Thursday, January 26, 2017

Matters of Weight

I weighed the beasts this past weekend. An immediate concern was Josie, whom I accused of losing some tonnage. She has, but not much since she was last weighed, which was as long ago as October. I borrow my rescue-group’s scales for the purpose, so I am unable to do it regularly, though enough to keep an eye on things.

As you may observe, my Chubs has diminished since October, though that month’s weight was more than September’s. This has eased my mind over the possibility of the Great White growing too thin too fast. Everyone else has gained some poundage.

I approve of Cammie’s increase. She went through an illness when she would not eat, and I believed that would adversely affect her for some time. I don’t know that I want my princess to gain any more, but what she has put on is, I think, satisfactory.


The others are another story. My big boy continues to get bigger. I am not concerned too much about Renn. He is a large-framed cat and lean, really. He is my most active pet and I would be hard-pressed to cut back on his food, as he eats very little. His desire for soft-food is low, though he is periodically and unpredictably enthusiastic for this flavour or that, and he consumes little hard-food. He is made for a hefty weight.


As for Tucker, my roly poly is becoming rolier and polier. Now that Parker is living with us, the food situation is being revised, and this will, I hope, lead to some diminution in Tucker’s presence.


As an addendum, Parker’s weight is between the boys’.


So, while the scales brought relief in regard to the girls’ physiognomy, it was the opposite case with the boys. They will need to lose weight, especially Tucker. In short, I need to see less of him.

17th September, 2016
Josie: 6.21 kg (13.69 lbs)
Renn: 8.70 kg (19.18 lbs)
Tucker: 8.08 kg (17.81 lbs)
Cammie: 4.48 kg (9.88 lbs)

9th October, 2016
Josie: 6.36 kg (14 lbs)
Renn: 8.88 kg (19.58 lbs)
Tucker: 8.03 kg (17.7 lbs)
Cammie: 4.61 kg (10.16 lbs)

21st January, 2017
Josie: 6.24 kg (13.76 lbs)
Renn: 9.15 kg (20.17 lbs)
Tucker: 8.27 kg (18.23 lbs)
Cammie: 4.78 kg (10.54 lbs)
Parker: 8.49 kg (18.72 lbs)

19 comments:

  1. cat father...purrhaps yur weight gain comes frum yur shotz?? we troo lee due knot noe but could it be a poss a bill a tee ?? that N purrhaps winter lethargee ~~~~~ ♥♥♥

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    1. Though the cat father's condition is influenced by his diabetes, I'm afraid, alas, it is also influenced by the fact that he eats too much.

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  2. I have the same problem. The cats that I'd like to see lose weight seem to gain, and the cats that need to add a little seem to lose. It's hard in a multi-cat household. If you free feed, your heavier animals will eat too much. And if you use scheduled feeding times, your thinner cats may not eat enough to maintain their weight. But all that said, I'm not that concerned about my cats' weight - As long as they are healthy, I'm thankful.

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  3. I find it challenging enough with two, never mind five. Derry is far too overweight now, so I'm trying to keep food away from him, yet let Nicki have as much as he wants. It's not going quite the way I'd hoped. LOL. Good luck with your boys, Tucker in particular. Just don't let them hear you say the word "diet". :-)

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  4. Sami is my roly poly, while Saku is simply massive, and Sasha is a skinny minnie. I watch while they eat their soft food to ensure Saku doesn't push the other two away but they can eat as much or as little dry food during the day. The bowl Saku uses most often is most likely to be empty by morning than the other two.

    I would worry if one of them were to lose a lot of weight quickly (as Silas did when he was diagnosed with cancer) but perhaps I should be more concerned than I have been about the two who resemble my own shape.

    Hope it is as simple as da tabbies suggest, a little winter lethargee!

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    1. Yes, I am always worried about sudden weight loss...

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  5. That is smart of you to keep an eye on weights to be sure no one is too heavy or loses too much.

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  6. I like the way you've included Parker in the weight charts.
    My vet says she likes to keep just a bit of extra weight on a cat because when a cat falls ill, it can loose weight at an alarming rate. But I've got a couple of big fellows that are in need of dieting. Very hard to do in a multi -cat household.

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    1. Parker is part of the household now, even if only temporarily. He gets looked after like the others.

      That's a good point about a little extra weight; it's like having an emergency fund in the bank.

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  7. Funny enough in our household it's Annabelle who has turned into the fluffy princess! She was so underweight when I got her I could feel her lymph nodes in her joints. (I asked the DR what it was I was feeling at the time). Now you will not find those nodes! But the funny thing is she really doesn't 'over eat'. I mean generally for the entire day she eats the equivalent of one small tin of wet cat food. Treats are freezed dried chicken breast and not too many because they are expensive, so I don't know AND she is active. Very active. The seniors say she is TOO active.

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    1. Maybe Annabelle is eating better with you, rather than more. That will make a great difference. And active would be nice here, too.

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  8. poor Tucker - tell him the Ivy can relate. :) and that picture of Renn is priceless

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  9. Well, bein' American kitties, we don't unnerstand kg's. But you do, so we'll take your word fur it/ amazin'y enuff, we actuall wrote a little 'bout this today. Mostly da scheduled feedin' as opposed to free feedin' and exercise. We don't D-I-E-T in our house, but fankfully, we don't need too. We purray you're successful in your attempts to scale back as it were. Big hugs fur all.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi and Raena

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    1. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, girls. It was inconsiderate of me not to translate. I have updated the article to include pounds as well as kilograms in the weights.

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  10. They are big kitties but not overly large. It is hard for some cats to stay lean - but then keeping our weight down is a challenge for many of us two-legged as well.
    I love the photo of Renn😄 Holly is becoming quite plump so I will need to take her for a check up at the vet.

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    1. I'm sure Holly is fine; she's just enjoying the good life with you!

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  11. Thank goodness the Boys (so far) have not had a weight problem. The Girls are the ones I have to watch and it is amazing how a flat 1/4 cup vs. a slightly concaved 1/4 cup can make a huge difference in their weight in 6 months! Mazie thank goodness stays within a 2# range.

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    1. Yes, a little difference in food can make a big difference in weight. I will be working on reducing Parker's, at the least.

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  12. Poppy is 5.6kg and the vet is always trying to get me to make her lose weight. She refuses to eat diet biscuits and if I cut back on her food she will wake me up and howl. So I try to play with her and just keep her active. She has lost 300g in the past year.

    Compared to your boys she is a light weight.

    Have a nice weekend.

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