My boyfriend insists that Santana is overweight and has to be put on a diet.

He seemed to be skinny to me when he came from Germany 2 months ago and my goal was to fatten him up. He was 6.5 lbs at 7.5 months and now he is almost 8 lbs. at 9.5 months. But he has very cobby body which is as far as I know good for shows. He also has long fur everywhere including his belly.

He is on a raw diet (very low in carbohydrates) with plenty of variety (beef, chicken, hens, rabbit, lamb, turkey, fish, organs etc.). Also, he gets PLENTY of excercise every day, with Julian, me or my boyfriend - he runs up and downstairs like crazy until he is totally exhausted, he jumps, climbs etc. and is very active and energetic.

I have to admit that he loves food and eats a lot (but he also burns lots of energy) and he seems to look like a ball with quite of a "pot belly". About a month ago when he was sick and I was treating him he received treatment for worms and parasites, so this is not the reason for a "belly".

I looked at this website where they say how to determine obesity in cats:
 http://www.placervillevet.com/feline%20body%20condition.htm

but I'm not sure it is very well applicable to persians. Anyway I definitely can't see any "waist" in my fluffy furballs - and do you?

In the past months I took him to 4 vets and I'm not sure I want to take him to a vet again just for this issue (but I'm ready to if needed).

Any thoughts/ideas/advice would be highly appreciated!

Not seeing him it is hard to tell but Persians are stocky heavy cats. Sparky is 8lbs (almost) and I think she is skinny. :shock:  If you are concerned you could ask the vet but I don't think at that age you should be worried he is a growing boy and probably just fine. Lani is 13 lbs, now she is FAT :shock:  

First off, KUDOS to you for taking such good care of him since he arrived! I remember how sick he was when he arrived, and it's so wonderful to hear how well he's adjusted and how active he is with Julian and his humans .

He doesn't sound overweight to me in my unexpert opinion.  I think you're right that the guidelines on that website doesn't work as well for persians.  Phoenix is barely normal weight and I don't see a real waist b/c of the fluff.   I think the ability to palpate ribs and weight in the face would be better indicators.

When we were putting weight on Phoenix, the vet told me to track weights, something which might help you to match Santana's intake with metabolic need.  Keep feeding him as you are doing and check his weight 2-3 times a week. You probably already know this, but he told me to weigh myself and then pick him up, using the same scale, at the same time of day, for every weighing.  If Santana's weight is stable, he's getting the right amount for his activity level.  Since he's really still a kitten, I wouldn't be concerned about slight increases in weight. If there is a continued increases over the weeks, you could reduce his portion, but feed more frequently so he doesn't feel deprived/hungry.  I don't know if your vet will consult over the phone, but you could run the numbers by him/her  in a couple of weeks.

Never put a Persian you are planning to show on a diet. That is my advice to you. The bigger the better!

Unless he has a big fat belly I don't think he's overweight.

I just weighed Smokey. He's 7 months old now and weighs 8.5 pounds! He's definitely not starving  :lol:  but I don't think he's overweight either.

I think Santana and Smokey are both big boys!

LOL at putting the BF on a diet! Sounds like a plan to me, especially if he has a fat belly!  :lol:

Debby

I think he is beautiful!!!! :flower:  :flower:  :flower:

I just had a conversation with my mum that reminded me of this thread.  She told me that I was letting Phoenix get fat!  :x  She's not even 8 lbs, but she's  uber fluffy after going to the groomers.  Tatyana, It goes to show that you have to trust what you know from all your experience with persian kitties and, of course, what you learn from vets and trusted fellow persian-owners.

Hi! I think Santana is gorgeous,and pls.do not put him on a diet,it is NOT good for a growing kitten!!!I dont know if you have experienced that but in my bunch,all my males were rather "chubby"growing up but as soon as they started to be interested in the girls they did lost weight because of "LOVE"..guys huh?So please dont worry and let him grow up first,start breeding,and if there will be weight issues then,you can start thinking on put him on a lower calory diet.But in my experience boys do drop weight after they start breeding.take care!:Katy


Dianne,your 2 cats are so lovely on your avatar!congrats for them!Katy