Why does my overweight cat hate being picked up? Is it painful?

If only Sadie could talk! It's hard to know if this is a behavioral quirk, indicates she does not like being picked up or if there is some sort of discomfort involved. If she has not yet been checked for a spinal abnormality, I recommend to have this done. If no issues are found, this may be her unique way of talking to you. Here are a couple ideas of things you can do to try to maintain her happiness: https://www.petcoach.co/article/4-ways-to-play-with-your-cat/ Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Using a Feliway diffuser and setting aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play for your cat will also help to keep her stimulated. Lastly, keeping her litter area extremely clean will also help to keep her happy. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

It is quite possible he has arthritis in the hips causing discomfort, which is aggravated by being overweight. Prescription pain relief would be recommended to relieve any discomfort and blood tests may be recommended to ensure he has no underlying health issues prior to starting these

Poor Star! This could be a sign of pain from his spine, neck, joints, or stomach. I would avoid picking him up for the rest of the evening, and then if he's still painful when you pick him up in the morning I would take him into the vet for a health check. Please do not give him any human pain medications as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given.

It may be that he is painful or not feeling well and that's leading to him reacting in this way. Ideally, take him to your vet for an exam. However, if he is eating/drinking/acting normally it is reasonable to just keep a close eye on him and take him in if other symptoms develop. Make sure that his litter box habits are normal. (he is urinating and defecating normally). Please do not give him any over the counter pain medications as there are none available that are safe for cats. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Cats can get arthritic just like dogs. If this is a new behavior I would have your veterinarian do an exam and she may need medication for pain control. I would not give her any pain medication at home as it can be very toxic to cats.

Any type of abdominal or muscular pain has to be suspected. Depending on what area of the body is painful, this can give you some clues as to what is causing the pain. If there are no obvious wounds on Izzie's skin then I would suspect an internal injury. It takes a lot for a cat to show pain so the fact that Izzie is this symptomatic should raise concern. I would recommend taking her to your veterinarian asap so they can localize exactly where the pain is coming from and hopefully implement treatment for her. Don't be tempted to give her any human pain medication, because these are toxic in cats. She is best treated at the vet.

I am sorry to hear that Aphrodite isn’t feeling well. She may have be nauseated, have back pain, urinary infection, or many other possibilities. Based on the level of discomfort I would encourage you to have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. An emergency veterinarian tonight would be ideal, but at the latest tomorrow morning. After a thorough physical examination they will recommend diagnostics to help determine the diagnosis and create a treatment plan. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.