Large Siberian Cat
by Laura
(Grand Rapids, MI)
I have a 19.4 lb Siberian. The vet gave me a major chewing out that I was miss treating my cat by over feeding him.
We give him 1/4 cup of quality food twice a day. He eats it instantly and always wants more. No table scraps.
He is active and as curious as all get out. We love our cat. He's just a big, big boy. His brother from the liter is 18 pounds.
Laura
Hi Laura.... thanks for sharing. He is large, and yes, I agree with your vet in some ways that he is overweight and a good percentage of the 19.4 lbs is fat!
But I also understand the difficulties in keeping weight off cats.
It seems that you feed him dry food. Am I right? The high carbohydrate content of dry cat food can encourage overeating as cats get a sugar rush and become mildly hypoglycemic.
You might try wet cat food and some tough discipline. I know that is easy to say and that it sounds harsh as well, but cats can get into a habit of eating too much and we generate the habits.
We are in control ultimately. They ask for diner and we supply it. They ask for more and we give it. Maybe we should respond all the time. I don't respond every time. Perhaps some form of distraction might divert his attention from food!
All that said I really do understand the problems as I fall into them myself. Cats can be very persistent and persuasive. I have learned that from cats.
Michael
One way to tell if your baby is overweight or just a large kitty is to feel along the ribcage. To get an unbiased opinion, go to your local shelter where they assess hundreds, sometimes thousands of cats every year. In my opinion, they will give you a more honest answer. Don’t take your cat for them to examine. Ask them to show you a cat(s) that is a good weight, as well as cats who are underweight and overweight. Then use what you’ve learned to assess your own furbaby. My baby comes in right at 18 lbs and is just right using the “rib standard”. He was a little under 15 lbs when I first adopted him and he definitely felt thin. While his true lineage is known only to his mother and father, more than one vet has said that he has all of the features of a Norwegian Forest Cat and that also supports him being healthy at 18 lbs. I guess what I’m trying to say is that don’t let one person’s opinion have so much influence. If your lifestyle allows for it, maybe you could become a volunteer at a shelter. Besides learning a lot about cats (and dogs), you’ll be helping homeless animals on their path to a forever home.
=^..^=
Thanks Larry for your contribution to this page.
I’d like to know whether he lost weight. If you return to this page, please tell us.