Is my cat "Fat"?

[Draco]

My sister said "Wow, your cat is FAT!"

sure, he's 15 lbs, a few lbs over weight.. (I already cut back his meals and trying to exercise him more. I want him to drop 4 lbs).

But looking at him, I can't tell if he looks fat or not. I need an outside opinion!

Top view:


side view: (look carefully, his white tummy gets blended in the floor)


A tummy view: (might be a bad image since he's stretched out)

 

[emil]

nahh your cat's not fat

 

[mystik spiral]

He doesn't look fat to me at all. He must be a pretty big guy (bone structure-wise). He weighs over twice as much as my petite little girl...

He's very handsome.

 

[Draco]

thanks Emil

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

He doesn't look fat to me at all. He must be a pretty big guy (bone structure-wise). He weighs over twice as much as my petite little girl...

He's very handsome.

thanks

I don't think he's a big kitty, structure wise... Then again, I really haven't been around other cats to compare sizes. Sometimes I think he's smaller than most cats, sometimes I think he's bigger! I should take out my ruler and measure him for weight comparison!

I know he has a little "beer belly" that I'd like to tone down on a bit. maybe losing a few lbs will do the trick. can't hurt him to lose some weight

 

[darkmavis]

Well he doesn't look fat to me either. He looks like a big cat. If he's healthy and the vet is happy with his weight, then he's A-OK!

I thought (still think) my Dorothy is... 'curvy' (can't call a lady fat, can we?), but last week we were at the vet, and she gained about a pound (!!!) since we adopted her 3 months ago, and I was all ready to apologise for it, but the vet said she is happy with her weight of 11+ lbs. because she's got hyperthyroidism, so even though she's on meds, if her thyroid goes out of whack and she loses weight, we have room to spare before it's a problem. So my round girl is allowed to be round.

 

[momto3boys]

I agree, he doesn't look fat to me either.

But WOW he is just GORGEOUS

 

[pami]

He is definitely not fat. Many kitties get whats called 'sway away' after they have been spayed/neutered. its just a little loose skin in the lower abdomen. Some kitties have it larger than other kitties. On some, the skin "sways" when they walk and others its just feels jelly like. When kitties develop this in certain sitting positions, they do look fat, when in fact its just the "sway away". Even lions and tigers develop them.
here is a diagram that will give you an idea of looking at your kitty from above to determine.

http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/bscore.php

Originally Posted by Draco

I know he has a little "beer belly" that I'd like to tone down on a bit. maybe losing a few lbs will do the trick. can't hurt him to lose some weight

 

[Draco]

Originally Posted by Pami

He is definitely not fat. Many kitties get whats called 'sway away' after they have been spayed/neutered. its just a little loose skin in the lower abdomen. Some kitties have it larger than other kitties. On some, the skin "sways" when they walk and others its just feels jelly like. When kitties develop this in certain sitting positions, they do look fat, when in fact its just the "sway away". Even lions and tigers develop them.
here is a diagram that will give you an idea of looking at your kitty from above to determine.

http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/bscore.php

according to the chart, I'd say he's in between 3 and 4, lol. the images shows a different stomach shape than Monet's, so you must be right, it's loose skin, the "sway away" bit. I like the term Beer Belleh.

Thanks everyone! I am glad to know he's not fat, just loose! Lol

 

[darkmavis]

Or, as my BF calls Dorothy's low-hanging spay sway.... her shopping bag!

 

[Draco]

Originally Posted by DarkMavis

Or, as my BF calls Dorothy's low-hanging spay sway.... her shopping bag!

Ha! Works with female cats though lol

 

[AbbysMom]

Your vet would be the best person to talk to about your cat's weight. They would be able to tell you for sure if he is overweight or not.

 

[goingpostal]

From the top view it looks like he has no waist so not fat but maybe a tad chunky. Can you feel his ribs easily?

 

[ducman69]

Personally, I prefer the "squishy test".

You can feel around the body for softness and tell how fat or not a cat is.

From the picture, your cat is not fat, but 'fluffeh'. If he lost a few pounds, it wouldn't hurt him at all, but he doesn't need it either IMO. His body fat appears similar to Buttercup, but I don't worry about it as its still in a healthy range and I feed the two together so a cut for her generally means a cut for him and he's bigger and needs more nomnoms.

 

[mnjulz]

you say in your original post you'd like your cat to lose 4 lbs...your cat doesn't need to lose 4lbs. looks great the way he is.

 

[minka]

His waist could probably tuck in a bit tighter as it's not really visible, but I know how it is with black cats, you can't tell very well from pictures.
I like to err on the cautious side, because for every 1 pound overweight a cat is, it equals 14lbs on a human. (If you use 140 as a healthy human female weight.) So even 'a couple pounds' can cause stress on the body.
Also, usually when people point out that your pet is fat, it's because they can see what you can't because you see your pet every day.

 

[rosiemac]

He looks fine to me, but as Karen pointed out your vet will tell you for certain or not, so ask at his next checkup

All cats are different because my girls weigh around 14-15lb and Jack isn't far behind them, but he's taller so carries it better

 

[just mike]

He is very beautiful! He does not look fat to me but he looks like he would be a cushy pillow

I say that because he looks like a big cat from here. It probably wouldn't hurt him to lose a little but from this angle he looks just right.

 

[Draco]

thanks everyone for the confirmation! he is indeed my squishy boy. I can feel his ribs when I rub him, but its not a lot.

like someone posted, "Also, usually when people point out that your pet is fat, it's because they can see what you can't because you see your pet every day."

It's good to know

I still want him to drop a few lbs though.

 

[bellaandme]

I love that last picture of him!! He looks happy and healthy, but of course your vet would know better. There's just more of him to love. He looks very squeezable.

 

[tinytail]

Your cat looks skinny to me))))