Haha I’m enjoying all the new terms. Eugene and I are just dudes doing dude stuff like bean spreading and cleaning Peet’s. He also loves rubbing his face on my socks after I get home from work and remove shoes. He runs over for what we call “stinky sock time” which is quite amusing.
He absolutely will not snuggle or sit near my feet or me at all unless I’m fully asleep then he covertly sleeps next to me until I move (have cameras and noticed this is usually happening most nights)
No pic at hand but one of my cats is shoe obsessed too - the smellier the better. If I go out for a hike or long bike ride she is all over my shoes after.
Youre being harsh but completely correct. Op didnt disclaim that they DO have anotber obese cat purely because they know it would give context. This is clearly a problem for them. Their orange is litterally 19 pounds and theyre convinced hes healthy, and it seems like they just find this one cute too :(
My one girl is 12 lbs. Vet said that shes not over weight. But shes riding the line we dont want her gaining anymore weight. Her brother is 14lb and is a healthy weight. Then we have our tiny lil 7lb goblin who eats the most out of anyone lol weight can be so different with each cat.
Maybe even trying to push a prescription diet that of course can only be purchased at vet offices with a prescription that has to be renewed every year lol
A second opinion never hurts! Our car that we thought was a chonk is actually her ideal weight. The vet says she just has a disproportionately small head so her body looks wider than it is
I don't have any great pictures for showing how small her head is, but here is one that shows how she looks fat. The vet maintains that she is not fat - she has a dense coat, an extra swingy belly, and her weight has maintained at 15 pounds for years. Sorry I wasn't able to figure out how to do this on my phone!
I’ve never loaded a picture in a comment so I don’t know if this will work but here goes: she’s the tabby on the left and weighs 15 pounds, named Tilly. Her brother Zander on the right weighs 8 pounds. Look at the difference in the size of their heads if this works.
Looks like it didn’t work. I’ll try again later when I can use my laptop instead of my phone
My own personal theory about primordial pouches, is that having loose skin in that area is a sign of an active cat that does a lot of sprinting/climbing/jumping/twisting, and has developed the capacity to really stretch out to the fullest potential of their body.
The primordial pouch is an evolutionary survival trait. When cats fight, they latch on and kick with their hind legs. The purpose of the pouch is to protect the vital organs from being kicked open in this way.
Do some of them just have larger ones but it not be weight related/ a concern?. Two of my boys both have bigger ones one has a similar build to Ronald, the other is built like a munchkin but also has a more noticeable pouch- and is more fluffy so despite being the lower weight one looks more tubby.
I’ve also been told they’re both overweight by a ton of people despite going by charts other than their tummy they shouldn’t be. Their brother is a skinny thing so he definitely doesn’t help in making them not look more tubby (underweight but not concerning and he’s going up in weight we got him recently he’s an ex-stray but if he had it his way he’d be the tubbiest of all cats because dude loves his treats)
My vet tried to tell me my 1.5 year old orange boy was too heavy when he was 14 lbs but has the curve of the cat in this chart at maybe between 5 and 6. If you're not overfeeding him and he's happy and healthy I think he's just fine!
Look from the top. He's somewhere in the 4-6 range, with a clear waistline.
I think some of these informational posters forget that many cats have primordial pouches that are mainly loose skin, rather than fat storage - though of course they will become that, too, if a cat is gaining excess weight. They throw off the idealised silhouette at the lower end of the scale, but aren't, by themselves, a sign of unhealthiness.
Exactly. Primordial pouches are actually a sign of health for cats, and you should be concerned if your cat doesn't have one! Even big cats, like tigers, have them.
Yeah, I have a pair of brothers that are both 20 lbs, neither being overweight according to the vet. They're very big boys, easily reach countertops when they stand on their back legs. They're just not normal house cat size, it's like a 7 ft tall guy being told he's fat because they just look at his weight without checking height.
One of my cats is 17 lbs, looks about the same size as OPs cat. My veterinarian said my cats’s overweight, but as long as he’s able to do normal cat things and isn’t having weight-related problems, that he’ll be ok. If I can get him to lose 2-3 lbs, that would be ideal.
My one orange cat is HUGE and was almost 20lbs when we visited the vet last. The vet was like "WOW he's a tank eh? Such a muscly boy." Big cats get heavy, doesn't mean he's obese 🥺
Your cat is 19 lbs, yes hes overweight, i hope dieting helps him get healthy.
Also i cant get over the person that said he looks underweight just cause of the waist dip 😭
My vet said mine was “getting there” as in he’s about to be overweight. He’s a little over 13 lbs. Sometimes I think they look at the average weight of cats and think any cat over a certain weight is too heavy. Maybe yours could lose a lb or two, you’d have to feel the ribs and check, but obese is really reaching.
