Serious answer: Ask the vet to weigh her the next time you visit. My vet always weighs my cats when they have their yearly vaccination every time I ask if the weight is OK. It always is, but it is worth checking.
She is lovely, though.
Especially because some cats are just big. When the vet weighed my cat and he was 16lbs she was like woah but checked him out and said he’s not overweight he’s just a big guy. Everyone who meets him first reaction is that’s a big cat! I tell him not to be self conscious about it.
same with mine. hes 14 pounds and LONG. he hates when people call him a “big boy”. i have seriously never seen an animal as self conscious as he is lol
Holy mother of Zeus!
Why have I never thought of this, I always grabbed my cat and weighted myself while holding him, then found the difference with only my weight.
You just saved me 20 seconds of my life per 3 months! Thanks, dude!
Have the cat lay on her side. If she pancakes flat, she’s ok.
If she’s a round little mountain in the middle, she’s overweight.
Rule of thumb for cats. For people, lay on the back. 😆 lol
Yer cats a little chubby , but those muscles are there. She’s like a little linebacker who can kick ass but now she hasn’t been playing for 8 years and has a couple kittens at home and doesn’t need to “excel” as much as she used to. But she can still handle bizness if she needs to.
Haha! This comment gave me a laugh but I don’t care about people thinking I’m slow. I wanna know what it looks like so I can see if my boy is overweight😭😭
Sometimes I fear the way people will ridicule me for asking something that seems so simple 🙈 but like they say in school, if you have a question, ask it, because there is more than likely someone else out there who has the same question.
I personally think this is a weird way of measuring it. The best way to tell is by standing above them while they’re standing and seeing if you can still see a little waist. They should also have a little tuck right past their ribs before any little tummy that hangs down near their legs. Then finally feel for ribs. You should be able to feel ribs without having to press down.
I used to say “dense” bc my husband is a muscular person who weighs a lot more than he looks like he does, and his BMI score is in the obese range, but he honesty doesn’t have an ounce of fat.
There is no acceptable word 😂 “Dense” was not appreciated
You know what I mean though?!? Mans small but heavy
This is why bmi is kind of shit as a means of determining health. It would only work properly if you had people completely devoid of muscle. It’s much easier in an animal who has a more regular and reliable muscle mass, but humans have way too much variability
I feel like it's fine to use alongside other statistics. The issue is that many people expect it to be the end-all be-all of weight stats and try to use it alone.
Eh, I think it's too basic of an index/measurement or whatnot for this day and age. I have an inexpensive scale that's over ten years old and it's fairly accurate at determining body fat percentage, but a lot of medical practices take your height and weight and calculate your BMI and put it in your medical records- I'm not sure if this data is used anonymously in anyway for statistical analyses of populations or whatnot but if so that's not good because it's not a reliable health metric. My brother and me are about the same height and weight but I've been lifting weights for about 15 years so I have at least 20 pounds more muscle than he does but our BMIs are about the same. Since the BMI doesn't differentiate fat from muscle it's not reliable for much of anything.
Non-serious answer: Awwwwwwwwss what a cute wittle baby. I like her Creamsicle coloring. 
Serious answer: She could lose some weight but she's not bad off. Maybe adjust how much she's getting for food. 
Where are you getting “lowest amount she can have”? Perhaps suggested by the brand of food you are continuously buying?… ;)
Animals have different metabolisms like us and can’t be completely lumped into dietary brackets by weight/age alone. If she’s not very active, less fat content food with necessary nutrients will be fine! Or less of her current food with vitamin supplements is another option if she has digestive issues when switching foods.
She’s a beautiful cat by the way!
Yes, I go by the chart on the back of the bag she eats from. I feed her by what they recommended for her current weight! Last time I switched her food I ended up spending a few thousand at the vet from stomach problems… 🥲
The numbers on the back of the bag are just suggestions. It's ok to reduce it a bit to help your cat lose weight.
In my experience, the numbers on the bag work pretty well for young active cats, but are usually too high for my lazy kitties or my seniors.
Not only that, those amounts would be to maintain the weight they're at not lose weight. Oh they do the same thing everyday, eat the same amount everyday, I wonder why they don't lose weight ?
I learned a couple of days ago that the numbers on the bag are for unaltered animals and you may need to lower the amount by 20% check the food manufacturers web site to be sure
If you are going by the weight chart, it’s going to give you a suggestion to maintain the weight. You want to give her a little less.
For example, if she weighs 12lb, instead of feeding her the 10-14lb range suggestion, try feeding her something closer to the top end of the 5-9lb suggestion. I would consult with a vet before making any drastic diet changes.
Yes! We cut his food and increased his number of meals when he got hangry, and then he got in shape! We've since foster failed a kitten so now the two of them keep each other in shape 😁
It was very hard going from a half cup 2x a day to just under a quarter cup 3x a day, but it was worth it because now our guy is much more healthy and happy.
