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Balloons33 · Jun 15, 2007, 11:57 AM

Right off the bat a 20 pound cat sounds unhealthy.. right? Well, Timmy is that -- a 22 pound cat. He has been an indoor cat his whole life, declawed and VERY friendly. He eats the same weight-control indoor food everyday, and he has for the past 6 years. And it's not a LOT of food either. We don't over feed him. He is still very active and very playful... very happy it seems.

My question is... is it outrageous that he weighs so much or can he just be a big old teddy bear! Like.. is he big boned or does he have a weight problem?

Everyone who meets Timmy always has the same reaction, "wow, that's a big cat" but he also has a lot of furr too! What do you think?

tickle · Jun 15, 2007, 12:44 PM

This is a really tough question because you say he is happy and seems healthy, but you know in your heart he shouldn't be that BIG. It is really hard putting a pet on a diet but I think you should take him for a check up. Cats can get diabetes being overweight and kidney problems from not drinking enough. Good luck, but I think that vet trip may be necessary.

HSK · Jun 15, 2007, 12:44 PM

My cat pigpen, who has since passed, was 20 lbs. He was a big 'ol Tom cat, but not really
Overweight. He did not have a big saggy belly or anything. He was just a big beautiful cat.
However, I currently have a female cat, Foosie Ma, that is 18 lbs. She is ovbiously overwight. Her belly sags, she has no chin, and she wobbles a bit when she walks. After she was spayed, she gained a lot of weight. She has been on a diet for over a year now, but is only down to 16 lbs. I feed her 1/2 a cup a day of Science Diet light. There is nothing wrong with her. We had all sorts of tests done to rule out any health issues. She is just a big girl that is overweight. I guess it all depends on the your cats body build. If you a really troubled, take a trip to the vet to see what they think.

Balloons33 · Jun 15, 2007, 12:48 PM

Thanks for your reassurance! Tim has been to the vet numerous times and they never seem to think he is fat..

Tim is a just big, beautiful cat.. like yours. :)
Thank you! I feel much better!

froggy7 · Jun 15, 2007, 06:53 PM

Cats come in different sizes. Twenty pounds may not be overweight if it is one of the bigger breeds, like the Maine Coon. On the other hand, my little Rana-cat leans toward the Abbysinian breed, and she would be seriously overweight at 9 pounds. (She's currently a slim, healthy 6 pounds.)

There are some good charts out there that will tell you what appropriate body condition looks like. That's more important, in my opinion, than just knowing the weight.