My Cat is Fat:(

[segelkatt]

No more grumbling but he is certainly letting me know when it is past his lunch or dinner time. I think he has a clock in his belly. Then he makes these meow-y kind of noises that don't stop until the dish is on the floor. They are not really a meow, sort of snorting and they are very loud.I will have to weigh him again soon, he still looks very fat and he has these two handfuls of mushy stuff hanging on his belly just in front of his hind legs, I think that is just fat. But it appears that his belly is not hanging down as much, maybe because he is getting more exercises.

 

[segelkatt]

I weighed him today by first weighing myself and then weighing me with him in my arms. Result: it appears that he has lost 1'6 lbs since I got him about 6 weeks ago just by feeding him only one big can per day divided into 3 meals, no snacks, no treats. Sometimes he complains that there is not enough but usually walks away after eating half to return a little later to eat the rest. So I don't think he is starving although losing this much weight seems to be a bit much. On the other hand, at the sanctuary he could eat as much as he wanted at any time which is how he got so pudgy.

 

[Cat McCannon]

No more grumbling but he is certainly letting me know when it is past his lunch or dinner time. I think he has a clock in his belly. Then he makes these meow-y kind of noises that don't stop until the dish is on the floor. They are not really a meow, sort of snorting and they are very loud.I will have to weigh him again soon, he still looks very fat and he has these two handfuls of mushy stuff hanging on his belly just in front of his hind legs, I think that is just fat. But it appears that his belly is not hanging down as much, maybe because he is getting more exercises.

The two handfuls of mushy stuff hanging in front of his hind legs is called a “primordial pouch” and many cats have them. The primordial pouch isn’t a sign of being overweight.

Good work, getting your cats weight down. It’s hard to resist the temptation to feed them too much!

 

[Alldara]

I weighed him today by first weighing myself and then weighing me with him in my arms. Result: it appears that he has lost 1'6 lbs since I got him about 6 weeks ago just by feeding him only one big can per day divided into 3 meals, no snacks, no treats. Sometimes he complains that there is not enough but usually walks away after eating half to return a little later to eat the rest. So I don't think he is starving although losing this much weight seems to be a bit much. On the other hand, at the sanctuary he could eat as much as he wanted at any time which is how he got so pudgy.

1.6 lbs in 6 weeks might be too fast of weight loss. Check the math to ensure Safe weight loss should be a slow-ish process or it can be dangerous to internal organs.

Creating a Weight Reduction Plan for Cats).

 

[segelkatt]

1.6 lbs in 6 weeks might be too fast of weight loss. Check the math to ensure Safe weight loss should be a slow-ish process or it can be dangerous to internal organs.

Creating a Weight Reduction Plan for Cats).

It has been a while. He now weighs 16 lbs and has been at that weight for a few months. I am wondering if that is his proper weight as it does not go up or down and he still eats the same amount. His belly is no longer brushing the floor. How can I tell if he is still fat or is just fluffy? His fur is 2 inches long and lays down within a few moments after stroking it backwards. His tail is not fluffy as the fur lays down but is not sleek either. He does not look like a basketball anymore either, much longer than he is wide. This boy does not play with anything, goes gaga over catnip, likes to sit on the balcony watching whatever, never goes out the front door, just sits there when I take out the trash waiting for me to come back in, is not afraid of strangers but is curious about them. I have now had him for 7 months, he still sits on me every chance he gets, sleeps with me and there is one small problem which has happened several times. After we have gone to bed sometimes he snuggles up close to my head, mostly sleeps on my feet. On those nights when he sleeps next to my head he has at times when I am almost asleep he suddenly rises up and pounces on my head with his claws out and his mouth wide open, then runs like hell. He has made puncture marks on me, usually on my skull where my hair grows but also on my forehead and I have to get up and put antibiotics on the wounds to keep them from getting infected. After a while he returns back to sleep on my feet. Whatever would make him do that? I wasn't moving and neither was he, in fact he was purring. Once he grabbed my arm and I saw 4 bleeding puncture marks on it which needed antibiotic cream on them. Needless to say, now I push him off and cover my face and head as much as possible whenever he comes close to my head after I have gone to bed. Any ideas? He never does that at any other time of the day, not even when I take a nap.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, since he's causing physical damage, you might keep him out of your bedroom for a while. It is challenging to know what is causing him to react so strongly, but there's another current thread with a similar situation where the cat is startled and reacts with teeth and claws like this.

How can I tell if he is still fat or is just fluffy?

This is from Wikihow, and is probably the best description I found;

A cat's ribs, spine, hips, and shoulders should be fairly bony to the touch.
Run your hand along the side of your cat, and see if you can feel the ribs without applying too much pressure. While very visible and pointy bones may indicate your cat is underweight, in a healthy cat you should be able to easily detect ribs, hip bones, spine bones, and shoulder bones through gentle petting.
Also examine the base of your cat's tail. You should also be able to feel bones near the base of your cat's tail. Lumps or fat deposits in this areas may be a sign of feline obesity.

 

[Alldara]

Are you trimming his claws? It could be accidental if his claws are too sharp or too long.
Cats are not exactly nocturnal, but are dawn-dusk creatures. So he's likely trying to get you to play at the time when he has energy.

For play, keep experimenting. He needs to get playing for his physical and emotional health (reduces stress). Since he likes food, you could try some puzzle feeders to start with.

I found Dharma cat toys with catnip on them worked well. Go Cat Da Bee is Calcifer's favourite, a laser pointer and also he likes this knock-off nerf gun that I got (he chases the darts).


