New Sphynx owner here.

[Sarah Grace]

Hi everyone,

My name is Sarah and today I went to Queens, NY to pick up my first Sphynx. I have a Persian and a Maine Coon, so while I am well versed in cats, I am new to the Sphynx world. I did a lot of research about them before hand, and I felt ready to pick him up.

I contacted a woman on craigslist, who needed to get rid of her cat (which was so upsetting), she said if someone didnt take her, she was sending him to a shelter. Thank god she didnt, he would have been euthanized... I arrived to pick him up and was shocked that he was almost 30 lbs, and filthy. I managed to clean him well when he came home. His ears were blocked with black wax, and his claws were filled with what looked like black yeast or other dirt. It was disgusting. He obviously hadn't been bathed in a long time, and had a sticky film all over his body.

He is fresh and clean now. I am in love with him already, and he has only been in my life for 12 hours. He is the most docile and loving animal, how amazing.

I am taking him to the vet this week, and I am sure I will get diet advice there, but I wanted to reach out here and ask if anyone has any advice for me to help poor kitty. I attached a photo of him so his size can be seen. The woman told me she was feeding him 3 cups a day of Hills science diet, when I asked her why she didnt cut down his food she just laughed and said oh he is a little chunky it is ok. The poor thing can barely walk!

Advice please! I want him to have a fun happy life, he deserves it.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

@Sarah Grace Welcome to a The Lair and congrats! Your life is changed forever. A member @curlysue had an amazing experience helping her Violet lose weight. I am sure she will be happy to give you all kinds of suggestions. You will find many friendly knowledgable members with great tips here. Let us know how the vet check goes!

BTW what is your baby's name? He is handsome! He is one lucky boy to have you for his forever home.

Patti

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Check out this link....here is the success story I am talking about! The picture says it all.

http://sphynxlair.com/community/index.php?threads/What-a-different-Violet.25723/#post-305612

 

[Hairless Blessing]

Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you. Congrats on your new baby.
If he has only been getting 3 cups of dry a day and no wet, that, isn't being over fed.
Most people here feed wet 2-3 times a day and free feed dry.
But, @Catzzzmeow gave you good info.

 

[captain_tinky]

Welcome to the lair! I'm so pleased that the two of you found each other! I'm glad you could save him before he went to a shelter. I hope some of the lovely people here pop in to give you some excellent diet advice, even though Patti has given you great advice already! Please keep us updated on his progress as he starts shedding his more to love!

 

[MollysMom]

Welcome!!! Bless your heart for taking this little guy in. You have already done so much for him, how did he handle the bathing? How old is he?

 

[zoinks]

@Hairless Blessing 3 Cups is a HUGE amount. If you look at the recommended amount for a 15lb cat it is 5/8 to 7/8 of a cup (see feeding guide):
http://www.hillspet.com/products/ha-feline-adult-healthy-advantage-dry.html

Even free feeding dry I bet they wouldn't normally consume as much as 3 cups.

@Sarah Grace It seems already that you are going to be such a great sphynx mom. I am so glad this guy is with you now and it seems like you are doing all the right things. Keep us updated on his weight loss progress

 

[Hairless Blessing]

@Hairless Blessing 3 Cups is a HUGE amount. If you look at the recommended amount for a 15lb cat it is 5/8 to 7/8 of a cup (see feeding guide):
http://www.hillspet.com/products/ha-feline-adult-healthy-advantage-dry.html

Even free feeding dry I bet they wouldn't normally consume as much as 3 cups.

@Sarah Grace It seems already that you are going to be such a great sphynx mom. I am so glad this guy is with you now and it seems like you are doing all the right things. Keep us updated on his weight loss progress

Yes, 3 cups seems like a lot, but, if that is all he is getting, that's not that much. My opinion.
I would hate to know I only feed my cat 5/8 to 7/8 of a cup of food a day and nothing else.
People here have made post about feeding their sphynx small amounts and they stay starved to death and
they are not over weight. If the cat doesn't want it fine. But, if you feed wet and dry look how much they get.
So, I don't see 3 cups being too much or more than wet 2-3 times a day plus free feeding dry.
Sphynx do require more food also. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Sarah Grace]

Ok everyone, thank you for your replies!!!

@Sarah Grace Welcome to a The Lair and congrats! Your life is changed forever. A member @curlysue had an amazing experience helping her Violet lose weight. I am sure she will be happy to give you all kinds of suggestions. You will find many friendly knowledgable members with great tips here. Let us know how the vet check goes!