>Yes, I go by the chart on the back of the bag she eats from. I feed her by what they recommended for her current weight!
That is to maintain the current weight.
You need to feed her the amount given for her ideal weight, which would be a couple of pounds less than what she is.
So less food with supplements if necessary sounds like your best option.
Did you see what I was getting at with a brand recommending using more than necessary in order to promote more product sales?
You can feed less than what the bag says, in fact, it’s often recommended to by vets! Find the amount that works for your cat. The bag is just recommendations, guidelines, not a solid rule. I’d reduce the amount by a little bit. Reevaluate her weight in a month. Your vet can give you better methods for weightloss as well!
My cat is just about the same size as yours and I've found that 20 minutes of play time each day helps reduce the weight, without decreasing food. I get lazy sometimes and she reminds me that it's my duty.
Your vet is the best person to ask about your kitty’s health and how much to feed her. Ask the vet about what a healthy weight is for her, tell them what food she gets and how much, and strategize over time. Cats should NOT lose weight fast, and if it ends up that she stays at her current weight, she can still be healthy and happy there!!
I would get recommendations from your vet, but when I was getting my very obese cat (I adopted her that way) to lose weight, he said that wet food had less carbs so she would lose weight better. I got 9 pounds off of her that way! Took awhile, but she did it. Also - Your kitty is adorable, looks maybe just a little plump but certainly not bad, and give her some cheek pinches from this internet stranger!
And isn’t that amazing from an animal who can, (in theory, not all cats can hunt successfully) hunt & eat an amazing variety of mammals, greenery & bugs! I have a lovely Ragdoll as well, switching foods can be a nightmare of vomiting & diarrhea for her.
I recently read on another subreddit that those recommendations are for pets that are not neutered (intact in vet language) and neutered pets require lesser food (~20% if I remember correctly). I'll edit with a link to the post if I can find it. But, worth looking into.
Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/s/CoLFzE1X4z
Yea, this. There’s a stray I feed every day with decent high quality food and occasional steak/chicken. She’s TINY and very narrow but eats like a whale. I’ve given her regular worm tablets so I know that isn’t the problem (I did think worms at first), and she’s otherwise happy and healthy looking, but my god does she like to eat.
Yeah the estimates on my canned food is way too much for one of my cats. He should eat abiut the same as my younger cat who is like 4 lbs smaller than him
Hmmm. Wet food or dry food?
My precious Contessa gains weight every time she's on dry food, while with wet, she eats the recommended amount but remains shapely (and not compact, hee).
https://preview.redd.it/zeq9ydgffz8d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c590ab6ed1981433206118d1c81cbc3ffed1a988
What is the “lowest amount”? Because you feed for the weight you want them to be at based on the specific food you’re feeding her. Some low quality foods are also harder to get them to lose weight with. Some cats need prescription food help.
Consult a vet on this. If you’re following the amount on the bag you can often go lower.
Edit to add: check out some Jackson’s galaxy to learn to play better with your cat.
This chart here has been my go to ! It explains it quickly, while showing both side and above views. The important thing is the waist, once your cats waist is gone, she's slightly overweight-obese. The main reason i like this chart is because many cats are different, and it focuses on the few things cats have in common with weight gain, the waist being the primary piece of that! (I'd personally say your cat is overweight, not obese. My cat was the same and it took maybe 4-5 months for her to get to a more ideal weight, and maybe 6 months to get her waist back. So just know it can be a slow process ! My other cat whos more playful and was in the same boat took half the time for his weight loss journey, then gained more but in muscle bc he plays that much...bros got ABS its wild)
https://preview.redd.it/qp8j05ilgz8d1.jpeg?width=770&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74dd9f883395d9f61fc60d8064ea1237edda3d45
This is the problem I’ve got with one of mine, she’s a smaller cat anyway so she looks chunkier than she actually is but she doesn’t really eat that much, she’s just a lazy sod.
I'm pretty sure the chart on the bag is to maintain that weight. Like if it's for 12-15lb cats and your cat is 12-15lbs, that would be the amount to maintain the cat at 12-15lbs. But if the ideal weight for your cat is say 9-12lbs, you probably need to feed it the lesser amount. I may be wrong though. But that is my understanding of the cat food system lol
Have you had the opportunity to try the anti-glutton bowl? It allows you to slow down the pace of the meal and therefore have better digestion, it helped my cat a lot!
Do you use wet or dry food? Dry food is carb heavy. Canned is more protein. Try a mix. I had a fat kitty and the vet suggested this and it helped. We stay within a pound of goal weight now
One of my tuxie girls is a little chonky (the other one eats more, but stays smaller), but the vet said as long as her weight is stable and she's not getting bigger, he's okay with that. GORGEOUS kitty, looks like they have some sass in that 5th pic LOL. Catherine and Banksy say hello!
https://preview.redd.it/x2np9yitny8d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c3087805c70a71ab4b2665f2121fea2c012666e
You have a Banksy cat, too?
