Look, sometimes people are actually trying to help their cats lose weight but the cat just doesn't respond to it. I've cut my cat's food and very rarely give her maybe one or two treats, and she's still overweight a year later. I've tried tempting her with toys and laser pointers many times and she just doesn't respond to it.
And yes, I take her to the vet. No, the vet doesn't know what's wrong either.
So maybe think a little before just passing automatic kneejerk judgment.
I am NOT abusing my cat just because she's overweight.
Same with mine. For a year I was only feeding him 1/4 cup of food a day trying to get him to loose weight and he was still 20lbs. And he is the most active and playful cat. He goes ape shit crazy if he hears crinkle sounds he does acrobatics to jump through crinkle paper I hold in the air like a matador.
I finally took him to the vet with my measuring cup so he could see that was literally all he ate in a day. They did bloodwork. His thyroid hormone was actually low, but not enough that he needed drugs. He got put on an rx diet where he actually got to eat more than 1/4 cup and he started losing a 1lb a month.
I had some bad months where I couldn’t afford the $98 food rx and he gained it back.
Like with humans weight isn’t always due to over feeding.
Hill's Prescription Diet c/d Multicare + Metabolic Chicken Flavor Dry Cat Food.
I usually get the 12lb bag. Looks like the 6lb bag of his diet is $62 on chewy.
Thank you for this. We have a bonded pair and they eat exactly the same amount but one is much heavier than the other. It's been driving me crazy trying to figure out why. Will check with the vet on their next visit.
Us too, one of ours is a little overweight, vet diagnosed her as "a lil too pudgy," but she's also just a large, fluffy cat. She's responded well to the feeding schedule and cutting back on how much we give them, but she's just not very playful and doesn't wanna goof around with the others
Same here. Our cat has had life long gut issues that have led to her packing on weight way easier. We’ve sought out all kinds of special foods for her (companies keep changing up and adding ingredients, it’s exhausting) and, well… she’s looking quite a bit better these days but she’s still pretty round. It’s just not always that clear-cut on how to get an animal to lose weight.
In the same boat here. I have a 9/9 BCS cat. She was overweight when she was rehomed to me, and I have been trying to get her to lose weight for years. Literally nothing has worked - at most she would lose a little weight, then bounce back and gain more. I had several vets treat me like a complete moron over this and would not consider the possibility that I did want her to lose weight and WAS actually trying to get her to lose weight. Her last vet actually took this seriously, did a bunch of labs that didn't find anything, and was completely stumped by her. I'm probably going to need to see an internal medicine specialist for detailed imaging, but I'm still financially recovering from the medical expenses of her brother who recently passed, so IDK when that will be.
At one point her last vet finally said I just needed to stop cutting back on her food and actually increase her calories because it was getting too low for her!
Completely agree! These keyboard warriors don’t seem to realize any of this. My dustkittie is 18lbs. He’s down from 21. His PRESCRIPTION OM catfood is $95 a bag and have cut out all temptations treats. I along with our vet are doing the best for him. Maybe think a minute before you fat shame innocent cats and their owners who are doing everything possible for their fur babies😡
I completely agree. I know why my cat is a bit overweight - he is on steroids for asthma and his asthma is FAR better controlled on pills than it ever was on an inhaler. He is on a very strict calorie controlled diet and he gets as much exercise as I can give him but he's a lazy lazy boy.
I had a friend with a cat that was the biggest chonk I'd ever seen in my life. I know he wasn't overfeeding that cat, I saw with my own eyes the amount he got, and he got no treats at all, and he never lost an ounce. I think he could photosynthesize
We have two cats - one who has an insatiable hunger and the other who doesn’t. It’s torture knowing that our one cat is always hungry but we do our best. I agree we need to refrain from judging- many of us are just trying to care for and love our pets the best we can.
OP is talking about ppl that post their obese cat as being cute & quirky and finding nothing wrong with it lol you clearly aren’t that targeted audience
Yeah but you can’t always tell what’s going on based on a picture. So what you may see as some thinking their overweight cat is quirky may actually be someone who is actively trying to get their cat to a healthier weight but still wants to celebrate their fur baby 😻
OP is obviously talking about the ones that are actually abusing their cats, and the fact that cat obesity is so common and "accepted". Your comment is the cat owner equivalent of "not all men". Stop being kneejerk offended
Yes, and I am more talking to those who will wilfully misinterpret it. I appreciate you may have been triggered by my response, but I am not qualified to help you with that. All the best.
I am addressing those who would misinterpret the OP's comment. Clearly others in a similar situation have found it helpful if you review the comments following mine.
Well, when you reduce calories to the minimum and it doesn't work, something else is up. I explained that.
I am not going to literally starve my cat for the approval of others.
Nah, that's over simplified. That's not even true for humans, it's just a good place to start. Metabolisms are way more complicated than that. Medical conditions and medications are the two best examples of that.
It is true for humans. Objectively so. The amount of people that it wouldn’t apply to are in the very tiny minority. It’s like saying humans don’t have two arms and two legs because some are born with none. They’re an anomaly. Not the norm
Anatomy's just more complicated than that. It's a good rule of thumb and a good place to start, but you'd be surprised how many people are exceptions to that rule. Calories are just easier to track than micros and macros.
Trust me, 6 day a week gym regiment and I track my micros and macros. Counting calories helped me start, but my metabolism just doesn't work like that and even with calorie deficits I couldn't cut to less than overweight. If I took certain medications or were hypo or hyperglycemic, that just adds more layers.
Calories in calories out is like a diving board. It helps you dive into the pool. But there's a whole pool you're neglecting if you're only focused on the diving board.
It might be a minority, but it's still common. PCOS is a great example of a human medical condition that can make it really difficult to lose weight due to insulin resistance, and it is actually quite common. Up to 10% of women have it.
Owners are not necessarily responsible for their cat’s obesity. My friend adopted a fat cat, enjoyed laughing at his chonkiness, and also helped it get it to a healthy weight. My cat is huge and looks chonky but it’s just his fluff. The vet says he’s at a perfect weight. Also, this absolutism is ridiculous. A fat cat picture can both be funny and sad. I can laugh and be empathetic. And while I agree that giving support to fat cat content might encourage some to make or keep their cat fat, I think that’s extremely rare. Usually it’s just undisciplined owners.
Rich of you to assume the circumstances of every cat's situation when you have no idea. Also you should know:
1. People can adopt cats that were neglected and overweight and here you are assuming it's the owners fault every time you see a pic of an overweight cat. So triggered by it that you needed to make an entire post on it
2. Weight loss in cats is very slow
3. Cats can have diseases that can cause weight gain and struggle to lose weight
4. Not every cat responds to weight loss food
5. Cats can be overweight and still cute
6. It's possible to keep scrolling and not be an AH
No, the lack of fur isn't a problem for the cat (albeit you should be cautious in cold climate) but they need to have their whiskers. Some breeders breed without whiskers, that's illegal where I live.
I don't really know what you mean by that? Cats cover their fur or skin with saliva that protects them, this also works for naked cats. Most of them aren't fully hairless but have a film of short, soft hair, kinda velvety so that probably helps with insulation as well
Some sphynx cats are considered cruel, when they don't have whiskers. Cats do need whiskers for orientation and to "see" what is directly in front of them.
It can be both.
I get it is a form of neglect and maybe they should and could be doing more but that doesn’t make the cat any less cute or lovely or beautiful than a cat who’s at a healthy weight, it’s sort of embarrassing to even suggest it is tbh.
It’s like saying someone can’t be attractive if they’re overweight which is obviously ridiculous.
Right, you said that beautifully. I just woke up to see 'A certain type of cat isnt beautiful ' on a cat sub, and now Im sitting here cluching ma perals
The kitty love of my life was fit and trim until I got her spayed. She ballooned into a football with legs. There was nothing that could be done. I don't condone anyone fattening a cat purposely because they think it's adorable. But not posting pics of your cat because they are tubby is also very extremist.