Guide to get a cat playing:
- pick a time usually morning or after dinner where you can dedicate 15 minutes. Preferably both (so twice a day)
- stick to the schedule and try and get the cat playing. It can take a long time to get them to start. Do not give up for the entire 15 minutes.
- some cats take a long time to "warm up". It may look at first just like following the toy with their eyes and getting the "kitten eyes". This maybe be like this for a couple weeks
- try different areas of the home like on your bed where the cat can get more traction.
-move the toy in different ways, under things, fast, slow, wiggling, still for a minute, creeping, hopping. See what makes your cat tense and watch more. That's how he wants to play.
-try different toy textures and sizes. Don't be afraid just to attach something to a stick and try it out. You can make the toy more durable later if they like it.
The biggest mistake I hear people make when they say their cat won't play, is getting to impatient and giving up quickly. Keep the schedule, play for the whole time even with by yourself. Experiment and recognize watching as a vital part of cat play. You've got this!

 

[segelkatt]

Hi, since he's causing physical damage, you might keep him out of your bedroom for a while. It is challenging to know what is causing him to react so strongly, but there's another current thread with a similar situation where the cat is startled and reacts with teeth and claws like this.


This is from Wikihow, and is probably the best description I found;

A cat's ribs, spine, hips, and shoulders should be fairly bony to the touch.
Run your hand along the side of your cat, and see if you can feel the ribs without applying too much pressure. While very visible and pointy bones may indicate your cat is underweight, in a healthy cat you should be able to easily detect ribs, hip bones, spine bones, and shoulder bones through gentle petting.
Also examine the base of your cat's tail. You should also be able to feel bones near the base of your cat's tail. Lumps or fat deposits in this areas may be a sign of feline obesity.

That was a lot of help. Yes, I can feel his bones everywhere under a slight layer of what? Fat, skin? doesn't feel like much. There are however, on both sides of his belly next to his hind legs these folds of flesh that I don't remember having felt on a cat before. When he turns up his belly for a session of belly rubs which he loves, they disappear. I wonder what they are.

regarding his night attacks: he did it again last night, this time the lights were still on and he was walking around on the bed and on me looking for a cozy spot. then he sat on my chest and I saw that his pupils were dilated until almost round. Then pounce! towards my head and he put 4 bloody scratches on my arm and a scuff on my forehead, then calmly got off the bed to places unknown, returning after a while to go to sleep on my feet. Had to get up and doctor my wounds.
He is not interested in any toys. I tried those that have food inside, no go; da Bird - he'd rather chew on the string and chew the feathers off but not chase it; laser pointer - boooring! Fox Tail - an electronic gadget with a fox tail that comes in and out at random intervals - 30 sec of watching but not trying to catch it. Not interested in my feet moving under the covers either. Balls rolling on the floor, crumpled up tin foil or paper - nothing. I did not see him interacting with the other cats at the sanctuary when I picked him up and I was there for 2 hours.

 

[Furballsmom]

Yes, I can feel his bones everywhere under a slight layer of what? Fat, skin? doesn't feel like much.

This is probably just about perfect body condition.

When he turns up his belly for a session of belly rubs which he loves, they disappear.

I'm not positive but this sounds like what my Captain has, and it's something cats get called a primordial pouch.

I quoted a little, below, from this article which also goes into thoughts as to what the purpose of the pouch is, and whether it's an indication if a cat is overweight (no);
The Primordial Pouch: All About Your Cat’s Adorable Belly Flap

“Primordial pouch” is just a fancy name for the soft, saggy flap of skin under a cat’s belly, explains Dr. Chyrle Bonk, DVM, an associate veterinarian at Clearwater Valley Veterinary Clinic in Orofino, Idaho. It runs the length of the cat’s underside, but is typically more pronounced near the back legs.
The primordial pouch is a mix of fat, skin and fur,” says Dr. Bonk. “All cats have primordial pouches—they are just different sizes depending on your kitty.”
Cats begin to develop stomach pouches during kittenhood, typically around 6 months old. And the feature isn’t unique to house cats, she notes. Big cats, including lions and tigers, have them as well.

I still think it would be better for your health to disallow him from your bedroom.

 

[Alldara]

Seconding above re: primordial pouch.

Re: big eyes and then the attack. That's basically what happens before a cat hunts something. You NEED to find a way to get him playing with something appropriate if you want the behaviour to stop.
The "attacks" are happening because he has too much pent up energy.

Perhaps posting a video of what happens when you try and play with him would help us see? Otherwise, consider reaching out to your vet about it. there may be a medical issue limiting your cats play. SOme posters have mentioned having cats as young as 1 year old with severe arthritis that was only discovered with an x-ray. I believe K Kflowers your cat has arthritis young?

There are many different toys and enrichment ideas. Putting "cat enrichment" into YouTube comes up with hundreds of things.

There's load of ideas here:
Looking for your best, most creative enrichment ideas
How to get my cat to play more
How to play with a senior cat?

 

[Kflowers]

Arthritis comes in many forms from different causes same for animals as people.

Our cat proved to have arthritis at 11 months. No doubt she had it long before that since she was rather aggressive when it didn't make sense for her to be. Learning of the arthritis we knew where not to touch, how to pick her up differently from other cats, and got her on dasuquin, all of which cut down on the aggressiveness a lot.

Our cat was injured before we got her. Any cat or kitten can be injured from falling off of almost anything, which they do all the time. Such a fall or a bad fight with a strange animal (and accidentally from their companion animals) can cause arthritis.

The best way to determine if your cat has arthritis is to get a full body x-ray, with a cat one or two plates will cover it. Don't guess, don't let the vet guess. Some vets manipulate the legs to see if they hear or feel a crunching sound. No. The x-ray shows the damage without the sometimes painful manipulation. AND the x-ray will show whether there is arthritis or other damage to the spine or sternum (where our cat has it) that leg manipulation won't.