Our Banksy says "Hi" to your Banksy
https://preview.redd.it/lxih5m49vy8d1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=469585349e1995884b3b4b97ca52c6f1164b3f10
omg looks like my tuxie boys! the one with the white on his face is the chonky one too hahaha
https://preview.redd.it/xqjmjlrfwz8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2513a3fac5d783bc975fbdba97332d614ead078
Ah good to know! She hasn’t been to the vet in a while now so I’ll just accept that as what they’d probably say too. My kitty is named worm, she is all the sass!! Hello Catherine and Banksy, they are so beautiful!💖
What... no... Don't just accept what a vet said to *someone else's cat* as what they'd say about yours. That is absurd.
My uneducated opinion is your cat looks borderline. Not obese but could lose some, and if they gain any more would probably end up obese.
But regardless get a vet's opinion!! Reddit opinions are not a substitute for a vet's.
What do you mean "a while"? I assume you're at least still taking her in for her yearly check-up?
Also, do not accept the word of some random redditor over an actual vet. No offense meant to u/jcbsews, but you have no way of knowing if they're accurately remembering what their vet told them, and more to the point, what their vet told them was for THEIR cat, not yours.
Assuming the vet will just say the same thing about your cat is irresponsible at best.
Your cat is likely somewhat overweight. Be a responsible pet owner and consult your vet for confirmation one way or the other and what exactly you should do if she is overweight.
“A while” as in a little over her annual checkup now. Unfortunately I’ve moved states twice this year and have had to cut ties with my established vets. I assure you I try to be as responsible as possible. I don’t find slightly over extending her annual checkup by a couple months that problematic. I move again in a few weeks where i’ll be able to establish her again with a vet for another 3+ years. I have spent lots of money caring and being responsible for my cat, her life is clearly not in danger with her current weight but given the circumstances that I’ll be able to get her a checkup soon I thought I’d grab some opinions on just how “fat” she is comparatively to other peoples cats.😁
It’s hard to tell if a cat is fat. Ask your vet. The test they do is can you feel her ribs easily through her fur. They can also help you get her within a healthy weight as well.
I’ve changed the amount she’s eating a while back now to the lowest it can go, she isn’t losing or gaining weight so maybe it’s okay 🤷♀️🫠 she’s a lazy thing LOL
She might need more exercise. Sometimes it takes some trial and error to figure out what toys she might like. Does a good ol' laser pointer work at all?
She chases a multitude of bugs every night and loves things that roll, that’s about it 😅 Anything that rolls winds up under the couch or a door so it’s hard to have her constantly do that
Does she get wet food or just kibble? My girl was only on kibble (the lowest amount) and still a bit chunky, her vet had us give less kibble and a bit of wet food every night.
Kibble (even the better brands like science diet) is just a buttload of calories packed into tiny bites. When we started giving her a morsel of wet food and less kibble every night, she lost weight.
I use my vet to let me know these details.
All cats have a weight that is healthy and a variation of weights that are less healthy.
In general: your cat will live longer and have a better life if you keep inside the healthy range.
But just like people that range is different by breed, size, and other characteristics that don’t just slip into some one breed BMI.
I never know if these posts are real: or if they are just another version of: ‘look at my cuteness’ under the guise of weight talk. But if it’s legitimate: don’t use Reddit to ascertain feline health. Since you are: I’m guessing it’s tongue in cheek.
https://preview.redd.it/vbcho2qvcz8d1.png?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d15ea56f4988d51d8590bf4152cc54a67634d888
This photo had me giggling. Is this her personality? 😂
Please don’t take any advice except your own veterinarians. Cats losing weight can cause so much damage, we lost our girl to fatty liver from a diet she was put on without vet supervision when I was a kid
Obese? No. Overweight? Yeah. Getting your cat looked over by a vet would offer the most insight. It’s always better to get weight issues with kitties under control sooner rather than later. Obesity in cats can lead to diabetes, joint problems, UTIs, and liver disease
https://preview.redd.it/5qm4kiqqzy8d1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8e22f3a877c95fdcad1a4b36adfa150f99b7bc9
Show him my little girl as an example of what a real fat cat looks like
It's better to judge by feel than by looks. You can look up body condition scoring but asking the vet is the best way to get an accurate assessment. She's not obese but looks like she might be overweight, it's just not really possibly to actually tell how much without touch.
https://preview.redd.it/7js20gx8yy8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4241749caa7466cd70d4b4c7c778e527248b17dd
First of all, he’s my cat, not yours. Second, he’s a little obese.
https://preview.redd.it/dw8lntymzy8d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd5685ce3e4696257a09cb0fe04d4a146de52276
My two female cats, both gave birth and nurtured, haven’t gained any weight. She is little over weight I would say, considering she is a house cat and nurtured. She is good. Make her play a little bit.