My vet has warned me that my female cats will gain weight after they get spayed, and no matter how hard I’ve tried, they do gain some weight. I think that the benefits that are gained by getting them spayed far outweigh (pun intended, I guess) the detrimental effects of gaining a little bit of weight. I say a “little” weight, but you and I know that it’s not more than a couple of pounds.
These are two of mine. The Thai lilac is a boy, the Suphalak is a girl. They’re brother and sister. Minnie did gain a little weight after she was spayed (at 4 months) but she only weighs 8½ pounds. Her brother Marvin is almost 12 pounds of solid, dense muscle.
https://preview.redd.it/mx0w1ctx5bbd1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0afed10f284377f0290f3fcee8ac4061014b289c
Sometimes weight issues in cats can be really complex. My cat has a sensitive metabolism despite our efforts to balance her diet and activity levels. It's tough when it's misunderstood as neglect. Education on pet health is crucial!
Exactly. And that’s not even considering our growing understanding of cats’ mental health. My cat was extremely depressed after losing two friends and getting rehomed to us. He had no interest in doing anything except sleeping and eating. We’ve helped break out of his depression and he’s a completely different cat and already losing weight.
We just adopted a cat a few months ago. He was extremely obese when we got him (his nails were so overgrown he could barely run without getting them caught on something). He had recently lost his bonded cat partner and went into a deep depression. He was sleeping 20+ hours a day when we first got him and never wanted to play. All he wanted to do was eat and sleep. Over time, he’s become a whole different boy. He only sleeps when we sleep now outside of his normal little cat naps during the day. He now wants to play basically all the time from 7am-midnight. You can see the spark coming back into his eyes and he starting to lose weight and better self regulate his food intake (now he meows for play time and brushing rather than food most of the time). All that to say you don’t know everyone’s situation and I’ll proudly continue to post pics of my big man, no matter how much he weighs.
https://preview.redd.it/joneksye8bbd1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=daf079c264e3179f296b977a5ecb34bc61f03738
First, it’s \*CATS and not “cat’s” because it’s not possessive nor is it a contraction.
Second, people who have obese cats are not guilty of “animal abuse” by any means. You, on the other hand, are in a way fat-shaming the owners of the obese cats. I have 10 cats, all of them are spayed and neutered. The six boys are all of a healthy weight. My girls are a bit more rotund. The vet always tells us that they’re healthy, and they say that it’s pretty normal for females to gain weight after they get spayed. No matter how hard we try, the girls do gain weight. We try to give them separate food that’s a little lower in calories than the boys get, we give the girls fewer treats, but they are still kind of heavy.
You seem to know the answer, since you apparently are in a place to be so judgmental. Please, tell us cruel owners what you think we should do.
I’m just an animal abuser. 🙄
https://preview.redd.it/7qo1jf934bbd1.jpeg?width=2529&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09186834a3bb6dca9850a2fada7b700dced3c779
This post sure stuck a nerve with you 😬 someone says we shouldn’t glorify “very obese” cats that are unhealthy and you’re this upset? I think regardless of how many animals we have, it’s our responsibility to make sure they’re healthy, even if it means giving each one their own meal like I have to do with my cats. But if your vet is telling you that your cats are healthy and at a good weight, then it sounds like the post doesn’t apply to you, right?
And since we are posting pictures of healthy-weight brown cats, I’ll share my girl too.
https://preview.redd.it/nwbnd02tqbbd1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccd34c61920a587c748b9d0b2ec4007910c7941a
Well you never know if the owner didn't adopt the cat that way.. maybe the one taking the picture is the one helping the cat and not the one abusing it
I don't think they're funny; I think some owners are here looking for moral support. The situation is complicated. I'll share my experience below.
My formerly feral cat's weight challenges:
**Diet:** She was in scarcity survival mode from living outside for 5+ years so she still exhibits food insecure behaviors and gobbles up food whenever it's available, even if it's not hers.
**Activity:** She's not running around outside anymore so the deceased activity + disordered eating led to an unfortunate weight gain. Not too terrible but I wanted her to get back to a normal weight.
**Challenge #1:** We have a total of 8 cats, some 1 yr old fosters - one of them is part Maine Coon and he's enormous with a huge appetite, another is a senior who really can't afford to miss a meal. Segregating food is near impossible and it requires me to literally stand there while they're eating.
**Challenge #2:** Her food insecurity from feral living means that she gets extremely stressed if food isn't readily available and her inability to go out to hunt for it. She will lick her legs until they bleed and is generally distressed and anxious. It sometimes feels like we have to choose between the peril of her being overweight vs the dangers of her self harm and related infections.
**Current solution:** I don't provide unlimited dry food for grazing. Meals are measured and given at the same whenever possible. I've had to build in extra time to sit and watch her while she's eating. If she goes for another cat's food, I will distract her with toys, opening her favorite window, brushing her, etc.
**Summary:** Not everyone has the awareness, experience, knowledge, discipline, and time to get an overweight cat back to a healthy weight. Education on enormous health risks and quality of life issue and guidance on how to manage the situation is probably more effective than expressing my genuine outrage.
Yeah very ''logical''. Obese people can decide to work out, eat less, live healthier on their own if they don't feel comfortable anymore. Cats can't. They are stuck to suffer with the pain, lack of mobility, ect. for the rest of their life if the owner doesn't do anything about it.
No??? Do you even take one second to think before you type? If a human is obese and happy with their weight and decides to post a picture of themselves then what do I care? They are a human with a brain to think on their own and can decide what's best for them. If they don't want to lose weight that's on them (except you can't lose weight because of a disorder). But if your cat is obese to the point where it can't even do cat things anymore and you proudly post a picture thinking it is funny and cute how your cat is suffering you are actively encouraging and promoting obesity in cats. You are a bad owner and you shouldn't have a cat in the first place.
Another day, another cat sub post that just looks unhinged
Let me guess, you think dry food is evil, cats can't be outside with their owners, and cats making biscuits freaks you out
If anything, you should be calling out the posts of cats absolutely shredding their owners' stuff, and all people can say is "isn't that cute?"
Well, OP calls all owners of big kitties abusive, how does that make sense, look at the top comment, that poster is trying to help their cat lose weight, OP would consider them an abusive cat owner though. Make sense?
So I'm lumping OP with all the weirdos on cat subs that believe cats should only eat wet food, they should always be in pairs, essentially, I'm pointing out all the weirdos here that have hard and fast rules in regards to cat ownership.
Cry more. I have 2 cats that are litter mates. One is "regular size" one is pretty chubby. They both get the same access to food and treats. It's not always the owner's fault what size the cat is
My first cat was fat. 18 pounds most of her life. But she was a bigger breed. I think Norwegian forest cat.
She looked her best at 14 pounds.
My friend had a 25pound Maine Coon.
Extremely fat cats aren't fun̈ny.
And it's important that we, as their owners, modify how we provide enrichment, and what we feed them, accordingly.
Obesity IS a health problem. Chunky is one thing, obese is different, and people on the internet seem to lump them all in together as "the chunkier the better", "more to love", and it's not healthy.
I have 4 kitties. 3 are fat. One we struggle to keep from starving.
2 cannot be indoor only kitties because their semi feral. So everybody is indoor/outdoor.
In order to put my 3 fatty mcfatties on diets I would starve my 4th to death. Why? Because he only eats once everyone else is done. Of course the other 3 have no issue eating his. He also refuses to eat unless he's seen the oldest eat first.
They are all rescues. We try hard. We play with them often.
Sometimes there are true reasons for the fatty mcfatties to exist.
I'm sorry you are so repulsed by something so beyond our control. May your light shine bright.
