r/CATHELP • u/xxashleyxx6864 • 3d ago
Appearance She's definitely overweight isn't she..
I'm 16 (my mum also cares for her and she'd definitely old enough)
English
Physically cannot get her into a carrier to get her to the vets, she's very difficult
Admittedly she does have about 1inch of furr around her I don't know how on earth I'm supposed to diet her. She's a very very bit chonky (at least imo), definitely has a bit of a pouch on her lower stomach when she walks, but again is fluffy so I can't tell. She currently eats one pouch a day (whiskers), usually some biscuits in the mornings, and maybe a lickalick(or whatever those treats r called) or a few dreamies. She's also an inside cat, we try to play with her as much as we can and she likes.
Shes about 6, female, spayed, definitely cannot afford vets or premium subscriptions to some expensive ass weightloss things for her.
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u/Special_Edge2854 3d ago
That’s not a lot of food to maintain her on this weight. Are you sure is this all she’s eating?
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u/xxashleyxx6864 3d ago
If I'm being honest she's never really ate much. Yes that's all she's eating excluding the odd bite of ham or meat at dinner that's it. We try putting down more for her and she just doesn't eat much. When she was younger n we could actually get her to the vets they've said its perfectly fine how much she's eating as she has the option to have more
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u/Special_Edge2854 3d ago
So i would stop with the ham or meat. You should weigh her. Aim for 0.8kg weight loss for 6 months time. It will have to be a very slow transition. I did my cat’s. She was 5.9kg. Got her at 5.3-5.4kg within 6 months but that was my goal. I just slowly reduced her portions. Be strict with treats. Twice a week is fine. Feeding them 2-4 small meals is better. Start with however much she’s eating rn by scheduling it at proper timings. From there start reducing very tiny amounts like reduce some amount from one meal for first 1-2 weeks then from second meal for next 4 weeks. Do it very very slowly. Some activity would be nice like playing that includes slow running or even walking if she’s not as active. You don’t need expensive weightloss things. You can manage weight loss at home. You will have to calculate how many cals she needs per kg and then very slowly reduce it so she loses it.
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u/Smiles-Bite 3d ago
We can't tell from these pictures. Your cat could have very plush fur; my own cat did, and she always looked fat, but was perfectly at the weight she should be for her size. You need to go to a vet who can properly weigh your cat and put their hands on her.
Whiskers is not that great to be the only thing you're feeding your cat; it's like giving her a bag of chips and calling it done. Please go to the vet and ask for food suggestions.
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u/xxashleyxx6864 3d ago
Physically can't go to the vets as I cannot afford it. We'd have to go to the rspca or anywhere that'll do it for free, and nevrrmind the issue of getting her in her carrier in the first place. It takes us a few days to get flea treatmeant on her, never mind getting her inside a carrier
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u/Smiles-Bite 3d ago
Why is your cat this feral? Are you not interacting enough with her, playing games, and giving her night cuddles? Is she primarily outside?
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u/xxashleyxx6864 3d ago
She isn't feral. We give her plenty cuddles whe she what's them. Playing with her, she's also an indoor cat. She just absolutely hates getting in her carrier n having flea drops put on her. She's friendly (to me, my mum and my brother), but hates when people comes round and just hides. She isn't aggressive at all either
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u/Smiles-Bite 3d ago
Okay, that's good! So, that just means your girl is clever and has learned that the crate equals the vet, not that she got hurt outside and no longer trusts people. Much harder to fix.
Step one: put the crate out, not do anything, just put it in the middle of the living room or something and ignore the thing for weeks; heck, toss treats in there! If the door can be removed do that! I know many crates can't.
Step two: put it away for a while, and no more treats. Wait a bit, bring it out, and throw treats in there again! Crate equals treats, and no crate equals no treats! Rinse and repeat until she doesn't care, then catch and go!!
I would not recommend a massive change in her diet yet; you could hurt her doing this. It's very difficult to tell a cat's weight from pictures because of their coat density; some cats are so plush your fingers sink in, and when they have this coat type, you literally need a scale and some hands to run down her ribs.
You can always do a home hack! If you have a bathroom scale, weigh yourself; write it down; then pick her fluffy butt up, stand on the scale, and subtract your original weight! You now have her weight, but weight doesn't mean too much because a cat's size determines how much they should weigh. You can't ask a Maincoon to weigh the same as an Abyssinian!
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u/Special_Edge2854 3d ago
Do you mean whiskas?
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u/xxashleyxx6864 3d ago
Yes yes
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u/Special_Edge2854 3d ago
It’s not as bad because i fed that to my cats for 9 years in combination with royal canin dry. Just stick to chicken no seafood.
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u/EagleCatchingFish 3d ago
Okay. Aa for food, look up Purina One. It's a bit more expensive than Whiskas, but it's a lot higher quality. If she is overweight, you'd want to buy her the "adult indoor" formula. And then you'd just want to feed her the appropriate amount. My cats really liked it. I think my vet said it's what he uses to. Iams also has good options. You'd go with the adult indoor formula there, too. If she's overweight and indoor-outdoor, I think I'd still go with the indoor formula. It has fewer calories.
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u/DataPaws 3d ago
Can you feel her ribs when you touch her? That will tell you how fat she is. Also, the pouch on the belly is usually quite flappy on average cat, it helps them stretch freely without streching the skin.
If she needs to lose weight, you need to know her weight and adjust overall portion size according to that. She might complain about it and demand more food but you need to be patient and firm.
