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Too Fat?!?

jwylde

Lairian
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
51
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34
:Dizzy:
I have had my sphynx since December now and he is the greatest!! However I think I am at too much of an "old school" vet. When I took him in he's like "you know this was a disease back when I was in vet school" and I'm thinking, oh great he knows nothing about the breed. Now I know from the past from having dogs and regular house cats that they always have these rediculous standards for animal weights based on if you are looking at them from above and their stomach sticks out past their hip bones....blah blah blah...whatever...so anyways he goes on to tell me that I need to cut down his food atleast 15% because he is overweight and if he keeps on like this it is not going to be good. Now I am thinking this guy has no idea about the breed and that they are known for their "potbellys" So I am thinking yeah yeah...
These are medium sized cats or whatever and they are suppose to weigh fullgrown anywhere from 11-15 pounds, no?
Just freaks me out and want to make sure because he is a little chubby but...he is 12 pounds so I thought that was fine ??
 

Brooke

Banned
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May 4, 2009
Messages
1,767
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0
:Dizzy:
I have had my sphynx since December now and he is the greatest!! However I think I am at too much of an "old school" vet. When I took him in he's like "you know this was a disease back when I was in vet school" and I'm thinking, oh great he knows nothing about the breed. Now I know from the past from having dogs and regular house cats that they always have these rediculous standards for animal weights based on if you are looking at them from above and their stomach sticks out past their hip bones....blah blah blah...whatever...so anyways he goes on to tell me that I need to cut down his food atleast 15% because he is overweight and if he keeps on like this it is not going to be good. Now I am thinking this guy has no idea about the breed and that they are known for their "potbellys" So I am thinking yeah yeah...
These are medium sized cats or whatever and they are suppose to weigh fullgrown anywhere from 11-15 pounds, no?
Just freaks me out and want to make sure because he is a little chubby but...he is 12 pounds so I thought that was fine ??

Hi jwylde, Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new sphynx. They are the greatest, aren't they? :ThumbsUp:

We were just having a discussion earlier this week on the forum because a member thought their cat might be too skinny. On this thread, you'll see many of us told how much our cats weigh. You'll notice how much it varies:

http://www.sphynxlair.com/showthread.php?t=475

It is possible he may be overweight at 12 pounds. You have to take into account the size of the cat, his bone structure, etc. For instance, my first sphynx was 12 pounds, Walter is his perfect weight at 9 pounds, and my newest girl Helen is a little chubby at a petite 7 pounds. I'm working on getting her down a few ounces..However, just last weekend, I saw a sphynx that was 20 pounds with not an ounce of fat on him. He was enormous, but not overweight!
It really depends on the cat, so your vet may be right.

That being said, if you aren't comfortable with the vet and you don't think he has experience with the breed - by all means, find a new vet! I've said this before, but it is so important to have a trusting relationship with your vet. I recommend calling a local sphynx breeder (if you have one in your area) to see if they will recommend a veterinarian they use.

Good luck! We love to see pictures!! :Laugh:
 

PitRottMommy

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May 28, 2009
Messages
860
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First things first, I think your vet was trying to make a joke about it being a disease. This isn't a disease. It's nowhere near related to a disease, that would be mange, allergies (food and inhalant can cause a cat to blow its coat), stress, environmental changes, etc. The hairless gene with sphynx is NOT disease related. He started off on the wrong foot if he made this a serious note.

Sphynx are small-medium breed cats. You shouldn't ever see a 15# sphynx that was properly bred (even outcrosses should have been medium breeds, but sometimes there's a random one that's much larger--like the 20#r that Brooke saw). Females average 7#, males average 11#. Every animal, no matter what breed or species, should be judged on its own accord. You should be able to feel the ribs without pressing into the chest, see the hipbone shape (but not outline) and your companion should have a "waist" visible from above when he is standing. The muscles of a sphynx should be visible in both the front and the back legs and a small fat pad should be visible on the lower stomach when the cat sits (if it can cover its feet with its extra fat, he's eating a little TOO well, lol). Any vet worth his salt can tell you when an animal is overweight or underweight. I would blow off his comment about disease, but I would try to cut your companion back if the vet feels him overweight. Its hard to compare two potentially unrelated sphynx but Baldwin is a sausage at 12#. I don't like to see him over 10# because he starts looking pudgy. I've yet to see a sphynx that looks healthy over 12 pounds, in my hobbies, online or in veterinary medicine.

Here are my three babies. The torti is a little too thin for my preferences, try not to look at her (dead center). The boys (red and black) are about right, if not just a little too heavy. Anything over this type of body condition could be considered for a cut back on the noms:
DSC_0107.jpg


ETA: Posting pictures can help us to help you better.
 

kalliee129

Senior Lairian
Senior Lairian
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
893
Points
88
That being said, if you aren't comfortable with the vet and you don't think he has experience with the breed - by all means, find a new vet!

I completely agree with Brooke. When I first found my vet I was prepared that she would know NOTHING about treating Meecho. What I found completely amazed me. She was totally honest with me and advised me that this was her first Sphynx she had ever treated. What amazed me is that when she found out Meecho was going to be her patient she did TONS of research on her breed before I even came in! To me that shows a vet that truely cares about treating each animal properly. Everytime I go there...and being a new mommy it's a lot because I worry to much, she has learned new information and even shares it and the sites with me. You need to feel comfortable with your doctor or else your baby isn't going to feel comfortable.
 

admin

Administrator
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Jan 13, 2009
Messages
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Hello Jwylde,
Welcome to Sphynx lair!
I agree some pictures would help. We have our female who also is a little too thin for my liking , but vet says she is healthy. Leo is a giant but I think he carries his weight fine, so yes they do differ in size.
 
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