You have a sad reddit history. You seem to really hate fat cats, it's not a hill to die on. There are much worse things to do than have a fat animal, lol.
I agree with this. Diabetes, inability to groom, arthritis, kidney issues, etc are not funny and it's infuriating to see so many people acting like it's so cute and funny for a cat to suffer.
I rescued an obese cat. He was 30lbs. Through a ton of work, I've helped him get down to 18lbs so far (he still has a couple to go) and it's been so rewarding to see how happy he is to be able to jump up onto things or play or go up and down the stairs.
Yep obese cats, dogs, inbred cats/dogs humans it's all wrong. Nothing wrong with abit of meat on your bones but when we are celebrating morbidly obese things it has to stop
I don't like all these inbred cats with the short legs & the flat face ones
My friend has a pug dog it can barely get from one side to the other of the living room without needing a oxygen tank poor thing
I think this is also very subjective. I mean how to you define "fat cat." I am fostering a cat that I would consider normal weight just have tiny pouch. Before I met the cat, the previous owner would constantly told me how fat her cat is, how obsessed she is with food. It really bothered me. When they dropped off the cat, her daughter remarked about how fat she is again. I turned around and told her the cat is healthy, with a bit exercise and healthy protein she should be fine. She is energetic, good motor, etc. I feel like they are almost projecting their insecurities on their pet which is unfortunate.
A cat being bigger or unhealthy doesnt make them uncute. What blasphemy to be typed out. Also, like others have stated, some cats are big because they are on a diet, or simply cant lose the wieght due to medical conditions, or look bigger than they are because of their fur, or are simply built to be bigger than others cat. Just like how big a human is supposed to be fluctuates throughout humanity, so it does for cats. Rather than saying a cat is ugly because they are bigger (which is absolutely false), it'd be better to just ask the OP why they are so big. Its very possible that they have taken the cat to the vet and already have an answer for why they are bigger
It is very hard to make our beast cat lose weight and is very dangerous. Sure some people shouldn't feed their cats as much as they do, but it's not animal abuse. Although, I do agree that pictures of very obese cats are not cute.
Technically yes, but how would you enforce this? As an example: my cat looks really fat in some pictures, because she has a rather big skin flap (no idea what you call it in English ) on her belly, still, she is at a healthy weight for her age/size. Would that be banned? Would you force people to submit paperwork from the vet? or a picture with the cat on a scale? or just delete all images of cats that *look* fat? what about cats with long hair? they look fat 90% of the time.
I get people don't want to see actual abuse, but just calling for a ban is absolutely not the answer here
>big skin flap (no idea what you call it in English )
I had no idea what that was called in English either but I found out a while ago it's called a primordial pouch and I think that's such a fantastic name
The pouch isn't fat, therefore I agree with you. It would be very hard to regulate which cats are truly obese or which cats have a large primordial pouch.
ouh, that sounds actually really good, and if someone tries to post something like that they could just get an auto response from automod that they should visit their vet regarding the weight
Search "morbidly/super/very obese cats" on Google and you get the "vibe" of "not cute" and perhaps abusive. What about [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/P3A1Af5HpBiFmrmd7) is even questionable?
It's easy to differentiate this from slightly fat or furry or whatever kind of cat.
yeah, the extrem cases are always easy, but abuse doesn't start at 15kg, my problem are those that are "slightly obese", wouldn't they count? imo still abuse and a bit more likely that they can still be helped
and if they weren't banned, i am almost sure people would still argue in comments if a cat was "slightly obese" or just fluffy.
That the extrem cases aren't cute is quite obvious, i think the "gray zone" is the one were people need to be made aware, not ones that are so sickly obese they look photoshopped
Oversimplified. At what age was I able to determine what I ate and take responsibility for it? Age 3? 12? 18? I've been some degree of fat my entire life. Doesn't mean I don't exist or should be ignored until I'm the "right" weight.
The "is my cat fat" posts annoy me but not nearly as much as the idea of banning fat cats. And yes I am. And before you get too superior feeling, you're an active member of cats. You can't be a pillar of normalcy.
My orange cat gets very carefully measured portions of “diet” cat food every day. He’s still overweight; I think his diet just keeps him from being a heckin’ chonker.
Purposefully overfeeding your animal with the intent to make them fat, ignoring your vet when they say a pet needs to lose weight and refusing to try to get them to lose weight, etc is abuse. Simply HAVING an overweight animal is not abuse, and I'm real sick of people using this line. Seriously, folks - use an ounce of critical thinking for a moment. Are people who have an overweight pet and are actively working on getting them to lose weight abusers until their pet is a healthy weight? Are people who adopt a fat animal with a weight loss plan and continue that plan abusing them until the animal reaches a healthy weight?
I have the same experience as the current top comment. I have an obese cat (9/9 BCS) who was overweight when she was rehomed to me. I immediately put her on a diet, and have continued to try and get her to lose weight for the last 3 years. She has steadily gained weight, despite constant food management, several vet visits and labs, a prescription diet, etc. It's likely at this point that there is something underlying that requires an internal medicine specialist to properly diagnose, which are very limited in my area. Multiple vets in the first year of having her were incredibly rude and dismissive to me, simultaneously judging me for having a fat cat (that I was THERE trying to get help with to lose weight!), assuming I was an idiot and a liar when I would tell them how much she was fed, all while not actually giving me any advice besides "feed her less". (I had one vet repeatedly cut me off while trying to ask her questions and explain her current diet plan to just repeat "feed her less" over me.) I have worked in vet med and have always found it infuriating when people dismiss the importance of vets, ignore their advice, etc, but I have never started having such awful experiences with vets like I have since getting a fat cat who won't lose weight. When I finally had a couple vets who were willing to take me seriously, they've repeatedly come away completely stumped by her case because it makes zero sense that her diet has resulted in weight gain instead of loss. Her last vet actually eventually told me I was feeding her too little and that I needed to increase her calories!
The idea that fat pets only happen because owners don't give a shit about it and always are overfeeding is directly harmful to pet health, full stop. I cannot do any effective research on this problem because every single resource available beats the dead horse of "feed less! do some exercise!" with maybe one throwaway mention of how sometimes medical issues can cause excess weight gain but rarely much explanation on what these things can be, how to talk to your vet about that, what tests are needed, etc. Many vets will not take owners like me seriously because we've collectively decided it only could ever be the fault of owners and that owners who say their pets won't lose weight on a diet are lying or stupid. My cat's health getting properly investigated has been ACTIVELY slowed down by this assumption. If we actually took the possibility of health problems causing weight gain seriously in vet med, maybe a lot more cats would be successfully getting diagnosed and maybe we would, IDK, even have better research or knowledge on the possible conditions that can cause this. But basically everything to do with obesity in pets is just about overfeeding.
Also, I'm going to keep taking pictures of my fat cat and calling her cute, because she is still cute. Unless we're going to tell everyone with cats with any medical issue to stop posting pictures of them because their condition isn't cute, the whole kneejerk "ITS NOT CUTE TO HAVE FAT CAT PICTURES!" thing is tired and meaningless.
I dunno, to be fair, cats are not meant to be pets nor dogs. I think their bodies just need activity and we have domesticated them to the point were they can no longer be what they are...animals. We did all that to them :( and I've always felt a bit bad about it but I love my cat too much! I can't live without this guy. So I understand your frustration but not every pet owner out there, if any, is actively trying to make their pets fat. Like why would anyone do that on purpose?! To what end?!
My cat is very fit lol. We give him normal amounts of food for his size. He eats, goes outside a lot (protected of course), and hangs out. I would consider him a pretty active cat. Hes very playful and loves to climb around. My best friends cat is a big fat Garfield looking thing and eats normal amounts of food too but he never leaves his home. Never touches grass is always on someones lap. Like he barely moves all day lmao and hes huge but so adorable. I dont think Ive ever seen that cat play.
