[Ygrec23]

We've got four cats: two male, two female. All different ages. We can't go to the vet for advice since we owe her too much money. Are there such things as optimal weights for cats of a given breed, age and sex? All of our cats are just alleycats, no fancy breeds. But they range in age from five to 17. Some eat a lot and others not. It would be nice to have an idea as to whether we're over-feeding some of them and what exactly we ought to do. Please share any wisdom regarding cat weight you may have picked up over the years. Thanks in advance for your help. Take care!

[Vibe]

The ideal weight for cats can vary a lot depending on breed, sex, and build. For one of my cats, weighing 10 lbs would make her overweight. My male would be on the low side of normal though. I've heard that healthy average weights can be anywhere between 5 and 18 lbs (not counting kitten weights of course).

One of the best ways to gauge whether your cat is too fat or not is to feel for the ribs. There should be a thin layer of fat over them so you can easily feel but not easily see the ribs. At our clinic we have a visual chart to use in order to gauge whether an animal is too fat or skinny. I can't seem to find it online, but this one should do fine in it's place: http://www.maxshouse.com/nutrition/B...stem-Chart.jpg You can also mess around with this one and see where your cats fit: http://promotions.petsmart.com/landi...ns-score.shtml Make sure to calculate correctly for furry pets though. I hope that helps.

If you do decide to put one or more of your cats on a weight loss plan, be very careful about how you do it. A cat should lose no more than 1-2% of their mass per week. Also, you want to make sure that the cat has enough protein, and loses fat instead of muscle mass. Check the top-line of the cat (along the spine, shoulders, and top of the head) to make sure muscle mass isn't being lost. I'd also watch out for energy loss, since that could indicate that the cat isn't getting enough of what it needs. Good luck to you and your kitties!

[Ygrec23]

Thank you so much, Vibe!

[lizardlady]

Ygrec, I don't think you can put a number on a healthy weight for a cat because they vary so much in size etc. Here's a link that shows pictures of various weights with a description.

http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/body-condition-scoring-chart

[danvb]

One of the best ways to gauge whether your cat is too fat or not is to feel for the ribs.

Uh oh... I hope this isn't true... because I don't think either of my cats even HAVE any ribs... at least, I haven't been able to feel any for a long, long time...