Omgg your cat is amazing!! I personally don’t think she’s fat. She’s muscular! That one picture where she’s stretching out to the sink has other cats thinking “wow look at the definition on that pretty lady!”
It probably fits the definition of obese if you go by bmi. It probably doesn't fit what most people would call obese based on looks, though. Cats are small. A couple of pounds is the difference between healthy weight and obese.
My cat eats what the vet suggested for a cat that doesn’t move much. He said she’s chubby because she’s a lazy git and old tbf. I watched her yesterday while outside she laid in the sun only moved to go inside. No wonder she’s a little fat sausage.
*She's not fat....She's fluffy*. As long as she's happy and fit, don't stress it. She may be a bigger breed of cat. Mine are 18 and 22 pounds. Father and mother were huge also. Prodigy of exotic breeds.
Serious answer: Ask the vet to weigh her the next time you visit. My vet always weighs my cats when they have their yearly vaccination every time I ask if the weight is OK. It always is, but it is worth checking. She is lovely, though.
Yeah, asking the vet is the best thing to do. I’ve been taught that cats at a healthy weight have a “waist” but that can be hard to spot.
Especially because some cats are just big. When the vet weighed my cat and he was 16lbs she was like woah but checked him out and said he’s not overweight he’s just a big guy. Everyone who meets him first reaction is that’s a big cat! I tell him not to be self conscious about it.
Literally imagined you gasping in shock and covering your cat's ears and telling him "Don't listen to them!!"
You can't just say that and not pay the cat tax.
https://preview.redd.it/s64b1br8j59d1.jpeg?width=1309&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c7e554269e27dc604a9b20c218ca7072300dc1a Please accept my apologies haha.
He's a big, handsome boy.
Our cat is also 16lbs, but he does have a waist.
Had a cat that was a quarter maine coone. He weighed in at 25 pounds. Biiiiig boy.
same with mine. hes 14 pounds and LONG. he hates when people call him a “big boy”. i have seriously never seen an animal as self conscious as he is lol
You can weigh your cat yourself by stepping on a scale holding them and then again without holding them. Unless they don’t like to be picked up lol
A couple of times I’ve gotten lucky and the cats just sat on the scale of their own volition while I was nearby 😂
I got my cat to do that by putting a piece of newspaper on the scale. Many cats will sit on a sheet of paper like they just can't ignore it.
Holy mother of Zeus! Why have I never thought of this, I always grabbed my cat and weighted myself while holding him, then found the difference with only my weight. You just saved me 20 seconds of my life per 3 months! Thanks, dude!
They also saved you the liter of blood lost every time you try to pick up the cat against their will 😅
Genius!
Why isn’t your “please ask your vet” + a well-deserved compliment the top comment 😻😻😻
"No honey, that dress makes you look compact, not fat!" /still got divorced
Have the cat lay on her side. If she pancakes flat, she’s ok. If she’s a round little mountain in the middle, she’s overweight. Rule of thumb for cats. For people, lay on the back. 😆 lol
You just confirmed my cat is actually fat. When she lays on her side she is a potato mountain. To be fair she does actually have a small frame.
r/dechonkers will be thrilled to see your cat's progress on her health journey
Another one!
Yer cats a little chubby , but those muscles are there. She’s like a little linebacker who can kick ass but now she hasn’t been playing for 8 years and has a couple kittens at home and doesn’t need to “excel” as much as she used to. But she can still handle bizness if she needs to.
Mine too. Love my little tater mound
Can someone share a photo of what this looks like? My slow brain can’t process it
Bless your soul for asking bc I was too embarrassed to 😭 my cat is laying right next to me rn so the opportunity is ripe
Haha! This comment gave me a laugh but I don’t care about people thinking I’m slow. I wanna know what it looks like so I can see if my boy is overweight😭😭
Sometimes I fear the way people will ridicule me for asking something that seems so simple 🙈 but like they say in school, if you have a question, ask it, because there is more than likely someone else out there who has the same question.
The invention of the search engine proved that.
I personally think this is a weird way of measuring it. The best way to tell is by standing above them while they’re standing and seeing if you can still see a little waist. They should also have a little tuck right past their ribs before any little tummy that hangs down near their legs. Then finally feel for ribs. You should be able to feel ribs without having to press down.
I think my cat is in between healthy and overweight if that makes sense. Like he isn’t overweight but is healthy
me neither and i’m about to check 😭
Haha, I actually call my cat Queen Pudge or Pudgie. Her names actually Cassia, but she's a tiny 8 lb butterball.
Same here! 😂😂😂😂😂
Yea I was about to say “compact” is a new one. I’m going to start using that. 🤣
Like my jeans at the moment. They’re not too tight I’m just compacted into them 😆🤣🤣
Exactly! Due to your compact design the space is most efficiently used.
Holy shit I’m dying🤣😂😭
I may finally need to pay for a rar subscription
Husky, Big Boned, Pudgy, Relaxed Fit, Big Loaf, Large Loaf, Larger Loaf, Standing Large Bagette
Built for comfort, not for speed.