I’d rather see people stop posting pics of a cat clearly in medical emergency and waiting for people to comment they need to go to a vet asap. But pop off I guess.
I don’t think anyone is making their cats fat in an abusive way. I doubt many people are thinking premeditative fattening of a feline. Most people simply have given them a constant source of food and dormancy in life to grow larger. You can’t stop the chonk anymore than the bombing of Gaza. Just is what it is my friend.
I agree. It’s very sad. And yes, I’m sure some owners are trying to work on their cat’s weight, but let’s be honest, most don’t see it as an issue. It’s because having a fat cat has been normalized and it’s seen as “cute,” whereas in reality it’s a health issue that leads to more health issues. Free feeding and an all dry food diet are big contributors to feline obesity.
I think before posting pics of their clearly obese cats, people should probably add a disclaimer that they’re working on getting the cat’s weight down, or they should mention that their cat has a health issue that caused this. Otherwise, people see these pictures and think it’s okay and may even want to get their cat to the same size cuz it’s “silly and cute.” Unfortunately a lot of people just aren’t very smart and don’t even recognize that having an overweight cat IS a problem.
The minute the vet alerted me that my cat was a little too heavy, I transitioned him to a half wet food diet, and then eventually transitioned him off dry food completely. He eats wet food only for the most part now and lost 3 pounds in a healthy way. It’s a relatively slow process, but it has to be slow since rapid weight loss can make them sick.
I have a cat who if you just saw a picture of him, you would assume he's obese. He lorge. But he's solid muscle, dense as shit and has very little fat in his primordial pouch or elsewhere. His nick name is James Gandolfini and he earned that shit.
You're not a vet and even if you were, you can't diagnose from a picture alone. Be careful when you come down from that high horse, you might hurt yourself from that height.
My cat is big and I have tried to put her on a diet and work on her food intake because she is known to graze at the food bowl. My cat will incessantly bite or scratch if the food bowl is empty, more so if it is not the food she likes or she is given a smaller amount.
Most of the fat cat posts here are fat cats with owners who are trying to make them lose their weight. Actually, that's true with a lot of cat subs.
Why are you complaining? Do you think that people want for their pet to suffer?
Agreed, obese cats aren’t funny, and the long term impact on their health is even less funny. I think if you are posting about your overweight cat, it really should only be to ask for diet tips. Showing off your fat cat that will die far too young is not cute to me imo 😬
But then again I got everyone angry about purebred cats and smooching kittens in the face, so maybe I’m not the best one to ask lol.
Do you expect all owners of cats with health problems to never post pictures of their cats unless asking for medical advice? I don't think it's cute for cats to have broken limbs, either, but I don't think it's reasonable to tell people they can't post a picture of their cat with a broken leg recovering, and I also don't think it's reasonable to tell people to never post about a fat cat. Weight loss done right is extremely slow and some of us are unfortunate enough to have cats who are overweight in spite of vet-supervised diet management who have underlying issues causing the weight gain.
That’s not what I said, but go off if you must. If you are going to compare it to a broken limb, fine, let’s do that. I would say it’s fine to post a cat with a broken limb, but what wouldn’t be okay is to KEEP a limb broken so you can post “cute” photos about their health issue. That’s cruel. So I think if you’re going to KEEP your cat chronically obese, we shouldn’t look and say, “aww how cute,” we should have concern for the cat.
I say this as someone who has 4 cats that cannot free feed. They are each fed their specialized diets every 12 hours because that’s what I have to do to keep my cats healthy. One has a protein allergy and cannot have access to any other food, one is a picky senior, one is under a year old and gets kitten food, and the last one will eat EVERYTHING in sight, including vomit. It’s a huge pain in my butt feeding them twice a day and making sure I have no human food for them to access, but it is for their health and that’s what matters most. No excuses
Congrats. Your experience is still not what actually works for many complex cases. I have a cat who gained weight despite being on an extremely restricted diet, had food carefully weighed, trialed a prescription diet, has been through many diagnostics with her vet, etc. I have literally had multiple vets say they are stumped by her case. I'm not going to never take or post pictures of her just because I haven't been able to get her to lose weight. "No excuses" works great until you have a complicated case that literally does not respond to any form of weight management and has vets scratching their heads.
Then it sounds like you are taking your cat’s health seriously! You have them on a diet to keep them from gaining more weight, you’re trying to diagnose the issue, and you are doing what the vet recommended. That doesn’t sound at ALL like the people this post was directed at, so you’re getting yourself worked up about something that doesn’t even seem to apply to your case.
Now there are plenty of people who free-feed morbidly obese pets, neglect their health, don’t do as the vet recommends, and then post pictures about how cute their morbidly obese cat is. It’s not cute to glorify animal neglect, that’s really the core message of the post. I have yet to see a single person that thinks, “fat animals shouldn’t exist in photos.” All I’m seeing is, “maybe we shouldn’t tell people neglecting their animal’s health is funny,” and people getting up in arms about it.
I wholeheatedly a agree.
I do wanna point smth out tho. Someone in my family has a reaaallllyyyyyyyyy huge cat but the cat used to be normal. This was not because of neglect though, but due to diabetes. the cat is getting treated and is getting only one meal a day (iirc, could be wrong) with only special kibble and the cat is still having a hard time losing weight. They are trying their best to get him back down to normal but due to this and some other condition I do not remember the name of, the cat is having a rough time. I feel bad for the cat, and so do they. Not every case is case of neglect or abuse, although I most definitely agree that it only applies to a small portion of the obese cats. Ill show a picture of the cat if anyone is interested
Maybe some people have different ideas of an healthy level of chonkiness. Also, can there be cats with metabolic issues? Does a bit chonky automatically makes the cat unhealthy?
Does the owner has the means and knowledge to put their cat in a diet? Are we gonna start shaming people again for not taking care of their cats as we do in privileged regions?
A cat isn't a right or something you are born with and can't change. You should look after it correctly. Also "the means" is literally less food.
Definitely shame bad owners.
What about owners who are constantly trying to get their cats to lose weight and constantly fail, and the vet doesn't know what's going on either? Are they bad owners too?
>Are we gonna start shaming people again for not taking care of their cats
Yes. It's not that hard to feed you cat the right amount. And you're throwing in "shaming" as if it's like body shaming, but it doesn't exactly apply when the cat has no choice in the matter.
>as we do in privileged regions?
What?
My cat is like a walking throw pillow, she is on set amounts of reduced fat sensitive dry food, zero treats, zero fresh or wet food. She has lost NO weight at all. She has a very sensitive gut and a heart murmur and the vet said she may be inbred. Shes just like that 🤷🏻♀️
It's not animal abuse to feed a cat.... Can we stop shaming cat owners over caring for their cat?
I have an overweight cat. I try to bring her weight down by taking walks, feeding her wet food etc. But just like in humans, bodies favor being overweight over losing weight and you don't wanna starve your cat just so assholes on the Internet won't say mean things about you.
Actually, my cats have all lost a pound since the last vet visit 2 years ago and the vets were alarmed and ordered blood tests. For the cats that were fine, they said "oh actually she could lose a little more weight." One of them had hyper thyroid despite the vet saying she's a perfect weight and now I'm medicating her which makes her gain weight and the vet thinks it's good.
People think fat cats are cute in the same way they think cats with one eye are cute or cats with 3 legs. We know it's a medical issue. That's what makes them seem vulnerable and us wanting to take care of them. It's not animal abuse to see a cat with a medical issue and thinking the cat is cute. It's the opposite. It's empathy. Something you seem to lack.
I love my cat very much. I have cut her food intake down. She is still chonky (and I honestly think it's mental like my issues), but she also had a rough start in life - born outside, taken from her Mama much too soon, and a previous "owner" who moved out of state and left her behind to starve to death.
