Loading ...
My Tabby Cat is Getting Fat…
I have a big old tabby cat, Theodore. He is an outdoor cat but since we moved from California to Cleveland he has to spend his winters indoors. (He is a sissy and does not prefer the cold air).
Because he has been inside for the last three months, my tabby cat Thedore has become my fat tabby cat Theodore. He’s probably pushing 17 pounds right now (he’s normally about 15). He’s half Maine Coon so he’s naturally meaty but I think he has moved into a whole new category this winter. Of course in the picture you can’t tell but his legs practically get lost in his beep-wow belly at this point. And he looks like he’s losing his neck.
Theodore eats when he’s bored (just like his mom). I’m wondering if that’s the reason he’s getting so fat…it’s really puzzling me.
I read something today on the ASPCA’s blog about getting your cat to lose weight. Check it out. Among other things they recommend swapping out your cat’s toys every so often to keep them stimulated.
I’m not too sure about that one because Theodore has a fuzzy ball that he is extremely attached to. I mean, he carries this thing up into my room at night for me to throw it for him, and he has his own little party with it during the daytime. He skirts around the hardwood floors with that thing all night and sounds like an elephant. So the exercise requirement is already being met and he is still fat. It’s an interesting article though.
Does anyone else have fat cat problems? What do you do? I
Fatter is better. A heavy hot cat when you are sick who lies on your stomach always makes you feel better. The purring of a cat is also therapeutic.
My old cat Harry was about 30 pounds! he was a big loveable thing so theodore being 17 pounds isnt a big deal, and besides theres now more of theodore to love!
I just adopted Gabby and she looks just like your boy. She is sooo fat! I have had cats my whole life and never a fatty like Gabby the Tabby! Maybe it’s part of the breed?? She exercises, loves her toys and is indoors. Dunno, but she’s on a diet, lost some weight but still the biggest feline I have been around. Any ideas on tabbies??
I have a tabby moggy who enjoys the outdoor life so much we hardly see him in summer, yet somehow he manages to put weight on..it must be something in the breed, ‘cos we never feed him more than the recommended daily weight of dry cat food. He does supplement this with a LOT of mice, so maybe that’s it.. Also, there’s the unflattering effect of stripes to consider
Geoff – it might be that your tabby moggy is being fed by other people, we’ve got an indoor tabby kitten and he meows for food all the time, even though we feed him a bit more than what is recommended (but not much more and we are keeping an eye on his weight). Maybe tabbies have a tendency to gain weight, I’m not sure, but if our Simon (the cat) is already his size at 5.5 months, I reckon he’s going to be lion-sized when he’s fully grown!!
My cat Ceasar also resembles your car in the picture. I adopted him from a no-kill shelter when he was 3 years old. At the time, he was eating their cat food, living in a small room or kennel, and weighed in at 20lbs. Now he eats Science Diet “Light” food, plays with his toys, runs from room to room, jumps up in window sills, chases/ jumps after a turkey feather on a string (his favorite)… and now he weighs in at 21.6lbs. He is a little more toned, but still a huge cat. He is healthy though and happy. In my (unprofessional) opinion, as long as your cat is active, not eating out of boredom and is fed the proper food, then he/she is probably ok. Just food for thought… when I adopted Ceasar, there was a gentleman who said I should take him to a vet and have him put on a diet plan specifically for him… When I took him in, the veterinarian wasnt alarmed at his weight, in fact he was more focused on keeping him at his current weight, and not allowing him to lose.