Our fat cat

69% Normal
20 Comments

A year ago, my boyfriend (now hsuband) and I got our first house together. We also took in a stray car. She was so cute... but was skin and bones!! We felt so bad for her. She turned out to be the friendliest most grateful kitty in the world. And still is.

However... our skinny little kitty has litterally DOUBLED her weight in a year. She was pretty much full-grown last year when we took her in. All she does is eat, sleep, eat, sleep, eat, eat, eat.

Every time she walks by the food dish, she has to eat. She's an indoor kitty, and she has been spayed. But she's turning into one of the fattest cats I've ever seen!

We put her on a diet, but it didn't seem to work. She seems healthy, other than being really fat. Should I be worried? Is this normal for a stray cat to still eat like crazy, even after a year?

Just so you know, she's very well loved and is my baby :)

Voting Results
69% Normal
Based on 36 votes (25 yes)
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Comments ( 20 )
  • weston77
    12 years ago

    my friend she has a huge 30 pound cat named fefe!!!!

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  • Jessie735513
    13 years ago

    My cat ballooned too...he was little barrel HarryKitty... Bless him. We just put his food bowl out for an hour, three times a day. On the food bag it should say the ideal weight of food to I've your cat daily, if you give him just under that then he should become less barrel-like

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  • ~L~
    13 years ago

    I hand a cat like this when I was growing up called Miles, he was the best cat ever!

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    • hotchickie81
      13 years ago

      Awwww :)

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  • KrystalRenee
    14 years ago

    Yes it's normal, because they feel like "What happens if im out on the streets again?" She wants to be able to live on something. Anyway, Spayed or neutered cats, usually get fat. Cause all they want to do is eat, since they have no desire for sex.

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    • hotchickie81
      14 years ago

      Haha, that's true - maybe like married people. Sometimes they just "let themselves go." They're happy with eachother and don't need to attract any other "mate." And yes, I believe she is constantly thinking about being on the streets again (even though it will never happen 'cause she's my baby and I won't let her out on her own!). I'm just wondering if she'll think that way the rest of her life?

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  • [Old Memory]
    14 years ago

    I'm so used to being around fat things: fat dog, fat cat, fat fiance - and the best advice I can tell you is take the cat to the vet and ask honestly what they think. If the cat is healthy (Dog person, don't really enjoy cats as much and I don't have one.) the vet will tell you and if not, then they will instruct you on how to get the animal to lose weight.

    I miss my dog though, I gave him to my mom during my move out of hope she will clean up. Other than that, if you love your cat and it "feels" loved, then I think it is health either way.

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    • hotchickie81
      14 years ago

      Thanks. I took her to see the vet about 3 months ago, and the vet didn't seem TOO concerned at the time. Said she was a little heavy and to watch what she eats. She said if my cat continues to gain weight, then myabe we should run her through some tests, as she MIGHT have a thyroid problem. I'm also very concerned about her gaining weight, since I don't want her to get sick, become diabetic and/or have a heart attck or something. I love her soooo much!! So I think I might make an appointment to see the vet in January.

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      • Jen118584
        14 years ago

        Haha, I always say Leeloo is more of a dog than a cat. She's like a clumsy, chubby little puppy who begs for food and attention. Love it!

        Add me on Facebook, we can talk about our cats all we want :)

        My email is [email protected]

        I never use that email so I'm not afraid to post it on here, and it's not the email associated with my facebook. Email me and I'll give you my actual email!

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        • hotchickie81
          14 years ago

          Awesome! Wow, you must be able to read my mind or something cause I was gonna suggest the same thing, lol. I'll e-mail you in a bit :) Ha, I also have a few e-mail accounts too!

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  • AAAbattery
    14 years ago

    NO

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    • Jen118584
      14 years ago

      Ooo, I wasn't gonna comment til I realized this was your story, hotchick.

      'Bout your chubby kitty. I have two cats too. One is a tiny little 7 lb. female named Moshi and one is a 12 lb. fluffy female, Leeloo. Here's a pic of them.
      http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs228.snc1/7517_685865967196_25506235_38948627_5121741_n.jpg

      And just for kicks, here is me sleeping with Moshi because I think it's cute, hehe: http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs264.snc1/9127_677040263976_25506235_38664294_7763643_n.jpg

      But anyways, it's not true what someone said about cats never overeating. They were on the right track with the low-carb high-protein bit, but cats do overeat. Leeloo will compulsively eat whenever she wants to communicate with me. It's like her way of making me notice her because she knows I'll yell at her to stop eating. (Even though I cuddle with her constantly and give her more than enough attention. What can I say? She's a princess.)

      Moshi, however, is a grazer. I have to leave food down all the time because it's the only way I can get her to eat. She's not overly skinny. In fact, for her size, she's the perfect weight. She's healthy. Leeloo is just a naturally stockier cat. She's got big clumsy feet and what my boyfriend calls her "fat sacks" which hang down from her tummy. She's not extremely overweight at 12 lbs. but she could stand to lose a pound or so....