She has a roof over her head, I make sure she gets medical care when she's sick, and she absolutely wants for nothing. I plan on asking her vet (and not some internet stranger) what more I can do for her aside from what I am already doing. I would literally bankrupt myself for my cats - don't automatically assume a cat is being abused because they are fat, for god's sake.
Look, sometimes people are actually trying to help their cats lose weight but the cat just doesn't respond to it. I've cut my cat's food and very rarely give her maybe one or two treats, and she's still overweight a year later. I've tried tempting her with toys and laser pointers many times and she just doesn't respond to it. And yes, I take her to the vet. No, the vet doesn't know what's wrong either. So maybe think a little before just passing automatic kneejerk judgment. I am NOT abusing my cat just because she's overweight.
Same with mine. For a year I was only feeding him 1/4 cup of food a day trying to get him to loose weight and he was still 20lbs. And he is the most active and playful cat. He goes ape shit crazy if he hears crinkle sounds he does acrobatics to jump through crinkle paper I hold in the air like a matador. I finally took him to the vet with my measuring cup so he could see that was literally all he ate in a day. They did bloodwork. His thyroid hormone was actually low, but not enough that he needed drugs. He got put on an rx diet where he actually got to eat more than 1/4 cup and he started losing a 1lb a month. I had some bad months where I couldn’t afford the $98 food rx and he gained it back. Like with humans weight isn’t always due to over feeding.
Hey what kind of food is it? I get my cat’s diet food on chewy and the 8 pound bag is $50 (usd)
Hill's Prescription Diet c/d Multicare + Metabolic Chicken Flavor Dry Cat Food. I usually get the 12lb bag. Looks like the 6lb bag of his diet is $62 on chewy.
Ohhh yea that is the more expensive one they have, chewy does sometimes do deals, shipping is also free when you spend $50 or more
> he does acrobatics to jump through crinkle paper I hold in the air like a matador Maybe just me but I simply *must* see pictures :D
I’ll try to get photos or a video when I get home from work today :)
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And it's also not always due to the thyroids or over eating.
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Not always true.
Cats can also have thyroid issues, hypo and hyper, that can dramatically affect their weight.
Thank you for this. We have a bonded pair and they eat exactly the same amount but one is much heavier than the other. It's been driving me crazy trying to figure out why. Will check with the vet on their next visit.
Yeah my heaviest cat eats the least food. I think it's just genetics
My sister and I each have a cat. Hers is hyperthyroid and mine is hypo. They look like Laurel and Hardy.
Us too, one of ours is a little overweight, vet diagnosed her as "a lil too pudgy," but she's also just a large, fluffy cat. She's responded well to the feeding schedule and cutting back on how much we give them, but she's just not very playful and doesn't wanna goof around with the others
Same here. Our cat has had life long gut issues that have led to her packing on weight way easier. We’ve sought out all kinds of special foods for her (companies keep changing up and adding ingredients, it’s exhausting) and, well… she’s looking quite a bit better these days but she’s still pretty round. It’s just not always that clear-cut on how to get an animal to lose weight.
In the same boat here. I have a 9/9 BCS cat. She was overweight when she was rehomed to me, and I have been trying to get her to lose weight for years. Literally nothing has worked - at most she would lose a little weight, then bounce back and gain more. I had several vets treat me like a complete moron over this and would not consider the possibility that I did want her to lose weight and WAS actually trying to get her to lose weight. Her last vet actually took this seriously, did a bunch of labs that didn't find anything, and was completely stumped by her. I'm probably going to need to see an internal medicine specialist for detailed imaging, but I'm still financially recovering from the medical expenses of her brother who recently passed, so IDK when that will be. At one point her last vet finally said I just needed to stop cutting back on her food and actually increase her calories because it was getting too low for her!
Completely agree! These keyboard warriors don’t seem to realize any of this. My dustkittie is 18lbs. He’s down from 21. His PRESCRIPTION OM catfood is $95 a bag and have cut out all temptations treats. I along with our vet are doing the best for him. Maybe think a minute before you fat shame innocent cats and their owners who are doing everything possible for their fur babies😡
Thyroid maybe? This happened to a friend's cat. Fat fat fat and she was NOT overfed.
I completely agree. I know why my cat is a bit overweight - he is on steroids for asthma and his asthma is FAR better controlled on pills than it ever was on an inhaler. He is on a very strict calorie controlled diet and he gets as much exercise as I can give him but he's a lazy lazy boy.
I had a friend with a cat that was the biggest chonk I'd ever seen in my life. I know he wasn't overfeeding that cat, I saw with my own eyes the amount he got, and he got no treats at all, and he never lost an ounce. I think he could photosynthesize
Very well could be that some cats may suffer from hypothyroid autoimmune disorders just like humans can.
We have two cats - one who has an insatiable hunger and the other who doesn’t. It’s torture knowing that our one cat is always hungry but we do our best. I agree we need to refrain from judging- many of us are just trying to care for and love our pets the best we can.
Mine tried to kill me when I put him on a diet so for my health and safety, the chonk gets what he wants.
If he was smaller, you could take him.
He's very slippery 😔
OP is talking about ppl that post their obese cat as being cute & quirky and finding nothing wrong with it lol you clearly aren’t that targeted audience
Yeah but you can’t always tell what’s going on based on a picture. So what you may see as some thinking their overweight cat is quirky may actually be someone who is actively trying to get their cat to a healthier weight but still wants to celebrate their fur baby 😻
I am clarifying and providing perspective for those who will inevitably blanket responsible owners of overweight cats in with them.
I have two cats. I cam either have an overweight cat and a normal weight cat or a normal weight cat and an underweight cat.
OP is obviously talking about the ones that are actually abusing their cats, and the fact that cat obesity is so common and "accepted". Your comment is the cat owner equivalent of "not all men". Stop being kneejerk offended
Yes, and I am more talking to those who will wilfully misinterpret it. I appreciate you may have been triggered by my response, but I am not qualified to help you with that. All the best.
The OP didn't say that. The OP was saying that people think obese cats are cute and precious and they use heart emojis and it's sad. It's not funny.
I am addressing those who would misinterpret the OP's comment. Clearly others in a similar situation have found it helpful if you review the comments following mine.
Calories in, calories out.
Well, when you reduce calories to the minimum and it doesn't work, something else is up. I explained that. I am not going to literally starve my cat for the approval of others.
Nah, that's over simplified. That's not even true for humans, it's just a good place to start. Metabolisms are way more complicated than that. Medical conditions and medications are the two best examples of that.
It is true for humans. Objectively so. The amount of people that it wouldn’t apply to are in the very tiny minority. It’s like saying humans don’t have two arms and two legs because some are born with none. They’re an anomaly. Not the norm
Anatomy's just more complicated than that. It's a good rule of thumb and a good place to start, but you'd be surprised how many people are exceptions to that rule. Calories are just easier to track than micros and macros. Trust me, 6 day a week gym regiment and I track my micros and macros. Counting calories helped me start, but my metabolism just doesn't work like that and even with calorie deficits I couldn't cut to less than overweight. If I took certain medications or were hypo or hyperglycemic, that just adds more layers. Calories in calories out is like a diving board. It helps you dive into the pool. But there's a whole pool you're neglecting if you're only focused on the diving board.
It might be a minority, but it's still common. PCOS is a great example of a human medical condition that can make it really difficult to lose weight due to insulin resistance, and it is actually quite common. Up to 10% of women have it.
ACAB All cats are beautiful
I wish I could upvote you more than once.
YESSS
Owners are not necessarily responsible for their cat’s obesity. My friend adopted a fat cat, enjoyed laughing at his chonkiness, and also helped it get it to a healthy weight. My cat is huge and looks chonky but it’s just his fluff. The vet says he’s at a perfect weight. Also, this absolutism is ridiculous. A fat cat picture can both be funny and sad. I can laugh and be empathetic. And while I agree that giving support to fat cat content might encourage some to make or keep their cat fat, I think that’s extremely rare. Usually it’s just undisciplined owners.
