Is my 20-pound cat overweight? How can I tell and what should I do?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ari. If he is near 20lbs, he is more than likely overweight. There are three parameters I use to assess weight. The cat should have a thin covering when you run your hands along the ribs. You should not have to dig through a thick fat covering to feel the ribs. Next, the cat should have a waist that curves in from the top view. Finally, the belly should tuck up tightly from the side view. It should not hang towards the floor. If Ari does not meet all three of these qualifications, then he is likely overweight. Start by measuring his food accurately each day. If he likes to graze throughout the day, as most cats do, feed him small servings out of this pre-measured allotment. You can hide pieces of kibble around the house to encourage a cat's natural hunting behavior. Again this food should come from his daily ration. Look at the side of the bag for an estimate on how much to feed keeping in mind that you want to feed him for his ideal, not current weight. Encourage him to run and play throughout the day as well. Even 5 minutes of daily exercise can help a cat to lose weight. I hope this information helps!

Kit is very handsome! Thanks for posting a picture. Since cats are obligate carnivores, we think the most biologically appropriate food for a domesticated cat is a mouse which is a high protein diet. The closest we can get to that ideal diet with commercial food is a canned food diet. Canned food diets are lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein than dry foods. Since cats are obligate carnivores, they are not able to utilize carbohydrates effectively and will often just gain weight on foods that are higher in carbohydrates. The best website I have found to describe this well is listed below. http://catinfo.org/ The above website also discusses changing cats from dry food to canned food. I most commonly recommend Wellness canned food for cats. It is a very food company with a good history and cats tend to do well on it. The general rule for cats is that they should eat about 5.5 ounces of canned food each day for each 10 pounds of ideal body weight. But be sure to go slowly with any diet changes to prevent GI upset. As far as getting Kit to be more active, I would recommend looking at the website below for ideas to get an indoor cat more active. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It's great that you want to be proactive about Tiger's health! Feeding an all canned food diet can help a lot with weight loss in cats. There are also several prescription food options for weight loss like Hill's Metabolic that you may want to discuss with your veterinarian. Getting Tiger more active will also help him lose weight. I'd recommend setting aside 10-15 minutes a day to play with him with a laser pointer or other toy to get him moving. Because most cats are most active around feeding time varying the times of day he is fed will help stimulate more activity as well. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck with Tiger!

I certainly understand being concerned. Have B seen by a vet. The vet can discuss weight loss methods with you including a prescription weight loss food. Play with him every day to get him moving, and to help him lose weight. You are doing the right thing by getting rid of this extra food, and tell your family you spoke to a vet who said he needs to be at a healthy weight or he will develop serious health problems from being overweight. I hope this helps!

He is definitely overweight, you need to take him to the vet in order to start him on a prescription weight loss diet, he will need this diet for at least 4 months until he reaches a reasonable weight.

Weight loss coupled with a normal or increased appetite can be a sign of diabetes or hyperthyroidism, to name a couple of possibilities. I recommend getting Felix seen by your vet as soon as possible for an exam and labwork to determine the reason for his weight loss and get him started on treatment.

I would classify a cat of that weight last overweight, not obese. I would suggest placing Soots on a lower calorie food, and I have included a link to my recommended brand below, and increasing exercise level. This can be achieved through games like fetch, laser chase, or even walks on a leash and harness. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=29335