Are Indoor Cats Just More Prone To Being Slightly Overweight?
By Cherryd41
@Cherryd41 (1119)
United States
January 15, 2010 2:08pm CST
Its been my experience with all the Indoor cats I've owned that they are just going to be slightly or moderately overweight. My cat Jinx is a 3 year old male tabby. When we got him he weighed about 11 pounds. We've had him for almost 3 years and he is now 17 pounds when we take him to the vets they always write down in their exam records about him being slightly overweight. My husband and I have told them that we are not over feeding him we give him smaller portions as they suggested and only feed him twice a day as instructed we also give him the 1/2 calorie Indoor Cat Science Diet,also Jinx is active he runs around playing with his toy mouse he even plays fetch with it if we throw it he chases it sometimes he just runs around the house as cats do for no reason at all but to get exercise I imagine
Also I do know by nature cats like to lounge around a lotwhich is part of the reason I'm sure lol
Anyway nothing seems to work I've talked with severa; indoor cat owners and their stories are identical to mine also I was watching a cable show called CATS 101 and they were saying that the tabby breed is a stocky sized cat by nature.
I am interested in your thoughts or suggestions indoor cats who seems to stay slightly overweight?
Also I do know by nature cats like to lounge around a lotwhich is part of the reason I'm sure lol
Anyway nothing seems to work I've talked with severa; indoor cat owners and their stories are identical to mine also I was watching a cable show called CATS 101 and they were saying that the tabby breed is a stocky sized cat by nature.
I am interested in your thoughts or suggestions indoor cats who seems to stay slightly overweight?1 person likes this
12 responses
@AShraderJr (156)
• United States
16 Jan 10
Hi Cherry ,
I don't think the Indoor/Outdoor cat thing matters. I have an outside cat at my house that FAR out weighs my indoor cats. All are domestic short hair cats. Nothing special. It seems that the skinniest of my three is the most active. He wrestle with my dog! I think it has to do a lot with activity level. Just as in humans. And I believe that some cats just have slower metabolisms, Just like humans. So I think you are doing the right thing by feeding your cat portioned meals twice a day. Just as long as he stays active he should live a long healthy life in my opinion.
I have built my indoor cats a "Tree" (Carpet covered structure that they can climb) so that they will have something to climb on and exercise. I find that a little cat nip on each level doesn't hurt there motivation either :o) - Tony
@Cherryd41 (1119)
• United States
16 Jan 10
Hi AshraderJr
Thanks for the tip I've seen on television how some cat owners built their cats indoor tree houses to give them the opportunity to exercise also you have a good point about the metabolism of individual cats some are higher than others just like in humans . He is healthy and happy so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing
@varron (453)
• Philippines
15 Jan 10
It depends upon the situation of the environments that the cats lives in. Foods and good condition makes them overweight. If the indoor cats are regularly feed and have no health problems then that there are tendencies that the particular cats would gain more weight. If it not so then it will have a normal body weight or a loose weight.
there are also outdoor cats who have a lot of foods sources outside such as those living near the food chain areas, some cats use to have their foods in the trash their that could trigger their obesity.
In general point of views, indoor cats could gain more weights rather than the outdoor cats because they are feed properly and their owners take good care of them.
@Cherryd41 (1119)
• United States
15 Jan 10
Hi Varron
Thanks for the feedback you made some good points and I agree with your point about if the cat has no health problems that they can tend to be overweight because that is just what I think is the situation with my cat Jinx
Do you have an indoor or outdoor cat?
@mommaj (23112)
• United States
16 Jan 10
The most important thing is to keep your cat happy and healthy. Breed of cat has a lot to do with build. I also think most of the inside cats have been "fixed". If that is the case with yours, that puts on extra weight as well. If your cat is acting fine than chances are good he is healthy. Feed him as the vet recommends to continue his good health and he should be fine. The cat I have now is probably 13 pounds and close to 13 years old. She still runs like a kitten when SHE WANTS to. LOL
@shell2784 (752)
• United States
15 Jan 10
My little Dexter is more than slightly overweight... and there's really not too much i can do about it as far as I know. I know the vet told me to put a box over the food dish so only my smaller cat could get to it (a little ridiculous i think) but I only feed them 2x a day anyway... and the dog eats most of the cats' food. lol
I did start letting dexter go outside from time to time. Its especially nice b/c he seems to want to go outside to go to the bathroom which means less litter box cleanup for me! HOORAY!