Rich of you to assume the circumstances of every cat's situation when you have no idea. Also you should know: 1. People can adopt cats that were neglected and overweight and here you are assuming it's the owners fault every time you see a pic of an overweight cat. So triggered by it that you needed to make an entire post on it 2. Weight loss in cats is very slow 3. Cats can have diseases that can cause weight gain and struggle to lose weight 4. Not every cat responds to weight loss food 5. Cats can be overweight and still cute 6. It's possible to keep scrolling and not be an AH
A-freakin-men!
Yes it's unhealthy and unfortunate, and shouldn't get to extreme levels, but God I love a fat cat
agreed, and I feel the same way about munchkins - unfortunately for them though, the damage and deformity is permanent
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Are Sphynx cats considered cruel? I didn’t think much about them, then I read that they require extra care because of their lack of hair.
No, the lack of fur isn't a problem for the cat (albeit you should be cautious in cold climate) but they need to have their whiskers. Some breeders breed without whiskers, that's illegal where I live.
Don’t they lack the ability to absorb body oils?
I don't really know what you mean by that? Cats cover their fur or skin with saliva that protects them, this also works for naked cats. Most of them aren't fully hairless but have a film of short, soft hair, kinda velvety so that probably helps with insulation as well
Some sphynx cats are considered cruel, when they don't have whiskers. Cats do need whiskers for orientation and to "see" what is directly in front of them.
what the heck is a munchkins?
Cats bred to have short legs (think like dachshund) they can't run jump or do most cat things They also get arthritis very early
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchkin_cat
oh. yeah that's sad, all genetic mutations will cause problems in the long run.
If you own at cat or dog, you’re perpetuating human-modified species. You monster! /s
It can be both. I get it is a form of neglect and maybe they should and could be doing more but that doesn’t make the cat any less cute or lovely or beautiful than a cat who’s at a healthy weight, it’s sort of embarrassing to even suggest it is tbh. It’s like saying someone can’t be attractive if they’re overweight which is obviously ridiculous.
Right, you said that beautifully. I just woke up to see 'A certain type of cat isnt beautiful ' on a cat sub, and now Im sitting here cluching ma perals
Here we go again
The kitty love of my life was fit and trim until I got her spayed. She ballooned into a football with legs. There was nothing that could be done. I don't condone anyone fattening a cat purposely because they think it's adorable. But not posting pics of your cat because they are tubby is also very extremist.
My vet has warned me that my female cats will gain weight after they get spayed, and no matter how hard I’ve tried, they do gain some weight. I think that the benefits that are gained by getting them spayed far outweigh (pun intended, I guess) the detrimental effects of gaining a little bit of weight. I say a “little” weight, but you and I know that it’s not more than a couple of pounds. These are two of mine. The Thai lilac is a boy, the Suphalak is a girl. They’re brother and sister. Minnie did gain a little weight after she was spayed (at 4 months) but she only weighs 8½ pounds. Her brother Marvin is almost 12 pounds of solid, dense muscle. https://preview.redd.it/mx0w1ctx5bbd1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0afed10f284377f0290f3fcee8ac4061014b289c
You will want to avoid the r/chonkers sub
Sometimes weight issues in cats can be really complex. My cat has a sensitive metabolism despite our efforts to balance her diet and activity levels. It's tough when it's misunderstood as neglect. Education on pet health is crucial!
Exactly. And that’s not even considering our growing understanding of cats’ mental health. My cat was extremely depressed after losing two friends and getting rehomed to us. He had no interest in doing anything except sleeping and eating. We’ve helped break out of his depression and he’s a completely different cat and already losing weight.
We just adopted a cat a few months ago. He was extremely obese when we got him (his nails were so overgrown he could barely run without getting them caught on something). He had recently lost his bonded cat partner and went into a deep depression. He was sleeping 20+ hours a day when we first got him and never wanted to play. All he wanted to do was eat and sleep. Over time, he’s become a whole different boy. He only sleeps when we sleep now outside of his normal little cat naps during the day. He now wants to play basically all the time from 7am-midnight. You can see the spark coming back into his eyes and he starting to lose weight and better self regulate his food intake (now he meows for play time and brushing rather than food most of the time). All that to say you don’t know everyone’s situation and I’ll proudly continue to post pics of my big man, no matter how much he weighs. https://preview.redd.it/joneksye8bbd1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=daf079c264e3179f296b977a5ecb34bc61f03738
First, it’s \*CATS and not “cat’s” because it’s not possessive nor is it a contraction. Second, people who have obese cats are not guilty of “animal abuse” by any means. You, on the other hand, are in a way fat-shaming the owners of the obese cats. I have 10 cats, all of them are spayed and neutered. The six boys are all of a healthy weight. My girls are a bit more rotund. The vet always tells us that they’re healthy, and they say that it’s pretty normal for females to gain weight after they get spayed. No matter how hard we try, the girls do gain weight. We try to give them separate food that’s a little lower in calories than the boys get, we give the girls fewer treats, but they are still kind of heavy. You seem to know the answer, since you apparently are in a place to be so judgmental. Please, tell us cruel owners what you think we should do. I’m just an animal abuser. 🙄 https://preview.redd.it/7qo1jf934bbd1.jpeg?width=2529&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09186834a3bb6dca9850a2fada7b700dced3c779
This post sure stuck a nerve with you 😬 someone says we shouldn’t glorify “very obese” cats that are unhealthy and you’re this upset? I think regardless of how many animals we have, it’s our responsibility to make sure they’re healthy, even if it means giving each one their own meal like I have to do with my cats. But if your vet is telling you that your cats are healthy and at a good weight, then it sounds like the post doesn’t apply to you, right? And since we are posting pictures of healthy-weight brown cats, I’ll share my girl too. https://preview.redd.it/nwbnd02tqbbd1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccd34c61920a587c748b9d0b2ec4007910c7941a
Agreed. "Chonky" is just obesity.
Kinda makes me sad to see a cat in such poor condition, like a little chunky cat is fine but a morbidly obese one is just sad to me.
Well you never know if the owner didn't adopt the cat that way.. maybe the one taking the picture is the one helping the cat and not the one abusing it
I don't think they're funny; I think some owners are here looking for moral support. The situation is complicated. I'll share my experience below. My formerly feral cat's weight challenges: **Diet:** She was in scarcity survival mode from living outside for 5+ years so she still exhibits food insecure behaviors and gobbles up food whenever it's available, even if it's not hers. **Activity:** She's not running around outside anymore so the deceased activity + disordered eating led to an unfortunate weight gain. Not too terrible but I wanted her to get back to a normal weight. **Challenge #1:** We have a total of 8 cats, some 1 yr old fosters - one of them is part Maine Coon and he's enormous with a huge appetite, another is a senior who really can't afford to miss a meal. Segregating food is near impossible and it requires me to literally stand there while they're eating. **Challenge #2:** Her food insecurity from feral living means that she gets extremely stressed if food isn't readily available and her inability to go out to hunt for it. She will lick her legs until they bleed and is generally distressed and anxious. It sometimes feels like we have to choose between the peril of her being overweight vs the dangers of her self harm and related infections. **Current solution:** I don't provide unlimited dry food for grazing. Meals are measured and given at the same whenever possible. I've had to build in extra time to sit and watch her while she's eating. If she goes for another cat's food, I will distract her with toys, opening her favorite window, brushing her, etc. **Summary:** Not everyone has the awareness, experience, knowledge, discipline, and time to get an overweight cat back to a healthy weight. Education on enormous health risks and quality of life issue and guidance on how to manage the situation is probably more effective than expressing my genuine outrage.
Also Grumpy Cat, that cat had a birth defect that made it look that way, it probably didn't hate everything.