      I'm totally rambling. The point is that canned food is better for cats because it has a high water content, tons of protein, and very limited carbs. Moshi is way too picky to feed her canned food because I always end up wasting it and the kind I buy isn't that cheap. Leeloo on the other hand, will eat anything, so I give her a quarter of a 6 oz. can in the morning and I leave dry food down for them all the time. Make sure you pick something all natural with no by-products or fillers like corn, corn meal, wheat gluten or any of that crap. One of the best dry food brands in my opinion is Solid Gold but it's a little pricey. I feed my cats the Solid Gold Indigo Moon because it's high protein, low carb and even picky little Moshi likes it because it's made to be highly palatable. As for canned food, there is a brand called Natural Balance that is very affordable but still has good ingredients.

      It's REALLY hard to get cats to lose weight. Like....REALLY hard. Leeloo lost half a pound, and for a 12 lb. animal, that's a lot.

      PLUS, the beauty of the low carb, no-fillers food is that the animals actually utilize all the ingredients instead of just pooping it out. I mean think about it, if you're feeding your cat something that consists mostly of corn...you know what happens when we eat corn...they're not using any of it so you're wasting your money. With better food, they will eat less, poop less, and you will ultimately have to spend less, even if it feels like you are spending more initially.

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      • hotchickie81
        14 years ago

        Wow, thank you so much for the advise! I will have to give it a try :) I also have two cats... my chubby princess (the tabby) and our Siamese baby (who thinks she owns the house, lol). The Siamese is much smaller, but they generally are a smaller breed anyway.

        I LOVE the photos of your cats!!!! :) Cuddly cats are the best. We can't separate our girls at all!! I mean they are ALWAYS cuddling. When they're not cuddling together, they're cuddling with us. My favourite is when we're all in bed at night (my husband and I), and the two cats are cuddling together at our feet. I call it "family cuddle time," lol.

        Wow, I'm totally rambling too! Easy for me, I guess, lol. Anyway thanks again for your post. I'll let you know how my kitties make out. I also try to keep them active... I swear they've got more toys than my 2-year-old niece!!! lol

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        • Jen118584
          14 years ago

          Haha, yeah, my cats have toys all over the apartment and one of those kitty towers as well. They sometimes race each other to the top, it's so funny!

          Cuddly cats ARE the best! Both of my cats are so friendly and cuddly. Even when we have a lot of people over, the cats don't hide, they're out walking around visiting everyone, giving everyone a turn to pet them, lol. Leeloo is very vocal so she always announces her presence and her wish to be petted by chirping or "talking" to us. SO cute.

          And I also call it "family cuddle time" lol. Although Leeloo was our first cat and we adopted her as an adult from an animal shelter so she tends to be kind of possessive and jealous. She usually comes when she's called just like a dog because she ALWAYS wants attention. If I call her and she's feeling lazy though, she'll ignore me, so I call Moshi and Leeloo's like, Okay okay I'm coming! Such a brat ;)

          Rambling again! I love talking about my cats though, it's kind of sad, haha!

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          • hotchickie81
            14 years ago

            Wow!! We sound so much alike... and so do our cats!! :) I often compare my tabby to a friendly dog. She's so loyal to me and CRAVES attention in a good way (through affection). My Siamese is also an attention-seaker too, but she's more vocal about it ;)

            My cats are my babies, and I came to a realization that there is NO WAY I could EVER live without them!! I could probably talk about my kitties for hours on here, but it would bore some many people, lol.

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  • WayOutThere
    14 years ago

    Cats are naturally carnivorous. They should be eating meat (e.g., animal fat & protein). Most modern cat food is loaded with carbohydrates from plant sources. It is these carbohydrates that is causing your cat to get fat.

    Put your cat on a *low-carbohydrate* diet. You don't need to worry about 'portion control.' The cat will eat as much as it needs to. Getting fat has nothing to do with 'overeating.'

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    • hotchickie81
      14 years ago

      Low carb diet, eh? Sounds like a good idea. I will have to do some research on it and see what would be best for her. Thanks!

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  • cookiegirl
    14 years ago

    FAT CATS ARE SOO DARN CUTE... than being said, you could fix an area so your cat plays with a nice outside view, some plants i dont know stuff cats like... also you could hide some of her food in those special toys so she has to "work" to get it... sorry for being so vague, cant find words lol

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  • cooldavid
    14 years ago

    Its not normal to let your pet eat that way. Cats that haven't grown up "with a food dish" such as strays don't know how to regulate their food eating behavior, so you need to help your cat stay healthy by controlling the portions. Otherwise the cat will develop diabetes and other health problems.

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    • hotchickie81
      14 years ago

      Yeah I've been controlling her food intake lately... though we have another cat, who is a Siamese. She's a good size (perfect actually). I'm just worried she might not get enough to eat. I guess I just have to watch them while they eat. They also don't get table scraps. And I've been trying to take our chubby cat out for walks on a leash. She doesn't like it, but she does like playing inside with toys, so I try to keep her active. She's such a wonderful cat :)

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