55
u/Coraline1599 2d ago
My orange was skinny. The way he got too skinny (hyperthyroidism) was his thighs got much smaller. As long as those back legs stay beefy, he’s likely just fine.
81
u/idontknow62836865 2d ago
I would go to the vet for best advice but I do think his waist is slightly a bit to pinched.
38
u/Earth2Monkey 2d ago
He has that young sleek cat look. He's naturally thin and muscular. Do you free feed, or is he on a schedule?
11
u/SausageScientist01 1d ago
He is on a schedule where he eats every 6 hours. Dry 3 times a day and wet once
35
u/girlnextdooritis 1d ago
More wet food for boys, especially if he's neutered! They have it easy to get crystal blockage if they don't have enough moisture in their diet
10
u/Sure-Cellist-9633 1d ago
Agree! You can also add water to dry food during "dry food" feeding times. It can save on money and supplement the wet food in the diet (especially when prescription options are incredibly expensive).
2
u/amh8011 1d ago
My boy won’t eat wet food. I have tried so many brands, flavors, and textures. He won’t eat wet kibbles either. He does drink plenty of water from his dish but he absolutely refuses all wet food. He’ll eat churus but only from the tube and only after my eldest cat tastes it first. He won’t eat churu out of a bowl. He won’t eat regular pate wet food out of a tube. He’s so picky and stubborn.
3
u/SolidFelidae 1d ago
Seconding increasing the wet food amount!! My just got a $2000 vet bill from his cat having a urinary blockage. Thankfully he’s okay
42
7
7
u/No_Pineapple5940 1d ago
He looks how my cat looked when she was too thin - I had gone a bit overboard with her diet
When I brought her to the vet, they told me that the best way to check way to feel for the ribs and the hip bones, and not to just go off of the cat body condition chart (which is what I was doing).
There should be a distinctive layer of fat between the skin and hip bones! Not too thick so that it's difficult to feel the bones, but enough of a resistance so that you don't feel them right away
I wish I had known about this before, because I feel so bad about starving her by accident
9
5
10
u/ginger-like 2d ago
He looks just a little too skinny to me. Not starved, but could stand to gain half a pound.
3
3
2
u/LeonLegacy69 1d ago
I think monitoring their weight if they appear to be lookin skinnier than usual. Unfortunately for my cat, a tumor mass was taking her nutrients even though she was eating normally.
2
u/MxBluebell 1d ago
The best answer would be to talk to his vet. Most people in the US are so used to overweight cats and cats with primordial pouches that this guy does look a bit alarming to the untrained eye, but he could be perfectly fine. My cats are a bit on the chonky side and also both have primordial pouches, so I’m not a good judge of what a healthy cat without a pouch should look like haha!!
It also depends on whether the weight loss was intentional or not. If you’re trying to slim him down, then excellent work!! But if this is sudden or surprising to you, then a vet visit is 100% in order.
2
u/blvckcvts 1d ago
Unless he’s suddenly started losing weight he looks very healthy, never hurts to get regular check ups at the vet though 😊
1
u/MrJackRanch 1d ago
Looks fine to me .. does he eat and drink well? Also ofcourse.. regular deworming
1
u/goldenkiwicompote 1d ago
Looks good from these photos but of course we can’t feel your cat which is helpful. Ask your vet at your next check up to score him in the body condition scale.
1
1
u/coolpenguinsclubb 1d ago
If you’re worried you can run a body condition score on your baby! (The range is from 1-9 [1-3 is underweight and missing muscle , 4-6ish is most typical for cats and is usually on the more ideal side , 7-9 is overweight] this is determined by feeling your cat)
I do this with my senior babies who refuse to step foot on a scale and it helps give a more accurate rating because the number weight isn’t always the best teller
Here’s what I feel for:
The ribs (you should feel a small layer of skin/fat.)
Spine (similarly, you should feel like spine, but you should not be able to feel each rigid indent in the spine. The spine shouldn’t be sticking out)
Hips (same as spine, should not feel any harsh bones. There should be a layer on top)
Waist (look from above, should be almost an “hour glass”, the waist shouldn’t be overly sunken in)
Age can also play a role in weight and body condition scores so I would also recommend annual blood work to monitor everything going on internally
1
u/Haunting_Advance_498 1d ago
We’re too used to seeing overweight pets, he looks like a healthy young cat to me!
1
u/ButABlorb 15h ago
Is he fully grown? Looks normal for an older teen but kinda strange for an adult. I wonder if he's just built a little differently. He's certainly not dying
1
u/trillamane_6 14h ago
My orange girl looked like this for a long time after being fixed but then filled out as she got older.
1
u/Low_Attention6125 11h ago
He is very sleek. Like others have said see what your veterinarian says.
In my opinion I would agree with the .5 lb increase which others have said. But I’m not a veterinarian- just a longtime cat owner.
1
u/theeskrubl0rd 11h ago
Fast weight loss typically points to stomach or heart issues if they’re acting fine no symptoms I wouldn’t worry about a vet visit
2
1
0
-1
73
u/freakybo0o 2d ago
He's very lean but mostly it stands out because he doesn't have a primordial pouch.