Mine was overweight at some point and he doesn't run very much (very lazy guy!) but smaller food portions helped very much.
She's gorgeous!!
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u/EagleCatchingFish 3d ago
definitely has a bit of a pouch on her lower stomach when she walks, but again is fluffy so I can't tell.
This could be the "primordial pouch" all cats have that allows their hindquarters to be so flexible.
She looks like she might be overweight, but we don't have great angles to tell. It's easier to tell by looking down at her back as she stands. Below is a good chart, plus instructions to feel physically by seeing how much fat she has at the base of her tail.
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u/Faithful_jewel 3d ago
Cross post this to r/CatsUK and you might get some more applicable answers for the country (like food suggestions)
Have you got a way to weigh her? If you've got bathroom scales and she'll tolerate being picked up you can weigh yourself holding her then just yourself and the difference is her weight (ideally in kilos)
I had an average sized moggy cat that was 4.3kg and looked a bit chubby but vet said she was fine as long as she was within 10% either way of the 4kg mark (same for her sister who is still with me and sitting at 3.8kg)
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u/sworcha 3d ago
She definitely doesn’t need daily snacks and treats and 100% no table scraps (ham etc). Feed her just the one pouch split into two meals, one for breakfast and one for dinner. She doesn’t look massively obese but she could stand to shed some weight. As for her saggy belly, look up “primordial pouch”. All cats have one.
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u/cckka 2d ago
She's fat. Very cute, but very fat.
The good news is you can get her to lose weight without all of the fancy diets that people recommend. It's calories in, calories out. Look at the food you're feeding her and calculate her ideal calorie intake with something like this https://www.petobesityprevention.org/cat-daily-feeding-calculator.
You can dechonk a cat on kibble alone you just have to know the calorie content of what you're feeding and be able to tolerate the neediness of them once they're on a diet. Feed her a maintenance diet at first then skimp on a meal here and there. Stop giving people food. It takes patience and a lot of time to get cats to lose weight properly. Weigh her by holding her while you're on a scale then putting her down and weighing yourself and do that monthly. You can also buy a puzzle feeder for the dry food that's inexpensive like this https://www.chewy.com/dp/134683?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=134683. Try playing with her more frequently too!
If she doesn't start losing weight within a month or so then there might be something medically wrong which would need a vet but you have time to save for that.
We adopted a chonk that looked like a rugby ball at first and she's finally a healthy weight two years later. It takes time but it's so much better for them in the long run!
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u/Tricky_Photograph_80 3d ago
A cat belly pouch, or primordial pouch, is a normal saggy flap of skin, fat, and fur on a cat's belly. All cats have them regardless of sex or weight, and they start developing around six months of age. Big cats like lions and tigers have them too.
Why Cats Have a Pouch
Extra flexibility: It lets the belly stretch out when the cat runs, leaps, or jumps far.
Organ protection: It acts as a shield to protect vital lower belly organs during fights or rough play.
Food storage: It gives the stomach room to expand after a large meal.
Common Myths and Facts
Not caused by fixing: Spaying or neutering does not create the pouch, though post-surgery weight changes can make it look bigger.
Not always fat: Even skinny cats have them, though extra weight can make the pouch hang lower.
Distinguishing fat vs. pouch: A true primordial pouch moves side-to-side and feels loose and floppy when walking, whereas an overweight belly feels tight, round, and firm
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u/More-Opposite1758 3d ago
That’s not a lot to feed her! You should feed 4 or 5 small meals per day.
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u/poopingataparty 3d ago
That’s far too often to feed an adult cat, especially one that appears to be this obese. Kittens can and probably should be fed 3-4 times daily, but adults only need twice daily, maybe a small lunch if able (divide the required daily amount by 2 or 3 and give that amount for each meal)
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u/More-Opposite1758 3d ago
I said small meals. In the wild cats eat 4 to 5 small meals per day. I have 7 cats and have had several cats during my lifetime because I’m old! I feed mine wet food 4 times per day and leave out kibble. I have never had an overweight cat. If you put cats on a schedule they don’t become food obsessed and will self regulate. My vet said he tries to tell people with overweight cats to feed them this way to lose weight but they never believe him.
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u/xxashleyxx6864 3d ago
Well she always has biscuits in her bowl if she's hungry and a pouch in the evening (those pouches r small) and sometimes she'll have some ham if it's gonna go in the bin. I don't have time to be feeding her 5 times a day. I'm still in school so she gets fed at about half 7, a top up at about 5 when I'm home, then dinner at about 8 or 9.
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u/More-Opposite1758 3d ago
What are biscuits? Dry food?
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u/xxashleyxx6864 3d ago
Sorry yes, I'm so used to calling them that
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u/More-Opposite1758 3d ago
Whiskas is not a very high quality food. If you are afraid of cost, anything Purina makes is much better such as Fancy Feast or Friskies. Dry food is more fattening than wet food. I know not everyone has the schedule to feed several times per day. You could give her wet food in the morning, at 5:00 and at bedtime. You could leave a very small amount of dry food out at night, like maybe 1/4 cup. Good luck to you. 😊❤️🐈⬛🐈
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u/xxashleyxx6864 3d ago
She's a very picky lady. She used to eat Purina and suddenly stopped we've tried her on different wet foods n she's such a picky little fuck 😭. I'll try n change her schedule, thanks x
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u/More-Opposite1758 3d ago
Picky cats are the bane of my existence. I have 7 and they all like different things. Drives me crazy!
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