they ask for it. Their dry food bowl holds 3/4 cup and that lasts them both 24+ hours. They rarely finish the wet food together. Treats are not a daily thing with my boys. They are 'treats'... not a staple. Compared to the 'guidelines' on the packaging, they are consuming less than half the recommended diet!

They also get plenty of fresh water (they have a fountain and love it!) and both are very active.

You would wonder how two cats each eating just 1/3 cup dry food and 3.0 oz. wet food a day would get as big as they are, but they certainly aren't starving!The vet says they are in perfect health, so we are happy! They are due for a check-up next week, so I will have an updated weight on them. 

 

[ahlysha]

I have a slim cat that eats 3cans if wet food daily, also eats dry. He's active. Loves jumping up to the top of kitchen cabinets. He's always been slim. I wish he'd be a pound or two bigger though.

I also have big cats and a couple ofbottomheacy ones. One is calico, the other Russian blue mixed with calico (she has muted markings ). All are active and have dry food always accessible all over the house.

 

[miannorvy]

Mia and Norville are both free fed always have been. They are about the same size. I think Norville eats more but his weight is 11.8lbs and 1year and 3 months old. Mia is 15.9 lbs and 4 years and 4 months old. Norville is actually one of the smaller cats I have ever had. He is a kitten I hand fed and almost never lived. Very sickly. So , I'm surprised at how big he is!   lol

 

[monkeymom]

My DSH was 13.8lbs at his last wellness check (2yrs old). He's much bigger than his petite sister, who weighed in at 8.8lbs. The vet said he looked great overall, but was maybe a bit too heavy and would like to see him closer to 13lbs. They both eat timed meals of homemade raw and are great at self regulating their intake. They share 6-8oz per day. How has he reacted when you cut his food back?

For us, it's more an issue that he has a lot of energy and we have to play with him a bit more every day. You could try Da Bird or my cats' favorite, Da Mouse. If you are able, maybe you could try taking your cat for walks?

 

[nurseangel]

I think it depends on the cat.  Since your cat is getting good vet checks, it could be he's naturally big.  Our Rue is huge for a female, bigger than most male cats, and she is all muscle.  I'm not sure of her exact weight.  Daisy was 19 lbs.  The vet took out a diagram similar to the one shown above and said she wasn't even on the chart.  She is now on heart healthy diet and has lost down to 16 lbs. It's still too much for her, but it's an improvement.  We are trying.