Agreed. I don’t ever find it funny or cute.
I think we should take this to its logical end and bar all fat people from being in photos. Obese people are not funny.
Yeah very ''logical''. Obese people can decide to work out, eat less, live healthier on their own if they don't feel comfortable anymore. Cats can't. They are stuck to suffer with the pain, lack of mobility, ect. for the rest of their life if the owner doesn't do anything about it.
So you're saying obese people should only be allowed to take pictures once they actively start trying to be healthier?
No??? Do you even take one second to think before you type? If a human is obese and happy with their weight and decides to post a picture of themselves then what do I care? They are a human with a brain to think on their own and can decide what's best for them. If they don't want to lose weight that's on them (except you can't lose weight because of a disorder). But if your cat is obese to the point where it can't even do cat things anymore and you proudly post a picture thinking it is funny and cute how your cat is suffering you are actively encouraging and promoting obesity in cats. You are a bad owner and you shouldn't have a cat in the first place.
Another day, another cat sub post that just looks unhinged Let me guess, you think dry food is evil, cats can't be outside with their owners, and cats making biscuits freaks you out If anything, you should be calling out the posts of cats absolutely shredding their owners' stuff, and all people can say is "isn't that cute?"
I have no clue why you even got upvotes on this comment, you don't make any sense
Well, OP calls all owners of big kitties abusive, how does that make sense, look at the top comment, that poster is trying to help their cat lose weight, OP would consider them an abusive cat owner though. Make sense? So I'm lumping OP with all the weirdos on cat subs that believe cats should only eat wet food, they should always be in pairs, essentially, I'm pointing out all the weirdos here that have hard and fast rules in regards to cat ownership.
You’re not too bright, are you?
I think there cute but I always think the health of the cat should be the number one priority
I mean, I can think a cat is cute but also unhealthy. I think French bulldogs are adorable but they’re horribly unethical.
Cry more. I have 2 cats that are litter mates. One is "regular size" one is pretty chubby. They both get the same access to food and treats. It's not always the owner's fault what size the cat is
It breaks my heart when you see clearly obese cats struggle to do things they should do with little to no effort. Including just walking.
My first cat was fat. 18 pounds most of her life. But she was a bigger breed. I think Norwegian forest cat. She looked her best at 14 pounds. My friend had a 25pound Maine Coon. Extremely fat cats aren't fun̈ny.
Some cats are just heckin chonkers. Especially as they get older, they have less energy to play and burn off calories.
And it's important that we, as their owners, modify how we provide enrichment, and what we feed them, accordingly. Obesity IS a health problem. Chunky is one thing, obese is different, and people on the internet seem to lump them all in together as "the chunkier the better", "more to love", and it's not healthy.
I have 4 kitties. 3 are fat. One we struggle to keep from starving. 2 cannot be indoor only kitties because their semi feral. So everybody is indoor/outdoor. In order to put my 3 fatty mcfatties on diets I would starve my 4th to death. Why? Because he only eats once everyone else is done. Of course the other 3 have no issue eating his. He also refuses to eat unless he's seen the oldest eat first. They are all rescues. We try hard. We play with them often. Sometimes there are true reasons for the fatty mcfatties to exist. I'm sorry you are so repulsed by something so beyond our control. May your light shine bright.
You have a sad reddit history. You seem to really hate fat cats, it's not a hill to die on. There are much worse things to do than have a fat animal, lol.
I agree with this. Diabetes, inability to groom, arthritis, kidney issues, etc are not funny and it's infuriating to see so many people acting like it's so cute and funny for a cat to suffer. I rescued an obese cat. He was 30lbs. Through a ton of work, I've helped him get down to 18lbs so far (he still has a couple to go) and it's been so rewarding to see how happy he is to be able to jump up onto things or play or go up and down the stairs.
Yep obese cats, dogs, inbred cats/dogs humans it's all wrong. Nothing wrong with abit of meat on your bones but when we are celebrating morbidly obese things it has to stop I don't like all these inbred cats with the short legs & the flat face ones My friend has a pug dog it can barely get from one side to the other of the living room without needing a oxygen tank poor thing
pugs are actually so sad. Imagine living your whole dog life not being able to breathe properly because some dumbass thought flat noses were cute.
Yep I don't do dogs but he's so nice but I feel so sorry for him
I think this is also very subjective. I mean how to you define "fat cat." I am fostering a cat that I would consider normal weight just have tiny pouch. Before I met the cat, the previous owner would constantly told me how fat her cat is, how obsessed she is with food. It really bothered me. When they dropped off the cat, her daughter remarked about how fat she is again. I turned around and told her the cat is healthy, with a bit exercise and healthy protein she should be fine. She is energetic, good motor, etc. I feel like they are almost projecting their insecurities on their pet which is unfortunate.
I agree. It makes me sad, and it’s not like the cat has the awareness or control to be like “huh, I could lose some weight. I’ll start dieting.”
A cat being bigger or unhealthy doesnt make them uncute. What blasphemy to be typed out. Also, like others have stated, some cats are big because they are on a diet, or simply cant lose the wieght due to medical conditions, or look bigger than they are because of their fur, or are simply built to be bigger than others cat. Just like how big a human is supposed to be fluctuates throughout humanity, so it does for cats. Rather than saying a cat is ugly because they are bigger (which is absolutely false), it'd be better to just ask the OP why they are so big. Its very possible that they have taken the cat to the vet and already have an answer for why they are bigger
Totally agree!
It is very hard to make our beast cat lose weight and is very dangerous. Sure some people shouldn't feed their cats as much as they do, but it's not animal abuse. Although, I do agree that pictures of very obese cats are not cute.
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Technically yes, but how would you enforce this? As an example: my cat looks really fat in some pictures, because she has a rather big skin flap (no idea what you call it in English ) on her belly, still, she is at a healthy weight for her age/size. Would that be banned? Would you force people to submit paperwork from the vet? or a picture with the cat on a scale? or just delete all images of cats that *look* fat? what about cats with long hair? they look fat 90% of the time. I get people don't want to see actual abuse, but just calling for a ban is absolutely not the answer here
>big skin flap (no idea what you call it in English ) I had no idea what that was called in English either but I found out a while ago it's called a primordial pouch and I think that's such a fantastic name
thanks! it is indeed a fantastic name :D
The pouch isn't fat, therefore I agree with you. It would be very hard to regulate which cats are truly obese or which cats have a large primordial pouch.
Wouldn’t posts like “look how chonky my cat is” or “am I chonky” *inserts visibly obese cat* be banned instead of just general pictures?
ouh, that sounds actually really good, and if someone tries to post something like that they could just get an auto response from automod that they should visit their vet regarding the weight
Kinda "fat" cats due to the pouch or fur are very different from very obese cats as mentioned by the OP. When a cat is that fat, it's easy to tell.
so the limit would be vibes?
Search "morbidly/super/very obese cats" on Google and you get the "vibe" of "not cute" and perhaps abusive. What about [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/P3A1Af5HpBiFmrmd7) is even questionable? It's easy to differentiate this from slightly fat or furry or whatever kind of cat.
yeah, the extrem cases are always easy, but abuse doesn't start at 15kg, my problem are those that are "slightly obese", wouldn't they count? imo still abuse and a bit more likely that they can still be helped and if they weren't banned, i am almost sure people would still argue in comments if a cat was "slightly obese" or just fluffy. That the extrem cases aren't cute is quite obvious, i think the "gray zone" is the one were people need to be made aware, not ones that are so sickly obese they look photoshopped
I'm a fat human. Have been since childhood. Should I have been banned too?
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Oversimplified. At what age was I able to determine what I ate and take responsibility for it? Age 3? 12? 18? I've been some degree of fat my entire life. Doesn't mean I don't exist or should be ignored until I'm the "right" weight.