I'd say don't worry about it. Its a cat, he's happy, he's healthy - he'll be fine :)
@Cherryd41 (1119)
• United States
15 Jan 10
Hi Shell2784
You hit the nail right on the head with that one as long as he's happy and healthy (which he is) he will be just fine thanks for the comment
@kaylachan (57636)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 Jan 10
I've seen cats 101. Its about the only show I watch on Animal Planet. But that's not the point of the topic. Yes It is true in a lot of cases cats tend to become slightly overweight, but its nothing to be concerned over as long as your cat is eating, drinking, and moving about as is normal for him. True your cat's breed is known to have more muscle mass, which isn't a bad thing.
You are doing right by your cat, but its all in how cats diagest food. Sometimes despite the ammount, cats diagest food differently no matter how much they move. We feed our cat the same two brands of cat food, and he hovers in and out of the normal range. For one Precious is an older cat, so even though he runs and plays from time to time, its not as much as when he was a kitten. Also his motablisim has slowed due to his age. So when that slows they don't burn off a lot of the fat in foods as quickly even if they run and play. It has nothing to do with being indoor or outdoor. Its just how your cat is, and sounds like he's just fine.
@Cherryd41 (1119)
• United States
15 Jan 10
Hi Kaylachan
Thanks for the comment I like that show Cats 101 nice to see someone else watches it as well and your absolutely right about the muscle mass on the DSH tabby I do remember them saying that on the show regarding that breed of cat
@washingtonmark (367)
• United States
17 Jan 10
When I have a cat I always let them be both indoor and outdoor cats, but I would imagine keeping a cat inside all the time would make it eat more. And almost any indoor cat I have seen has been over weight, while my cat which is indoor/outdoor is a healthy weight.
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
16 Jan 10
Yes, especially cats that are alone indoors, meaning that you have one cat, and no others.
See, my cats have always had someone else to play with and share things with. I have four cats, and they keep each other very busy. They are not overweight, and they get a lot of exercise because they will chase each other a lot, and they will eat, but they will not eat too much because they have family to share with. I have seen cats, that are indoor cats, that are all by themselves, that are overweight because they have nothing to do.
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
16 Jan 10
ya know, a tabby is a color - is he an "American short hair"? they tend to be "cobby" cats.
I have a bunch of cats, a couple came to us very over weight and have lost weight, others came in as kittens and have gotten quite fat.
Because we "free feed" well, with this many cats, you almost have to, we do have trouble limiting what the over weight ones eat - tho we can let the under weight ones into a separate room for feeding up a bit.
17 lbs is a heavy weight, is he a big boy? We have one tipping the scales in that range, but he's a REALLY big cat!
@calai618 (1773)
• Philippines
16 Jan 10
I definitely agree. we have a couple of cats around the house and all they do is sleep and sleep and sleep. they dont need to find food so no stress and no effort. unlike other cats (stray) outside our house who are inn search for food and shelter all the time, the cats at home are more relaxed so they tend to gain a lot of weight. i notice stray cats in here are "athletic" (lol)and are very active and fit. :D
@randylovesdar (4932)
• United States
16 Jan 10
My three indoor cats eat a lot, but they are so active that they stay skinny. They chase each other around. I feed them once a day and they eat dry food throughout the day. I love the show Cats 101. My cat Smyles will sit in front of the television set and stare at them. He tried to hit them and growls at them. It is so cute.
Playing with him is a good thing. I had a tabby and they do tend to be bigger than some other breeds.
@bhawanee (174)
• India
16 Jan 10
Dear cherry41, it is not your fault because many cats have a habit of stealing food in our absence may be without your notice your cat might be taking some extra food by which it is overweight. I don't mean this discussion to hurt your feelings towards your pet. In fact it is good to have overweight so that when people see your pet they say that you are giving good food and caring a lot.
@maria1081 (1251)
• Philippines
16 Jan 10
I heard in the news before that according to the survey, indoor pets are likely to be overweight. And usually the animals were dogs and cats. Indoor pets are most likely to be overweight partly because the pet owners are not also active in doing outdoor excercises. Pet owners dont walk their pets frequently as they should which resulted to overeating and lazy sleeping.
