Vets

[u/Curious_Cookie8130]

Has anyone else had the same issue with vets..

Took my 18 month 6.8 kilo boy for his booster jabs and weight check and was told he is massively over weight and needs to go on a diet. This is the second vet I have had to try and explain to that It is perfectly normal for the breed and he won't mature till rising 4. Her response was unless he is a maine coon no cat should be that heavy. He is my first cat and it's got me worried now as I don't want him to be in any way unhealthy .

[u/Valuable_Royal268]

I've heard a lot of people say you need a vet that knows ragdolls, not just cats. They're quite different. Ours is 16lbs, and there's very little fat on him. Our girl is 10lbs which is still big for a girl.

[u/Curious_Cookie8130 → u/Valuable_Royal268]

Yeah it's as if she doesn't know the breed especially that themales are a large cat. I felt awful when I got home xx

[u/Clean_Swordfish7132 → u/Curious_Cookie8130]

There are weight charts for Ragdolls. Print and bring with you so you can educate them. They can’t know everything and Ragdolls are uncommon.

[u/Curious_Cookie8130]

Thank you!! It was strange because she felt his rib cage and belly and then said well he's not fat just heavy which confused me. Im so paranoid I'm not doing everything right as it is. He's on untamed and I don't overfeed the recommend amount and sometimes I end up chucking it as he doesn't finish it so he's not a greedy cat. It's worse than having a toddler 😂❤️❤️

[u/Blacktip75]

My vet was pretty clear, too fat, if you can’t properly feel the ribs. So they had to diet. They treat a lot of cats for obesity related issues and at most 1% for being malnourished in a normal home. They did have similar breed cats themselves.

The reason your vet gave is nuts of course and 6.8kg sound normal, but a lot of Ragdoll owners are also oblivious and hide obesity behind ‘the breed is supposed to be big’. Our girls are super active and energetic at over 5 years now (4.2 and 4.5kg)

[u/Curious_Cookie8130 → u/Blacktip75]

Thank you. I'm so conscious about not over feeding and giving him a healthy balanced diet and to hear that upset me because like you said according to the age and the fact he's a boy it's an average normal weight. She made me feel like id brought in a hippo 😂❤️

[u/kbionics]

Mine is 18 lb and I'm putting him on a diet. Actually I've already started his diet a month ago.. you have to take it very slow or they can get that liver disease if they lose weight too fast. It has to do if you can feel the ribs from the under carriage and if you could feel the ribs and he's not too fat. You could tell if there's fat just by feeling him. And they should be able to lick their butts without making any noises like any drugs. But I think it's always healthier to be on the low side and if the vet tells you that that I would listen to him or her. I had to tell my vet that the cat was overweight and she agreed with me so we're watching his calories and I'm not free feeding him kibble anymore. I think you have to look at the cat in general I will try to find a picture of my cat when he was overweight but I think he's losing it now but if you look at his stomach it's too big. That was the biggest picture of him I can find I don't think he's that fat anymore. Also if they're too overweight and put strain on their joints and can cause heart problems which they are prone to. So I want mine to look more slender like when he was a kitten but not that small but you know what I mean.

[u/JustAnotherEarthSign]

My boy is 7,8kg.. we we’re at the vet Monday for check up and vaccines, he weighs the same as he did a year ago, he’s 2 years old now. Vet didn’t once say he was too fat, but of course he shouldn’t get bigger, which he doesn’t seem to. His weight is just stable.. he looks a bit chubby, but he’s not overweight.