As they age, cats are not able to digest their food as well resulting in increased nutrition requirements. If their nutrition does not meet their requirements, they will lose muscle mass resulting in the ability to easily feel the bones of their spine and hips when petting them.
Feel Around Your Cat's Spine
Again, you should be able to feel the bones, but not excessively. If the vertebrae feel very knobbly or like there's nothing on top of them, you have a thin cat and they're underweight. If they're difficult to feel, your cat's fat and you have an overweight cat.
You should be able to feel your cat's ribs, spine and hipbones quite easily but they shouldn't stick out. Feel the base of your cat's tail. There shouldn't be any build-up of fat where the tail meets your cat's back.
Feel your cat's ribs (located behind their front legs); if they feel like the back of your hand, then their weight is just right. If they're ribs look or feel like your knuckles, then you have a skinny cat. If the ribs feel like your palm, then they're likely overweight.
Gastrointestinal (GI) Problems
Conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can affect the absorption of nutrients in the GI tract and contribute to weight loss, even if your cat is eating well. Other causes may be related to food allergies or certain GI infections.
Yes, you should be able to feel your cat's spine, along with their ribs and hip bones. That said, there's a difference between being able to feel these bones and having them be protruding. As a general rule, if these bones are too prominent, it could be a sign that your pal is underweight or malnourished.
Have you ever noticed that even the slimmest feline has a slight hanging belly? This saggy layer of skin (typically covered in fur) is called the primordial pouch, and it's a normal part of your cat's anatomy. It is located along the length of the stomach, but tends to be most noticeable closer to the rear.
Signs that your cat is too thin or underweight include: being able to see their ribs (this will be clearer if you have a short-hair cat) their waist being very obvious behind their ribs if you look down at their back. their belly tucks up very clearly behind their ribs if you look at them from the side.
Underweight cats aren't as common as overweight ones, but it's still something we need to monitor if we want them to live their best life. If you have a naturally thin cat and they have always been that way, there's no reason to be concerned.
The entire process can take a few months and weight gain should be a slow and steady process. Purina provides a chart for a basic understanding of body condition scoring to help monitor the cat's condition.
You should be able to feel their ribs quite easily. Even though they are covered with a layer of fat, they are distinct and easy to detect. If you can see the ribs or can nearly feel any fat around the ribs, your cat is too thin. If you have a hard time feeling the ribs at all, your cat is very overweight.
WHAT IS FUR-MOWING? In short, the cat is licking off all his or her hair. Often the belly is nearly as bald as if it were shaved. Sometimes a Mohawk of normal fur makes a stripe down the back, surrounded by bald spots on either sides.
Cats are born with this sagging belly, and all cats, both male and female, have primordial pouches. Some pouches are more prominent than others. Even non-domestic big cats have them! The pouch is an abdominal flap along their belly made up of extra loose skin and some fatty tissue.
Outline: Ehlers-danlos syndrome is a group of connective tissue disorders that are characterised by fragile, stretchy and loose skin, caused by a genetic defect in the production of collagen. In cats affected with Ehlers-danlos syndrome, this defect results in the collagen fibres having an abnormal structure.
The average cat lifespan is between 13-17 years. Some lucky felines have been known to live 20 years or more—the world record holder for oldest cat on record, adorably named Creme Puff, lived to be a whopping 38 years old.
The causes of unintentional weight loss in cats range from simple lifestyle changes to serious illness. Any noticeable weight loss in your cat warrants a visit to your veterinarian to rule out serious health conditions. They will be able to run the necessary tests to determine what might be at the root of the problem.
Growths form on the surface of the bones in the spine in affected cats. Signs include neck pain and rigidity with foreleg lameness.
It's essential to know how much egg is appropriate for a cat. While a single egg is a relatively low-calorie, high-protein snack for a human, the high fat content of eggs can cause your cat to gain weight if the correct portions are not adhered to.
Cats can be addicted to tuna, whether it's packed for cats or for humans. Some tuna now and then probably won't hurt. But a steady diet of tuna prepared for humans can lead to malnutrition because it won't have all the nutrients a cat needs. And, too much tuna can cause mercury poisoning.
Compared to dry food, wet food has much more moisture and therefore fewer calories per the same volume of dry food. For pets that need to lose weight, a wet food is usually best because the cat eats a similar volume of food while receiving fewer calories.
But what about adults? After 6 months of age, all cats (indoors or out) need to be protected from internal and external parasites seasonally or year-round, depending on risk factors and climate. Fecal examinations may miss some types of parasites, so experts* recommend deworming 2-4 times a year.