That sounds about right… although my cat doesn’t throw up on himself. He has a knack for projectile vomit. His butt sure is smelly though. I have to keep a pack of unscented baby wipes close by just so I can at least wipe it after he uses his litter box. I tried to wash him with soap and water once, he yowled the whole time. I don’t know if he was more traumatized or I was. It’s been in my head to get a more lithe cat so they can groom each other, but I’m very scared that I’ll have two cat butts to wipe.
I’ve got 7 cats, all indoor-only. Four purebreds, three rescues. They’re all over the map weight-wise, though most of them are within normal weight parameters.
Singapura 1: Small, slender, muscular. He’s 10 years old and he’s always been small and slender. He doesn’t overeat. Used to be hyperactive as a kitten, but now he’s very mellow and easygoing, albeit neurotic.
Singapura 2 (the two are not related): He’s a butterball. Our vet isn’t concerned about his weight, but he’s definitely a fatty. I haven’t particularly noticed him overeating. He’s very sedentary, aside from a spastic kitten period (Singapuras tend to be high energy–nobody told Ozzy.) He looks like a linebacker, or a pug (tiny paws, big barrel chest.)
Russian Blue 1: Small. As a kitten she was a little round–definitely not fat, but bigger than her sister. Nowadays, though, she’s very slim and svelte, and quite the beauty. She doesn’t overeat. She’s not highly active, but she’s kind of cranky and gets into fights with one of our other cats.
Russian Blue 2 (RB1’s sister): Small. She’s the opposite of her sister: as a kitten she was the tiny slender one, but now she’s put on a bit of weight. Still wouldn’t call her fat, though, just rounder than RB1. She’s pretty sedentary, and mellower than her sister.
Tabby 1: She’s a medium-hair, looks like a small Maine Coon (down to the tufty ears) with shorter hair and a less plumy tail. She looks fatter than she is due to the fact that her fur is fluffy. She’s bigger than the purebreds and solidly built, but not fat. She doesn’t overeat.
Tabby 2: This boy is a moose. He’s huge, but absolutely not fat. Long and muscular, without an ounce of extra weight, but he still weighs about 15 pounds. He looks rather like a Savannah cat in body type. He eats like a horse, but he’s a teenage boy and still has a lot of energy. I really hope he doesn’t put on weight as he gets older, since he’s really quite gorgeous.
Tabby 3 (Tabby 2’s sister): She’s small, compact, with short legs and a more stocky body. She’s very solid and weighs more than you’d expect for such a small cat. She has a healthy appetite but I wouldn’t say she overeats. She’s not fat, but I can see that she might tend to get a little chubby as she gets older.
So there are some data points: 7 cats, all eat the same thing, one fat. BTW, they free-feed on dry kibble, and I try to never let their dishes get empty, so they shouldn’t be having any food anxiety. They don’t fight over food at all.
Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?
Under the scalpel of Dr. McQuinn.
Pussycat, pussycat, what did he do?
I’ve grown fat and lazy - that’ll give you a clue.
Both our cats are rescues:
Al: very food-oriented, starts yammering for his meals on a clockwork schedule. Very slight belly pooch, otherwise trim and muscular. 20 lbs, though. (Maine Coon - he has the frame for it.)
Nikki: absolutely not food-oriented in the least, nibbles on dry kibble here and there but is largely uninterested in the canned food that Al insists on receiving for dinner by 7pm sharp. But … we call her “Tunko” for a reason. 11 lbs. but a very small frame. She’s got wide sides - like a pregnant horse.
Nikki was a starving orphan when Mr. Horseshoe’s mother found her, so I figure poor prenatal and early kittenhood nutrition probably messed up her metabolism, as they say it does for people. (It’s also why I figure she’s as dumb as a hammer.)
So there ya go: one cat who yammers for each and every meal but is in good shape, and one who doesn’t seem to give a shit if there’s food in the bowl or not but appears to be about to birth a foal.
My Himalayan is odd in that, in the winter not only does his coat fluff up to twice as long, but he gains about 4 lbs. Right now he’s already reached Maximum Fluffage and his coat is starting to mat up. Much, much brushing and messing with him will be needed from now until summer, when he turns into a long, slender shorter-haired cat. It’s like having two cats in one.
He’s pretty much a sluggard and eats too much. He only likes dry kibbles. I give him a couple tablespoons at a time throughout the day because if he has a whole bowl in front of him, he yaks up the contents of his stomach once a day, like clockwork. He’ll follow me through the house sometimes, upstairs and downstairs, and that’s really his only exercise. But he doesn’t like to see ME exercise. If I move around too much or too fast, he gets upset and grabs me around the leg to make me sit down quietly! Very insistent, he is.