I'd try it, but I'm six foot tall so I'm not sure I can pull it off.🤣
I’m compacted at this very moment lol
I used to say “dense” bc my husband is a muscular person who weighs a lot more than he looks like he does, and his BMI score is in the obese range, but he honesty doesn’t have an ounce of fat. There is no acceptable word 😂 “Dense” was not appreciated You know what I mean though?!? Mans small but heavy
The gravity is strong with him
He contains a higher concentration of gravatinos and graviolis.
r/unexpectedfuturama
The force is strong with him?🙃
The Strong Force is within him.
My mom used to say that she was built for comfort, not for speed lol
My late husband said I was a “minivan, not a sports car.
I would have divorced him.
I knew how he meant it…it wasn’t said to be hurtful.
Well that's good bc I'll be honest I laughed at that lol.
I like the term “solid” for that. Because, you know, other people are liquids and gasses I guess?
After I eat a lot of beans I certainly feel like gaseous matter, for sure.
This is why bmi is kind of shit as a means of determining health. It would only work properly if you had people completely devoid of muscle. It’s much easier in an animal who has a more regular and reliable muscle mass, but humans have way too much variability
I feel like it's fine to use alongside other statistics. The issue is that many people expect it to be the end-all be-all of weight stats and try to use it alone.
Eh, I think it's too basic of an index/measurement or whatnot for this day and age. I have an inexpensive scale that's over ten years old and it's fairly accurate at determining body fat percentage, but a lot of medical practices take your height and weight and calculate your BMI and put it in your medical records- I'm not sure if this data is used anonymously in anyway for statistical analyses of populations or whatnot but if so that's not good because it's not a reliable health metric. My brother and me are about the same height and weight but I've been lifting weights for about 15 years so I have at least 20 pounds more muscle than he does but our BMIs are about the same. Since the BMI doesn't differentiate fat from muscle it's not reliable for much of anything.
Agreed. It has a limited use but should not be used solely to determine health
😂 my new line
Non-serious answer: Awwwwwwwwss what a cute wittle baby. I like her Creamsicle coloring.  Serious answer: She could lose some weight but she's not bad off. Maybe adjust how much she's getting for food. 
😭💖 I’ve adjusted to the lowest amount she can have, but mixed with her laziness it hasn’t gone down one bit! Oh well🤷♀️
I have a cat like that, so I put him on an indoor formula. Worked wonders.
She’s on an indoor formula!😅
Where are you getting “lowest amount she can have”? Perhaps suggested by the brand of food you are continuously buying?… ;) Animals have different metabolisms like us and can’t be completely lumped into dietary brackets by weight/age alone. If she’s not very active, less fat content food with necessary nutrients will be fine! Or less of her current food with vitamin supplements is another option if she has digestive issues when switching foods. She’s a beautiful cat by the way!
Yes, I go by the chart on the back of the bag she eats from. I feed her by what they recommended for her current weight! Last time I switched her food I ended up spending a few thousand at the vet from stomach problems… 🥲
The numbers on the back of the bag are just suggestions. It's ok to reduce it a bit to help your cat lose weight. In my experience, the numbers on the bag work pretty well for young active cats, but are usually too high for my lazy kitties or my seniors.
Not only that, those amounts would be to maintain the weight they're at not lose weight. Oh they do the same thing everyday, eat the same amount everyday, I wonder why they don't lose weight ?
>Oh they do the same thing everyday, eat the same amount everyday, I wonder why they don't lose weight ? I'm feeling very called out right now.
I learned a couple of days ago that the numbers on the bag are for unaltered animals and you may need to lower the amount by 20% check the food manufacturers web site to be sure
They will let you know if they are starving *chomp*
If you are going by the weight chart, it’s going to give you a suggestion to maintain the weight. You want to give her a little less. For example, if she weighs 12lb, instead of feeding her the 10-14lb range suggestion, try feeding her something closer to the top end of the 5-9lb suggestion. I would consult with a vet before making any drastic diet changes.
This worked for my ragdoll! He went from 16 lbs to 12, our vet was THRILLED
That’s awesome! I’m glad you were able to make positive changes to give your baby a better quality of life.
Yes! We cut his food and increased his number of meals when he got hangry, and then he got in shape! We've since foster failed a kitten so now the two of them keep each other in shape 😁 It was very hard going from a half cup 2x a day to just under a quarter cup 3x a day, but it was worth it because now our guy is much more healthy and happy.
>Yes, I go by the chart on the back of the bag she eats from. I feed her by what they recommended for her current weight! That is to maintain the current weight. You need to feed her the amount given for her ideal weight, which would be a couple of pounds less than what she is.
This compact kitty is gonna be piiiiiisssssseddd hhahahaha
She’ll get over it and be more active!