BTW what is your baby's name? He is handsome! He is one lucky boy to have you for his forever home.

Patti

I decided to name him Luna. Luna is such a great name for him, especially because the moon was full and gorgeous on his first night home!

Welcome!!! Bless your heart for taking this little guy in. You have already done so much for him, how did he handle the bathing? How old is he?

He meowed a lot during the bathing, but handled it better than my other two hairy cats! He just paced back and fourth nervously making bizarre calls! He tolerated me clipping his nails, after one or two failed attempts he got the message I wasn't going to stop until it was finished. Cleaning out the base of his nails was much worse than clipping though. He did not like it at all! But they were disgusting! I can only say it was similar to his ear wax, black and gunky like thick motor oil in his toes. I am pretty sure it was fungal/yeast originated.

@Hairless Blessing 3 Cups is a HUGE amount. If you look at the recommended amount for a 15lb cat it is 5/8 to 7/8 of a cup (see feeding guide):
http://www.hillspet.com/products/ha-feline-adult-healthy-advantage-dry.html

Even free feeding dry I bet they wouldn't normally consume as much as 3 cups.

@Sarah Grace It seems already that you are going to be such a great sphynx mom. I am so glad this guy is with you now and it seems like you are doing all the right things. Keep us updated on his weight loss progress

I thought so. I read that one cup of dry food is 400 calories to a cat, which is like 1500 to a human!! :nailbiting: He was eating WAY too much. So sad. He really can barely walk. I used to free feed my Persian and my Maine coon, and they only ate 2 cups between the two of them every 30 hours!!!! And they are healthy, not underweight or over weight, but my maine coon put on weight with that diet when he came home to me. I am going to stop the free feeding all together now, and I can see already my other two are NOT happy with me. I am starting by picking it up over night. No more midnight snacking guys....

I currently feed my other two Nutro Naturals Salmon and Brown Rice blend dry food and my Persian who was chubby lost some weight and my Maine Coon who was scrawny put on great muscle mass and his coat (which was falling out when he came to us in clumps!), has grown in and is shiny and thick. It is great for me. I did read about using wet food mixed with water for a dieting cat, but I am not going to do anything like that until the vet OK's it. Until then, just dry food, I am going to do some more research tomorrow on how much to feed him. I mean coming from 3 cups (at least... this lady totally cheated, she even said "after 3 cups he will whine for more, but I usually ignore him..." INSANE!!!) I feel like 1 cup will definitely help him drop the lbs.

 

[Sarah Grace]

Oh here is his beautiful face.

 

[Sarah Grace]

Yes, 3 cups seems like a lot, but, if that is all he is getting, that's not that much. My opinion.
I would hate to know I only feed my cat 5/8 to 7/8 of a cup of food a day and nothing else.
People here have made post about feeding their sphynx small amounts and they stay starved to death and
they are not over weight. If the cat doesn't want it fine. But, if you feed wet and dry look how much they get.
So, I don't see 3 cups being too much or more than wet 2-3 times a day plus free feeding dry.
Sphynx do require more food also. Just my 2 cents.

I know for sure that for some cats 3 cups is enough, or even too little, whereas others it is way too much. For this guy, it seems like it was way too much. I just don't understand how an owner can see that their cat is becoming morbidly obese and not make any adjustments to their diet... Luna came with a brother, whom my sister in law adopted, and he was a big boy too. She was feeding him the same amount..

I fostered 2 tabbies last year at one point who would eat 2-3 cans of wet food a day and about 5 cups of dry food free fed, and they were super slim and petite. Like I said, every cat is different, just like people, and adjustments will always have to be made.

 

[Hairless Blessing]

I know for sure that for some cats 3 cups is enough, or even too little, whereas others it is way too much. For this guy, it seems like it was way too much. I just don't understand how an owner can see that their cat is becoming morbidly obese and not make any adjustments to their diet... Luna came with a brother, whom my sister in law adopted, and he was a big boy too. She was feeding him the same amount..

I fostered 2 tabbies last year at one point who would eat 2-3 cans of wet food a day and about 5 cups of dry food free fed, and they were super slim and petite. Like I said, every cat is different, just like people, and adjustments will always have to be made.

This is true, every sphynx is different and if that is all he gets is 3 cups a day and is obese because of it.
I agree with you he needs to be on a diet. Best Wishes.

