- Too Thin,Too Stout or Moderate, Meaning Just Right
- Hill’s Prescription Diet Hypoallergenic Treats! Hurrah!
Next week I will be posing for the Bissell MVP Pet Photo Contest photo shoot. As you know, I am not one to shy away from the camera, and in fact some of you have said that I am a ham. Meaning that I pose for the camera and not that I am the upper part of a hog’s hind leg.
The upcoming photo shoot got me to thinking about my body condition. From previous photos, some of you have commented that I look fat. Some of you have said that I look healthy, but no comments have been made that I look too thin. Some say the camera adds ten pounds, but for cats, it might only be one pound. So what is my body condition? Am I too thin, too stout or moderate, meaning just right?
My Aunt Barbara came to visit a week ago. She told my mom that I looked too thin. My mom immediately jumped to my defense and said that she thought I was just right. Later that night, my mom asked my dad if he thought I was too thin. Then both of my parents peered around the counter while I was trying to chomp my chow and studied my body condition. My mom ran her fingers along my sides feeling for my ribs and my dad was checking to see if my spine was protruding. They concluded that I was just right and my mom scooped me up and they both gave me a few kisses.
A few days went by and there was no mention of my body condition. ~phew~
Then on Saturday, Fr. Jim came by to chomp chow with us. During their dinner, I walked over to my feeding station to get a little snack. I heard Fr. Jim say. “Gracey sure is thin.” My parents shot each other a quick glance and then all three of their heads turned to look at me. My dad said, “Do you really think so?” And Fr. Jim, not wanting to incite panic said “ Well, maybe other cats are just overweight.” I could still feel my parents eyes upon me. Oh boy, here we go again.
The next morning at breakfast, my parents began discussing my body condition. Once again, they both leaned around the counter and began to study me. This time they went to the computer to consult The Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s Body Condition Scoring Chart.
They skipped over the Emaciated and the Obese body condition. They knew I did not fit into either one of the extreme conditions. So they compared me to the Thin, Stout and Moderate conditions.
The first image that they looked at is for the cat that is considered to be Thin. A thin cat’s ribs are easily felt with the fingers and might be visible with no palpable fat. The top of the lumbar vertebrae can be seen and the pelvic bones are slightly prominent. There is an obvious waist and abdominal tuck. It was concluded that I am not Thin. You can’t see my ribs and I have a bit of a belly.
Stout Body Condition
The second image that they focused on is the cat with a Stout body condition. Stout must be the Veterinary term for chubby. Sounds nicer, doesn’t it? A stout cat will have an overall fleshy appearance. You can’t easily feel the ribs. There will be fat deposits over the lumbar spine and tail base. The abdomen will not be tucked up. My parents concluded that even though I have a bit of a belly, I did not have the other characteristics of a stout cat body condition. They moved on to the next image.
Moderate Body Condition
The next image was that of the Moderate Cat. A cat with a moderate body condition has ribs that can be felt without excess fat covering them. The abdomen appears tucked up when viewed from the side. After a few moments of careful study, my parents concluded that my body condition is moderate or just right. Then they began to discuss whether they were the best judge of my condition because they see me every day and might be in denial. ~sigh~
What I know is that I feel fine. I chomp chow, play, leap and sleep just fine. I don’t care to discuss my litter pan habits at this moment, but I will tell you there are no problems.
I have 3 cats: one of each body type. Pebbles is on the thin side, even though we feed her nutrition-dense Evo food for one of her daily meals. She was closer to emaciated before, so we’re pleased that she has achieved “thin.” Owl is “just right” ever since we started the whole feline family on Taste of the Wild food (she was much too chubby before). Piglet, well, he lives up to his name. We suspect he is mooching food off the neighbors, and we know he goes out and hunts down snacks from time to time.
Whoops, Gracey! I think you may have accidentally posted the emaciated photo under your thin section. I wouldn’t want any cat owners to get confused about what’s safe for their kitty!
My cat used to fit in to the obese section, but as she aged (and we began watching her diet closer) she lost a lot of weight and is now in the stout range. With a lot of fluff to boot!
Whoa! Thank you so much Jacqueline!! I did accidentally post the emaciated photo under the thin section. Thank you for telling me. No, we sure don’t want anyone to be confused about what is safe.
I have two cats – Harmony is stout edging toward obese. I limit what she eats (not that I starve her, but I’m careful not to give her more than my vet says she needs) and she is just bit round. She’s 14 and indoor all the time, so doesn’t get much exercise except on the rare occasions I can coax her to play or she gets mad at the other cat. Chaos is longer, and taller, and weighs a little less, so he is probably on the stout edge of moderate. He’s 8 and much more active. He’s also on a pretty strict regimen so he doesn’t get much heavier, but my vet seems happy with his size so I’m not as concerned about him. And Gracey, I think you just look adorable in your pictures!
Well, My calico Daisy has a little “pot” that she’s had since she was spayed in her 1st yr. She’s 10 now & weighs about 13 lbs. She & Batty (Batman), our neutered male, are both quite long & tall– much more so than any of my friends’ cats! Batty weighs 17 lbs. They get 1/4 cup dry twice a day. He’s on prescription food for bladder problems from Science diet & she eats Iams new Sr. formula with glucosimine, etc. Guess I’d have to say they’re approaching stout. Of course, I’m pretty plump myself!!
Hi Gracey, I have one thin cat, one moderate cat, and one obese cat (25 pounds). It is a challenge to keep the thin one fed, the big one on a diet, and the moderate one from demanding food all day. It is hard to get them on a schedule that works for everybody.
Maggie is probably in the moderate, with accents toward stout…because she has a little belly, (but was told by a vet that females get that after being “fixed”…) But Gracey, you look great from the pictures you post!
Meredith, a basketball with fur. lol Give Harvey a nosetap from me.
I am actually somewhere between thin and moderate. I am just under 6 lbs. and a medium small-sized girl kitty. My two roommates, Binga and Boodie, aren’t much bigger than me lengthwise, but they weigh twice as much as I do! They are both moderate, but they are also different body shapes. I am a Foreign body shape (second only to Orientals in slender frames), Boodie (a Birman mix) is cobby, with a round frame, and Binga is just your average, all-muscle, little-fat tortie from the shelter type.
Welcome Sparkle! I am probably between moderate and thin too as I have to follow a strict low allergen diet. I recovered from transient diabetes so it is better for me to stay a little lighter on my paws.
Our cat is a Maine Coon. Weighing in at 27 lbs but he is over 3′ long. We have had him on a diet since he weighed 15 lbs at 6 months old, he is now 4 yrs old.
Debby, you have a big boy! I bet he is quite handsome.
I’ve got one who is somewhere in the moderate to stout range and one who is a basketball with fur. I don’t ‘free-feed’ them. They get a 1/4 cup twice a day, but Harvey is huge.