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Old April 27th, 2006, 12:18 PM
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crazyk1020 crazyk1020 is offline
FatFat and LittlMan's Mom
 
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Question Are my cats fat???

This is kind of a silly question but something that I have been wondering for awhile. My two boys Sunny and Butch have a fat paunch on their abdomen. I know my cat growing up had one but he was like 10 years old. My boys now are not even a year yet, not until August 11. I adopted them from a shelter back in February and Butch (aka Big boy), has a really big one, when he runs it swings back and forth and dang near hits him in the side. It is really soft and sqwishy, and it hangs down really far He did have one when I got him, and Sunny's (little man) has a smaller one. What causes this? I only feed them a 1/4 of a 5.5 oz can twice a day and then they free feed on natural balance/a little eagle pack hairball, but I only put out about a cup and they dont' finish it in a day. Is there a reason they have that fat paunch/belly? I know that they are still growing boys so I dont' want to put them on a diet, but are they on the track to be obese adult cats? I just want them to be healthy so I thought I would get some advice. The vet doesn't seem to think that they are overweight at all, Butch weighs about 8lbs and Sunny about 7lbs. And I know they didn't screw up their age at the shelter because their mom came in as a stray and had them at the shelter. Thanks guys for any info I really appreciate it!
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Everything I know I learned from my cat: When you're hungry, eat. When you're tired, nap in a sunbeam. When you go to the vet's, pee on your owner. - Gary Smith

Butch and Sunny's Mom

Butch (aka Fatfat) 8/11/2005
Sunny (aka LittleMan) 8/11/2005
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Old April 27th, 2006, 12:47 PM
StinkyT StinkyT is offline
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Both my cats have that extra pouch... they may have descended from kangaroos. I don't know why since they run around the house all the time and are not overweight. One is 4 years old weighing about 13-14lb (she's a large cat.. the vet felt her over twice just to make sure, he didn't think that she could weigh that much and not be overweight) and the other is a 1 year old at about 9lb. My 4 year old girl has a larger pouch but it makes sense since she's much larger than the boy.

I wouldn't say it's fat because when I grab it there's nothing in it. It just feels like extra fur and skin. Maybe they just grow it so that when they suntan or get belly rubs they can stretch to their full potentials? No idea. I wouldn't worry about it, I love watching their little pouches swing from side to side when they run. It's kind of comical!
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Old April 27th, 2006, 01:17 PM
kittykate kittykate is offline
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My kitty has the same thing and he is almost 2! Its funny watching him standing there with his little belly hanging down.
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Old April 27th, 2006, 01:20 PM
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KarineB KarineB is offline
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Max has the exact same thing and I would not say he is fat at all! It is just there....I call it his little pot belly!
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Old April 27th, 2006, 01:25 PM
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crazyk1020 crazyk1020 is offline
FatFat and LittlMan's Mom
 
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It's just so funny, Butch likes to play fetch, yup just like a dog, and when he runs it swings back and forth so far that it hits him in the side...it's so hard not to laugh at him. I just want to make sure that is "normal" Thanks for your comments!
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Everything I know I learned from my cat: When you're hungry, eat. When you're tired, nap in a sunbeam. When you go to the vet's, pee on your owner. - Gary Smith

Butch and Sunny's Mom

Butch (aka Fatfat) 8/11/2005
Sunny (aka LittleMan) 8/11/2005
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  #6  
Old April 27th, 2006, 01:31 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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then they free feed on natural balance/a little eagle pack hairball,
This is just anecdotal, but every cat I've seen who had dry food out all the time were overweight, ranging from mildly chubby to morbidly obese. Your cats are very young and you don't want them to end up as fatties.

Cats don't need to eat all day and they will eat more dry, since it's less satisfying than canned. I would give them more canned and less dry, not just for possible weight problems, but also because neutered males should eat canned.
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Old April 27th, 2006, 05:46 PM
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LM1313 LM1313 is offline
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Also anecdotal--my have had various cats over the years, all free fed, and none of them have been overweight. Their current cat, Phantom, is only eight pounds and feels like nothing when you pick her up. It depends on the cat.

~LM~
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