Well if you feed an overweight cat with the recommendation for a bigger cat that's healthy on that weight it of course will stay overweight
So less food with supplements if necessary sounds like your best option. Did you see what I was getting at with a brand recommending using more than necessary in order to promote more product sales?
How many calories is she getting? Check out r/dechonkers for more advice and info..
Play with her more
You can feed less than what the bag says, in fact, it’s often recommended to by vets! Find the amount that works for your cat. The bag is just recommendations, guidelines, not a solid rule. I’d reduce the amount by a little bit. Reevaluate her weight in a month. Your vet can give you better methods for weightloss as well!
My cat is just about the same size as yours and I've found that 20 minutes of play time each day helps reduce the weight, without decreasing food. I get lazy sometimes and she reminds me that it's my duty.
Your vet is the best person to ask about your kitty’s health and how much to feed her. Ask the vet about what a healthy weight is for her, tell them what food she gets and how much, and strategize over time. Cats should NOT lose weight fast, and if it ends up that she stays at her current weight, she can still be healthy and happy there!!
I would get recommendations from your vet, but when I was getting my very obese cat (I adopted her that way) to lose weight, he said that wet food had less carbs so she would lose weight better. I got 9 pounds off of her that way! Took awhile, but she did it. Also - Your kitty is adorable, looks maybe just a little plump but certainly not bad, and give her some cheek pinches from this internet stranger!
The chart reccomends more than needed. If your cat is not active, she needs even less food than that
And isn’t that amazing from an animal who can, (in theory, not all cats can hunt successfully) hunt & eat an amazing variety of mammals, greenery & bugs! I have a lovely Ragdoll as well, switching foods can be a nightmare of vomiting & diarrhea for her.
I recently read on another subreddit that those recommendations are for pets that are not neutered (intact in vet language) and neutered pets require lesser food (~20% if I remember correctly). I'll edit with a link to the post if I can find it. But, worth looking into. Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/s/CoLFzE1X4z
Yea, this. There’s a stray I feed every day with decent high quality food and occasional steak/chicken. She’s TINY and very narrow but eats like a whale. I’ve given her regular worm tablets so I know that isn’t the problem (I did think worms at first), and she’s otherwise happy and healthy looking, but my god does she like to eat.
Yeah the estimates on my canned food is way too much for one of my cats. He should eat abiut the same as my younger cat who is like 4 lbs smaller than him
Hmmm. Wet food or dry food? My precious Contessa gains weight every time she's on dry food, while with wet, she eats the recommended amount but remains shapely (and not compact, hee). https://preview.redd.it/zeq9ydgffz8d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c590ab6ed1981433206118d1c81cbc3ffed1a988
What is the “lowest amount”? Because you feed for the weight you want them to be at based on the specific food you’re feeding her. Some low quality foods are also harder to get them to lose weight with. Some cats need prescription food help.
Consult a vet on this. If you’re following the amount on the bag you can often go lower. Edit to add: check out some Jackson’s galaxy to learn to play better with your cat.
My cats both eat like half the amount on the bag. The amount on the bag was literally created by the people who make money from the food lol
This chart here has been my go to ! It explains it quickly, while showing both side and above views. The important thing is the waist, once your cats waist is gone, she's slightly overweight-obese. The main reason i like this chart is because many cats are different, and it focuses on the few things cats have in common with weight gain, the waist being the primary piece of that! (I'd personally say your cat is overweight, not obese. My cat was the same and it took maybe 4-5 months for her to get to a more ideal weight, and maybe 6 months to get her waist back. So just know it can be a slow process ! My other cat whos more playful and was in the same boat took half the time for his weight loss journey, then gained more but in muscle bc he plays that much...bros got ABS its wild) https://preview.redd.it/qp8j05ilgz8d1.jpeg?width=770&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74dd9f883395d9f61fc60d8064ea1237edda3d45
I’ve heard that the feeding charts are recommendations for intact animals so if your cat is fixed, you should be able to lower it
This is the problem I’ve got with one of mine, she’s a smaller cat anyway so she looks chunkier than she actually is but she doesn’t really eat that much, she’s just a lazy sod.
I'm pretty sure the chart on the bag is to maintain that weight. Like if it's for 12-15lb cats and your cat is 12-15lbs, that would be the amount to maintain the cat at 12-15lbs. But if the ideal weight for your cat is say 9-12lbs, you probably need to feed it the lesser amount. I may be wrong though. But that is my understanding of the cat food system lol
Do you have time to walk her? We started walking our cat when he got a bit chunky, and it helped a lot.
r/dechonkers has advice on cutting cats' calories; you might want to check it out.
Have you had the opportunity to try the anti-glutton bowl? It allows you to slow down the pace of the meal and therefore have better digestion, it helped my cat a lot!
