Fat Cat or Thin Cat?

A part of proper cat ownership is to watch your cat’s weight and to make sure that they are neither too fat nor too thin. In order to figure this out, you should examine your cat quite often and look for the telltale signs of being too thin or too fat. If you cat’s ribs are visible, then your cat may be too thin. The ribs may show or you may be able to feel it on a thick haired cat with seemingly no palpable fat anywhere. You may also observe some slight abdominal tuck as well as no visible fat on your cat.

On the other hand a cat that is too fat may have ribs that are not obviously seen and may be covered by excess fat. When observing your cat, you may notice that it might not have a visible waist. Instead their waist has become rounded with excess fat. Your cat would seem rounded with the prominent abdominal fat as well as with fat deposits over the back area.

Obviously one of the best solutions to fixing your cat’s weight problem is to make sure that she is on a proper feeding regimen. During the various stages of your cat’s life, she will require different nutritional needs and therefore a varied feeding program. Check with your vet if you are not sure what type of food to feed your cat.

During the kitten stage, you should know that they require twice as much energy per pound of their body weight than an adult cat does. Kittens also need to be weaned during the first six to eight weeks of their life, after that they are then given a regular diet comprised of a well balanced food that will ensure proper growth. Kittens should be fed at least three to four times a day with lots of clean water always available for them. This regimen is to help provide the cat’s nutritional needs during its rapid growth spurt.

Between seven months to a year, you should be able to reduce your cat’s feeding times to just twice a day. Keep in mind that this is on an individual basis. The amount that you would actually feed would depend on the level of activity and body condition of your cat.

Remember to always have your cat checked out by your vet to rule out any underlying medical conditions as to why your cat is too thin or too fat.