Size of cat

mmin

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Hi, i just wanted to get other's opinions on the size of my cat. if he's a good size, or if i should increase his food, or reduce it. Attached are pictures from a few directions.
 

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Father of furbabies

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He is not bony or underweight for his size nor is he chunky looking from what I can see.

As long as he is active, I would say keep his amount the same. If he gets less active, cut back on the food (basically calorie counting for him). If he seems to get skinny (you can start seeing his bones or other signs of weight loss), increase his food but also take him to a vet to make sure there is no parasite or medical issue.

This is an opinion from a person not trained in pet care or their medical field so take what I say with a grain of salt.
 

MissClouseau

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You can get an around number from the vet who sees and physically examines your cat.

Based on these pictures it definitely doesn't look like he is underweight so you don't need to increase the food. He seems either at a normal weight or a bit overweight. Another way vets check body condition score at the physical exam is if you can feel the ribs. Apparently we are supposed to be able to feel them like we feel the bones on our hands, under some fat, but still able to feel.
 

sivyaleah

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First question is how old is he?
I agree he seems well fed as is. He appears to be a British Shorthair? Or, a mix thereof? They do tend to be somewhat chonky/cobby in appearance.
Your vet would be best qualified to determine if he's at a good weight but to my eyes he seems fine.
 
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mmin

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First question is how old is he?
I agree he seems well fed as is. He appears to be a British Shorthair? Or, a mix thereof? They do tend to be somewhat chonky/cobby in appearance.
Your vet would be best qualified to determine if he's at a good weight but to my eyes he seems fine.
thanks everyone! i will be sure to get the vet's opinion the next time he goes for a check up. He's turning 2 this coming may! so slightly more than 1.5 years old at the moment! He's a scottish fold, so a mix between a scottish and a british shorthair! he's about 4.6 to 4.8kg these days.
 

white shadow

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Hi M mmin !

Here's a post I wrote to someone else a few days ago - with a chart and a suggestion about how to use it....and, what to look for: Is My Cat Overweight.

Can you see the contours between the abdomen and the leg muscles on the chart? Those should be clearly visible to you.

Hope that helps!.
.
 

sivyaleah

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thanks everyone! i will be sure to get the vet's opinion the next time he goes for a check up. He's turning 2 this coming may! so slightly more than 1.5 years old at the moment! He's a scottish fold, so a mix between a scottish and a british shorthair! he's about 4.6 to 4.8kg these days.
First I forgot to mention that he's ADORABLE!

His weight seems normal for his age but I'm not familiar with what's average for that breed. For instance, our 9 month old Maine Coon kitten is the same weight, which sounds crazy when written down but...she's long and lean. She's a larger than average breed (way larger in fact) and all muscle, very different looking than a SF and has a LONG way to go before she reaches her final weight which could top out around the 15 pound or more mark without her looking overweight.

Scottish Folds are stocky and compact, and while not excessively big are broad and muscular looking at the right weight. If I remember correctly, they tend to grow a bit slower than some other breeds similar to the Maine Coon, so he may not yet be fully grown and have reached his final weight. So it would be good to keep an eye on making sure he doesn't slide into the "pudgy" side as he's only probably a few pounds away from being is final weight :lol:
 

stephanietx

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Here's a body condition chart you can use to assess your kitty's weight. In my house, we tend to create sausage like kitties and have to routinely cut down on food intake to help them be a bit more in the healthy range. The vet is always amazed when we bring in our kitties because they see so many overweight kitties.

https://www.library.tufts.edu/vet/images/bcs_cat.pdf
 
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