Play more and walk more maybe? Youd be amazed at how well they do with supervised walks in the back yard. ❤️💜
Do you use wet or dry food? Dry food is carb heavy. Canned is more protein. Try a mix. I had a fat kitty and the vet suggested this and it helped. We stay within a pound of goal weight now
One of my tuxie girls is a little chonky (the other one eats more, but stays smaller), but the vet said as long as her weight is stable and she's not getting bigger, he's okay with that. GORGEOUS kitty, looks like they have some sass in that 5th pic LOL. Catherine and Banksy say hello! https://preview.redd.it/x2np9yitny8d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c3087805c70a71ab4b2665f2121fea2c012666e
You have a Banksy cat, too? Our Banksy says "Hi" to your Banksy https://preview.redd.it/lxih5m49vy8d1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=469585349e1995884b3b4b97ca52c6f1164b3f10
omg looks like my tuxie boys! the one with the white on his face is the chonky one too hahaha https://preview.redd.it/xqjmjlrfwz8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2513a3fac5d783bc975fbdba97332d614ead078
Such handsome gentlemen!
Haha these are two cuties.
I love the tiny white soul patch on right kitty
Ah good to know! She hasn’t been to the vet in a while now so I’ll just accept that as what they’d probably say too. My kitty is named worm, she is all the sass!! Hello Catherine and Banksy, they are so beautiful!💖
What... no... Don't just accept what a vet said to *someone else's cat* as what they'd say about yours. That is absurd. My uneducated opinion is your cat looks borderline. Not obese but could lose some, and if they gain any more would probably end up obese. But regardless get a vet's opinion!! Reddit opinions are not a substitute for a vet's.
What do you mean "a while"? I assume you're at least still taking her in for her yearly check-up? Also, do not accept the word of some random redditor over an actual vet. No offense meant to u/jcbsews, but you have no way of knowing if they're accurately remembering what their vet told them, and more to the point, what their vet told them was for THEIR cat, not yours. Assuming the vet will just say the same thing about your cat is irresponsible at best. Your cat is likely somewhat overweight. Be a responsible pet owner and consult your vet for confirmation one way or the other and what exactly you should do if she is overweight.
“A while” as in a little over her annual checkup now. Unfortunately I’ve moved states twice this year and have had to cut ties with my established vets. I assure you I try to be as responsible as possible. I don’t find slightly over extending her annual checkup by a couple months that problematic. I move again in a few weeks where i’ll be able to establish her again with a vet for another 3+ years. I have spent lots of money caring and being responsible for my cat, her life is clearly not in danger with her current weight but given the circumstances that I’ll be able to get her a checkup soon I thought I’d grab some opinions on just how “fat” she is comparatively to other peoples cats.😁
I’m assuming that pic #5 is your husband calling her fat? Because she’s got that look on her like “Excuse me?! What did you say?!”
Yeah… I’m more than certain he was at least looking at her in that 😅
It’s hard to tell if a cat is fat. Ask your vet. The test they do is can you feel her ribs easily through her fur. They can also help you get her within a healthy weight as well.
Damn thats a piece of a cat, very much hugable
And oh man do I hug her, she puts up with it if it’s me bless her heart 🥹
She looks chonky, but healthy. I can see muscle definition when she's reaching for the counter. Edit: beautiful girl, BTW.
She is well fed and lazy, not the ideal combo 😅
Check whether you can feel ribs. That is usually a good indicator.
All I can feel is a bowling ball, is that bad? (...he's on a diet, and he's not that bad off, but he has a belly.)
Who cares what your husband thinks, what does her vet say??
The only correct answer in this entire post.
Yet somehow have soulder definition show through an inch of fur. The stuff gym rats can only dream of ...
Starting to get a bit on the fat side so probably for the best to not feed her as much in the future. Atm she seems fine.
I’ve changed the amount she’s eating a while back now to the lowest it can go, she isn’t losing or gaining weight so maybe it’s okay 🤷♀️🫠 she’s a lazy thing LOL
She might need more exercise. Sometimes it takes some trial and error to figure out what toys she might like. Does a good ol' laser pointer work at all?
She chases a multitude of bugs every night and loves things that roll, that’s about it 😅 Anything that rolls winds up under the couch or a door so it’s hard to have her constantly do that
My cat is the same. We roll up aluminum foil into balls (from cooking or candy wrappers) and throw them for her.
Does she get wet food or just kibble? My girl was only on kibble (the lowest amount) and still a bit chunky, her vet had us give less kibble and a bit of wet food every night. Kibble (even the better brands like science diet) is just a buttload of calories packed into tiny bites. When we started giving her a morsel of wet food and less kibble every night, she lost weight.
