Member

Posts: 38
From:Louisiana
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 11-09-2003 07:34 PM         

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A kitty started coming to my house on the brink of starvation, so I took him in, about 5 months ago, and gave him a name (Wolverine). Anyways, he got his health back and now he really likes to eat. Alot. He seems healthy, but his tummy kindof "hangs" down around his back legs. It feels like loose skin. Is this a bad thing, or just due to his favourite pastime (eating)??

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Member

Posts: 15
From:Richmond, Virginia
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-09-2003 09:09 PM         

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Our 11 year old kitty that is sick now was 18lbs when we adopted her when she was 2. Her skin hangs like that also and her belly is wide and she waddles. She's down to 16lbs but needs to loose more. Is your cat indoor or outdoor? Also do you know the approximate age of your kitty and have you taken him in to the Vet for annual checkup? If you have a Vet already talk to them about getting him on the diet program because we are finding out that when an obese cat gets sick then you really have to act fast or their organs will start failing. Let me know what kind of food he's on. Take care. Paula

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Member

Posts: 790
From:uk
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 11-10-2003 03:42 AM         

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Hi, If the cat was originally fat before he either strayed or was abandoned then because he was on the brink of starvation this is where the saggy skin comes from...

Overweight cats when put on a diet sometimes get a saggy belly near there hind legs and is nothing to worry about.

but a chat with your vet will let you know if all is ok..

Male cats have a tendancy to over eat they are like male dogs can be very greedy at times....

If your cat is overweight cut his meals time put him on a timetable that he only gets fed every couple of hours...

Milk is bad for cats and can also make them gain weight so water is best for them ..

keep us posted of his progress..

And you Sound like a real caring person to take an animal in off the streets and bring him back to good health

good luck with him

mike

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Member

Posts: 478
From:Dallas, Texas
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 11-10-2003 05:50 AM         

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our fat cat was lost when we moved, then we found him 2 1/2 yrs. later a couple of neighborhoods over from our new one, some friends found him and they new our old address. yea! so we got him back, but he became very greedy when it came to food, i guess he wanted to always be full after not knowing what he was going to eat for 2 1/2 years! That may be part of why he eats so much, he wants the security of being full. As for the empty skin, I believe that can also be caused by having been fixed, but i am not sure.

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Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 11-10-2003 07:09 AM         

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I believe all cats have that saggy belly thing. My cats both do, and neither one is fat nor have they ever been fat.

Jamiya

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Member

Posts: 996
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 11-10-2003 09:46 AM         

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Most cats, males especially have a little fat pad that hangs down. If he is a healthy weight I wouldn't worry about it.

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Member

Posts: 38
From:Louisiana
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 11-10-2003 02:21 PM         

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Thanx for all the replies. The feedback was very helpful in determining if Wolverine was sick or not. I will, however, schedule a vet visit juust to make sure!
Paula- He is an outdoor/indoor kitty and he eats purina one "active health managment".
(do you think i should change the formula?)

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posted 11-10-2003 02:34 PM           

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I have a six week old kitten that want stop eating as well. He is a male too. He always seems really hungry. I put it down to maybe he being the runt of the litter as he was real tiny when I got him. Suppose to be six weeks old but I doubt it. I have had him two weeks now and he looks maybe six weeks now. Should I only feed him a couple of times a day now??? I have been letting him eat whenever he wants. Bad mommy I know but he is hungry well thats what he is telling me LOL. Jan

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Member

Posts: 123
From:Vancouver, WA USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 11-10-2003 04:54 PM         

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For the young kitten:

Let him eat as much as he wants. Kittens are both active and growing so they need much more food per pound than an adult cat. The majority of the time a cat will eat what it needs without going into excess.

For the cat that was a stray:

I've heard that strays sometimes overeat because they are not used to having a reliable food source, so they're "stocking up" while they can. After he learns to trust that food is not scarce he'll stop overeating. Also, worms can cause a round stomach, if he hasn't been wormed yet you might want to do that.

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Moderator

Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 11-10-2003 08:59 PM         

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I have 6 cats, 4 of them have belly pouches....3 of those with belly pouches are overweight and the other is not but still has a hangy, loose belly pouch. My other 2 are thin and have no belly pouch at all. I think it just depends on the cat.

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Vanessa

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Member

Posts: 15
From:Richmond, Virginia
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-12-2003 07:56 PM         

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Dear Blak,
Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. Calley had to have surgery yesterday. They let me visit her today and am hoping she'll be home by the weekend. Being that your cat goes outside and get some exercise is a plus. I would make an appointment with your Vet or call them and let them know what's going on with the weight issue and see what type of food they recommend. I feed Calley the Hill's AD but I heard this week that they have a new food out that's a better diet food so I'm going to check that out and ask my Vet about it. If I find any info about it I'll post it for you. Take care. Paula

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