Cats most often lead a sedentary lifestyle and love to eat. And if you get a bit too generous, you might end up overfeeding your cat and making it fat and heavy. It can be hard to determine whether your cat is overweight as it depends on the age, size, and breed of the cat. But with a few key pointers, you’d be able to find the perfect weight for your cat. Here are a few ways for you to do just that.

Your cat’s breed

Not all cats are meant to be of the same size. Some cats are small while some are large and each breed grows differently due to varying body structures. For example, a Siamese cat is ideally between 5-7 pounds, while a Maine Coon can be over 25 pounds while being well below the overweight mark. Most cats have an ideal average weight of around 10 pounds, but even then, some might be overweight and may need an organic L-carnitine supplement to lose weight. In contrast, others may be underweight and need a healthy cat multivitamin supplement to get back in shape.

By researching up your cat’s breed, you’ll be able to find the average weight of the breed. Again, this weight is only an approximate figure and you will have to consider the other factors discussed in this article.

Once you’ve got your cat’s breed, you can either continue experimenting and finding the right weight yourself or consult a vet to help you out. They would be able to conduct checkups and determine whether your cat is overweight or not.

Age

Your cat’s age, as you’d expect, also plays a role in determining the optimal weight. For example, the ideal weight for your cat when it’s one year old might be 6 pounds, while it may be 12 pounds when your cat is four years old. Again, you’d have to correlate the age of your cat with its breed and check whether it’s underweight, overweight, or normal.

For cats that are over ten years of age, it becomes crucial that you maintain their weight as they have a higher risk of getting diabetes, arthritis, or any digestive problems. Cats that are overweight can also have lower energy levels which will only contribute to more weight gain.

Using a cat weight calculator

You can find many cat weight calculators online to make your job a lot easier. These calculators have average weights for all breeds and all ages already encoded to quickly determine if your cat is heavier than it needs to be. All you need to do is add your cat’s weight, age, and breed to get the results.

Another way to determine if your cat is heavier than normal is by comparing its physical appearance to weight charts. Weight charts provide figures that highlight specific key aspects to look out for. For example, a thin cat may have a frail figure with its ribs jutting out, while an overweight cat may be puffy, with a wide belly. These charts will show you how an ideally weighing cat looks like.

Unfortunately, it might be difficult to find such charts for all breeds. If your cat is of a rare breed, you might find it more reliable to rely on the calculator.

Talking to your vet

Consulting your vet will also provide the same help, if not more, as they can physically check your cat and use their expertise to check for any signs of unhealthy weight gain. Through the checkups, you can know what the right weight for your cat is and what changes you need to make to its diet to ensure it’s perfectly normal. This way, you won’t have to go to your vet every time you feel like your cat is out of shape.

Are you feeding your cat correctly?

How much and what your cat feeds on is the most general and crucial aspect of its weight. It might feel bad to deny your cat’s food cravings, but overfeeding it will only put its life at greater risk.

Observe how much you feed your cat. Check the labels on your cat food packages and find out the right amount of food you need to feed your cat in a day. You’ll find an approximate calorie count for different ages and breed online.

Compare them to the amount of food you’re giving to your cat. This way, you’ll be able to check whether you’re feeding your cat too much. This method can really help you in checking if your cat is heavier than usual as any excess calories will result in the building of stored fat, making your cat heavier.

Conclusion

As a cat parent, you will take some time to find the right weight and energy levels for your cat. Over time, you’d get a better understanding from your visits to the vet and your own observations to be able to manage your cat’s weight and meal portions very easily.