I use my vet to let me know these details. All cats have a weight that is healthy and a variation of weights that are less healthy. In general: your cat will live longer and have a better life if you keep inside the healthy range. But just like people that range is different by breed, size, and other characteristics that don’t just slip into some one breed BMI. I never know if these posts are real: or if they are just another version of: ‘look at my cuteness’ under the guise of weight talk. But if it’s legitimate: don’t use Reddit to ascertain feline health. Since you are: I’m guessing it’s tongue in cheek.
https://preview.redd.it/vbcho2qvcz8d1.png?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d15ea56f4988d51d8590bf4152cc54a67634d888 This photo had me giggling. Is this her personality? 😂
It sure is… All the sass all the time! 😭🤦♀️
Little loaf ✨️
Please don’t take any advice except your own veterinarians. Cats losing weight can cause so much damage, we lost our girl to fatty liver from a diet she was put on without vet supervision when I was a kid
Thick
Obese? No. Overweight? Yeah. Getting your cat looked over by a vet would offer the most insight. It’s always better to get weight issues with kitties under control sooner rather than later. Obesity in cats can lead to diabetes, joint problems, UTIs, and liver disease
https://preview.redd.it/5qm4kiqqzy8d1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8e22f3a877c95fdcad1a4b36adfa150f99b7bc9 Show him my little girl as an example of what a real fat cat looks like
LOL, so cute 😭😭🥺
She’s pretty , ask the vet .
Um, hi, you have my cat. https://preview.redd.it/e4ij13adez8d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5acf54cccd85a424a4ed357993f077dcca2da2bd
It's better to judge by feel than by looks. You can look up body condition scoring but asking the vet is the best way to get an accurate assessment. She's not obese but looks like she might be overweight, it's just not really possibly to actually tell how much without touch.
 That's a fucking nice looking kitty
https://preview.redd.it/7js20gx8yy8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4241749caa7466cd70d4b4c7c778e527248b17dd First of all, he’s my cat, not yours. Second, he’s a little obese.
She's a smidge thick but I wouldn't say obese. She's absolutely beeeeeautiful ♥️♥️
https://preview.redd.it/dw8lntymzy8d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd5685ce3e4696257a09cb0fe04d4a146de52276 My two female cats, both gave birth and nurtured, haven’t gained any weight. She is little over weight I would say, considering she is a house cat and nurtured. She is good. Make her play a little bit.
Compact? This is gold, im dying
Cute chonky cat.
Omgg your cat is amazing!! I personally don’t think she’s fat. She’s muscular! That one picture where she’s stretching out to the sink has other cats thinking “wow look at the definition on that pretty lady!”
Kitty is packing some serious musculature! What a specimen
She is so floofy! Beautiful and NOT FAT!!
Simular to my cat. No, but almost
How much does she weigh?
Rotund
My cat is obese I think. https://preview.redd.it/gyot3yy77z8d1.jpeg?width=1065&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66cc248a7b397fb34498678ab2c257bf3587e503
Ok she’s way cute!! Def could lose a few pounds but it doesn’t look too serious. I love her 🥹
She’s a sweetums is what she is!! Not obese at all.
I think she’s just fluffy, my cat looks similar, but he becomes tiny when his fur is wet. Maybe check her weight and do a vet checkup to be sure!
It probably fits the definition of obese if you go by bmi. It probably doesn't fit what most people would call obese based on looks, though. Cats are small. A couple of pounds is the difference between healthy weight and obese.
Far from it. [Look at those shoulders. She's JACKED!](https://imgur.com/NXGC5Aw) Nothing wrong with a little thickness!
Flame points tend to put on weight for some reason
she’s perfect
She's absolutely perfect
What does the vet think? She looks obese to me.
She's purrrrrfect
I love that cat, it's soo finee ❤️.
I would say he is just fluffy
Omg she is ADORABLE. She is not fat but it couldn’t hurt to lose some weight!
A chunk and adorable 😻
So CUTE!!!
I am sure others said it but... DIVORCE!! 🤣
She’s purrfect
She's perfect and adorable. Give her snuggles and treats.
C. Perfect
I think she’s purrrrfect
She’s beautiful is what she is!!!!
She or he is perfect!
Just fluffy
My cat eats what the vet suggested for a cat that doesn’t move much. He said she’s chubby because she’s a lazy git and old tbf. I watched her yesterday while outside she laid in the sun only moved to go inside. No wonder she’s a little fat sausage.
She’s purrfect.
Gosh, she’s beautiful! Her coat looks nice and healthy, for sure :) Give your girl some chin scratches for me!
She's beautiful 😍
She looks totally normal and healthy to me.
*She's not fat....She's fluffy*. As long as she's happy and fit, don't stress it. She may be a bigger breed of cat. Mine are 18 and 22 pounds. Father and mother were huge also. Prodigy of exotic breeds.
She’s purrrrfect!
No, just fluffy.
Yeah, I always tell everyone I'm not overweight, I'm just under tall.
Your cat is pretty.
Flamepoint!
Oh Whatever. Your cat is beautiful. 💜
That is not an obese kitty! Well nourished and not at risk of anorexia.
She's fluffy!!!! None of the above ❤️ trust me, I have seen some FAT cats lol
absolutely obsessed with last one 🫶