 

[zoinks]

@Sarah Grace Some cats are good with free feeding and will eat a reasonable amount but you also get some cats that would keep eating whatever is put infront of them (even to a point they vomit!) I think you are doing the right thing to stop free feeding now Mr Luna needs to lose some weight. It is SO much easier to track how much they are eating and they will get used to it after not too long

Until I switched diet, my cat got 1 cup per day and stayed at a good weight (9lbs) and never whined for more food. Hopefully, you can find the perfect amount for Luna too!

I follow someone on instagram who has a cat that seems the same weight as Luna. The sad thing is, it's owner doesn't seem to be doing anything about it and everyone comments on how cute and chunky he is! All I can see is the health problems it must be causing

I am so excited to see your progress, I bet he will be a whole different cat in some months time!

 

[Kyla L]

Congratulations on saving this baby from an early demise. He is clearly better off with you and in no time will be healthy and he looks like he is already very happy.

On free feeding... Some cats can handle it. Mine can't. Neither can my dog. Nigel would eat all day long if allowed to and he would throw up to eat more if it was available. So free feeding is not for him. He does get about 3/4ths a cup equivalent of food a day and for an 18 week old kitten that may be a bit too much or a bit too little depending on the day.

I cannot believe he was eating 3 cups of food a day. My english bull terrier eats 2 cups and weighs 50lbs.

I can't wait to see his results!

 

[andreanar]

Hello and welcome! Bless you for taking this guy in! You have gotten good advice on feeding, so I will chime in on the nail cleaning, lol. Get some exfoliating gloves and you can use a bit of dawn dish soap and rub the nails and toes with it. That should help remove the grime without so much work.

It's normal that sphynx get a build up of waxy black gunk on nails. Ears get black goo too. Congrats on your new nakid!

 

[Cat Dancer]

Welcome!! He's a cutie.. No matter what his size! So glad he found you & a good home. :happy:

 

[admin]

Hello @Sarah Grace and welcome to Sphynxlair! So glad you found us! First and foremost, a vet visit is in line to ensure that weight is from food alone, and not medical related (which I highly doubt food is the sole culprit.) I would start by some fun kitty playtime for at least a half an hour before bedtime with a feather wand. I would also try some wet - half a can twice a day, and 1 cup of dry out to free feed for starters. Let us know how the vet visit goes - good luck! (y)

 

[DollyTheSphynx]

Congratulations and well done for taking in your gorgeous boy!!

 

[PrimateLove]

You are wonderful for saving Luna's life, you are going to be an amazing sphynx mom!

Everyone here has given some great advice, I agree that reducing his intake and getting him moving are the first steps to his road to a healthier lifestyle!

This baby is so Blessed to have found you!

 

[Sarah Grace]

Thank you everyone! He is adjusting well, still some hissing at our other furry pals, but they are still curious! He slept next to my husband last night and my other cat was peering over from my side, almost as if she was trying to identify this creature "hmm smells like a cat, but where is his fur!". I can't wait to see him progress. I started him off today with 1/2 a cup of dry and will give him another 1/2 a cup later. Calling vet today to set up this week. Can't wait to see him progress!!!

 

[PrimateLove]

Please keep us posted, I love stories like this where a baby gets a second chance a life

 

[Inflamed]

Hi & welcome to the Lair!

I hope Luna settles in quickly and becomes pals with his new feline siblings soon. Best of luck with the diet, hopefully he'll soon be on a path to a healthy weight (y)

 

[curlysue]

Welcome to the Lair Sarah and Luna! @Catzzzmeow mentioned me getting Violet and her weight loss (thank you Pattie). I got Violet from her old owner last March and she was not 30lbs but right at 14lbs. She has done a awesome job and most of that is thanks to portion control and cutting out the 2+ cans of Fancy Feast she got a day along with dry food. If you would like drop me a email and I will be happy to chat with you and give any advise I can. It will be hard on you and Luna getting him to a good healthy weight but he will be so much happier with the weight gone. You are a awesome Sphynx Mommy and your world will be forever changed because you saved this baby.

Nicole

 

[BluesMummy]

Luna is such a lucky boy to be rescued by you & in time you will realised what a prividge it is to be owned by a sphynx, they are not like any other breed of cat they are so special & smart, hopefully the vet will give you the all clear on any major health problems (besides lunas weight!!!) we look forward to seeing lots of pics of this special little man & his transition to happiness you & your husband will be smitten in no time !! love & best wishes, Lisa & Blue xxx

 

[Ickushouse]

Oh what a wonderfully happy story! You are an angel for taking this boy in. He looks so content in his picture. Good luck! He will be your little soul mate.