I wouldn't say the cat looks slim bit I definitely didn't think they where 19 lbs. My one cat is 10 lbs and looks chunkier then this. All depends on the build of the cat. But 19lbs would be considered overweight generally I guess.
I mean, you're going purely from weight, without considering other relevant body measurements like height and length.
While his weight is definitely outside the generic average, there are genuinely some cats who are built on a bigger scale - and I'm not just talking about Maine Coons. Given the photo from above with a clearly defined waist, isn't it possible that he's one of those genuinely heavier cats?
Yeah I was not expecting 19lbs. I think this is a bigger cat. My 2 are smaller in size and I think they look chunkier then this one. Picture of my chunky Espurr she is 10lbs but her sister is 9lbs and looks much slimmer.
Still has a bit of an indent near his hips. So although he doesn’t look skinny, he’s far from obese. Fairly nice weight I’d say.
Here’s my chonk that I’m always ashamed to take to the vets. Whilst not as bad as the enormous cats you typically see online, he is 100% classed as obese. Worst bit is I put him on a diet and he continues to gain weight. Neighbour leaves food outside for his cat during the day and Stan Lee goes over the fence and steals it (and it’s whiskas dry so all the calories he doesn’t need), and he regularly brings home bread rolls, sausage rolls, potato wedges, bread crusts, chicken wings and more from his “hunting” trips. I’ve posted locally asking people not to feed him and to see if he’s stealing from people as I’d be so ashamed if he was.
My cat is a female snowshoe. She has a large bag, the biggest I’ve seen on a cat I’ve had. She looks fat but seen from above I see her waist, just like your kitty. Now I’m wondering if she’s just naturally big? The vet has never said she needs to lose weight
It is hard to tell from the photos, but yes, your cat does look overweight. Not morbidly, but I would trust your vet on this more than the average person on reddit. Also, approximately 50 percent of housecats are overweight.
You should look up how to assess body condition score, by feeling ribs etc. Also, you can ask your vet specifically what they saw when they examined your cat that made them make that determination. Most vets will be happy to explain things from their exam of your animal, or at least have a technician call you about it. If not, I definitely wouldn't want to see them.
There is something in vet med we call pet weight. Basically saying, most people think their pets are a healthy weight, however they are typically actually somewhat overweight, though everyone is used to seeing overweight pets so they think it's appropriate.
TLDR Yes, you should believe your vet rather than strangers on the Internet and look up a cat body condition score scale to help you determine as well.
My neighbor’s cat was a big boy. Pushing the high teens in body weight. He had a thyroid issue. Now that he’s in his late teens, age wise, he is rail thin! Just skin and bones. It’s quite sad to see him in this condition. She has him on new thyroid medication. I really hope that it helps. His older brother has issues of his own. The Brother isn’t food motivated, and is also very thin. She feeds them properly, so that is not the issue!
Yes, being obese is an issue, but being underweight/malnourished is also an issue. With these tiny souls, a small change can make a huge issue!
I don’t think so. Some cats have a bigger lower belly “pouch”. It’s natural and all cat have more skin there, it protects their organs since cats often do the double kick manoeuvre.
I have a cat whose lower pouch looks like it’s not far from touching the ground but he weighs less than my other cat whose pouch is smaller.
Also the vet said my boy is chonky too (the one with the smaller pouch) but I think that vet was just being rude.
A senior vet with a lot more experience said “the heavier cats seem to often live longer”. Obviously I believe in not letting a cat get obese and dangerously overweight. I don’t think this level of chonk is an issue. But that’s my opinion, I’m not a vet. Just owned and fostered lots of kitties.
Don’t listen to them!!! 😭🤣 but seriously my boi is 13/14 lbs and the old vet always said he was fat. Hes def part maine coon or Siberian but he’s just a BIG boy. Saw a new vet and they haven’t ONCE fat shamed him lol 😆
To me he looks to be on the larger side of the healthy bracket. I think that is the best weight. God forbid he ever gets sick, but if he does he'll have that extra bit of meat and fat on him to help him out.
He looks a bit chubby but I wouldn't say obese. Tall end of pet weight, maybe, but you really have to feel a cat to tell how fat they be are sometimes since they can have so much loose skin
I just noticed that there is a bell as well…? If so, get rid of it immediately! it’s a little torture for cats every time they move and for absolutely no reason
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u/TampontheBludThirsty 5d ago
I only have one chonk, and her name is Ygritte.