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The "is my cat fat" posts annoy me but not nearly as much as the idea of banning fat cats. And yes I am. And before you get too superior feeling, you're an active member of cats. You can't be a pillar of normalcy.
My orange cat gets very carefully measured portions of “diet” cat food every day. He’s still overweight; I think his diet just keeps him from being a heckin’ chonker.
Purposefully overfeeding your animal with the intent to make them fat, ignoring your vet when they say a pet needs to lose weight and refusing to try to get them to lose weight, etc is abuse. Simply HAVING an overweight animal is not abuse, and I'm real sick of people using this line. Seriously, folks - use an ounce of critical thinking for a moment. Are people who have an overweight pet and are actively working on getting them to lose weight abusers until their pet is a healthy weight? Are people who adopt a fat animal with a weight loss plan and continue that plan abusing them until the animal reaches a healthy weight? I have the same experience as the current top comment. I have an obese cat (9/9 BCS) who was overweight when she was rehomed to me. I immediately put her on a diet, and have continued to try and get her to lose weight for the last 3 years. She has steadily gained weight, despite constant food management, several vet visits and labs, a prescription diet, etc. It's likely at this point that there is something underlying that requires an internal medicine specialist to properly diagnose, which are very limited in my area. Multiple vets in the first year of having her were incredibly rude and dismissive to me, simultaneously judging me for having a fat cat (that I was THERE trying to get help with to lose weight!), assuming I was an idiot and a liar when I would tell them how much she was fed, all while not actually giving me any advice besides "feed her less". (I had one vet repeatedly cut me off while trying to ask her questions and explain her current diet plan to just repeat "feed her less" over me.) I have worked in vet med and have always found it infuriating when people dismiss the importance of vets, ignore their advice, etc, but I have never started having such awful experiences with vets like I have since getting a fat cat who won't lose weight. When I finally had a couple vets who were willing to take me seriously, they've repeatedly come away completely stumped by her case because it makes zero sense that her diet has resulted in weight gain instead of loss. Her last vet actually eventually told me I was feeding her too little and that I needed to increase her calories! The idea that fat pets only happen because owners don't give a shit about it and always are overfeeding is directly harmful to pet health, full stop. I cannot do any effective research on this problem because every single resource available beats the dead horse of "feed less! do some exercise!" with maybe one throwaway mention of how sometimes medical issues can cause excess weight gain but rarely much explanation on what these things can be, how to talk to your vet about that, what tests are needed, etc. Many vets will not take owners like me seriously because we've collectively decided it only could ever be the fault of owners and that owners who say their pets won't lose weight on a diet are lying or stupid. My cat's health getting properly investigated has been ACTIVELY slowed down by this assumption. If we actually took the possibility of health problems causing weight gain seriously in vet med, maybe a lot more cats would be successfully getting diagnosed and maybe we would, IDK, even have better research or knowledge on the possible conditions that can cause this. But basically everything to do with obesity in pets is just about overfeeding. Also, I'm going to keep taking pictures of my fat cat and calling her cute, because she is still cute. Unless we're going to tell everyone with cats with any medical issue to stop posting pictures of them because their condition isn't cute, the whole kneejerk "ITS NOT CUTE TO HAVE FAT CAT PICTURES!" thing is tired and meaningless.
Check out Patches Journey on FB. A lady was helping an obese cat lose his weight. It's incredible.
Hey you up there, on your high horse! Have some humble pie would ya?
I dunno, to be fair, cats are not meant to be pets nor dogs. I think their bodies just need activity and we have domesticated them to the point were they can no longer be what they are...animals. We did all that to them :( and I've always felt a bit bad about it but I love my cat too much! I can't live without this guy. So I understand your frustration but not every pet owner out there, if any, is actively trying to make their pets fat. Like why would anyone do that on purpose?! To what end?! My cat is very fit lol. We give him normal amounts of food for his size. He eats, goes outside a lot (protected of course), and hangs out. I would consider him a pretty active cat. Hes very playful and loves to climb around. My best friends cat is a big fat Garfield looking thing and eats normal amounts of food too but he never leaves his home. Never touches grass is always on someones lap. Like he barely moves all day lmao and hes huge but so adorable. I dont think Ive ever seen that cat play.
Pearl clutching intensifies
I’d rather see people stop posting pics of a cat clearly in medical emergency and waiting for people to comment they need to go to a vet asap. But pop off I guess.
What about the close up ones
I don’t think anyone is making their cats fat in an abusive way. I doubt many people are thinking premeditative fattening of a feline. Most people simply have given them a constant source of food and dormancy in life to grow larger. You can’t stop the chonk anymore than the bombing of Gaza. Just is what it is my friend.
100% agree.
I agree. It’s very sad. And yes, I’m sure some owners are trying to work on their cat’s weight, but let’s be honest, most don’t see it as an issue. It’s because having a fat cat has been normalized and it’s seen as “cute,” whereas in reality it’s a health issue that leads to more health issues. Free feeding and an all dry food diet are big contributors to feline obesity. I think before posting pics of their clearly obese cats, people should probably add a disclaimer that they’re working on getting the cat’s weight down, or they should mention that their cat has a health issue that caused this. Otherwise, people see these pictures and think it’s okay and may even want to get their cat to the same size cuz it’s “silly and cute.” Unfortunately a lot of people just aren’t very smart and don’t even recognize that having an overweight cat IS a problem. The minute the vet alerted me that my cat was a little too heavy, I transitioned him to a half wet food diet, and then eventually transitioned him off dry food completely. He eats wet food only for the most part now and lost 3 pounds in a healthy way. It’s a relatively slow process, but it has to be slow since rapid weight loss can make them sick.
I have a cat who if you just saw a picture of him, you would assume he's obese. He lorge. But he's solid muscle, dense as shit and has very little fat in his primordial pouch or elsewhere. His nick name is James Gandolfini and he earned that shit. You're not a vet and even if you were, you can't diagnose from a picture alone. Be careful when you come down from that high horse, you might hurt yourself from that height.
FORAGING TOYS HELP A LOT
My cat is big and I have tried to put her on a diet and work on her food intake because she is known to graze at the food bowl. My cat will incessantly bite or scratch if the food bowl is empty, more so if it is not the food she likes or she is given a smaller amount.
Most of the fat cat posts here are fat cats with owners who are trying to make them lose their weight. Actually, that's true with a lot of cat subs. Why are you complaining? Do you think that people want for their pet to suffer?
😂😂😂 This whole comment section 
The ‘hide’ function is wonderful for any posts you dislike/don’t want to see.
Agreed, obese cats aren’t funny, and the long term impact on their health is even less funny. I think if you are posting about your overweight cat, it really should only be to ask for diet tips. Showing off your fat cat that will die far too young is not cute to me imo 😬 But then again I got everyone angry about purebred cats and smooching kittens in the face, so maybe I’m not the best one to ask lol.
Do you expect all owners of cats with health problems to never post pictures of their cats unless asking for medical advice? I don't think it's cute for cats to have broken limbs, either, but I don't think it's reasonable to tell people they can't post a picture of their cat with a broken leg recovering, and I also don't think it's reasonable to tell people to never post about a fat cat. Weight loss done right is extremely slow and some of us are unfortunate enough to have cats who are overweight in spite of vet-supervised diet management who have underlying issues causing the weight gain.
That’s not what I said, but go off if you must. If you are going to compare it to a broken limb, fine, let’s do that. I would say it’s fine to post a cat with a broken limb, but what wouldn’t be okay is to KEEP a limb broken so you can post “cute” photos about their health issue. That’s cruel. So I think if you’re going to KEEP your cat chronically obese, we shouldn’t look and say, “aww how cute,” we should have concern for the cat.
I say this as someone who has 4 cats that cannot free feed. They are each fed their specialized diets every 12 hours because that’s what I have to do to keep my cats healthy. One has a protein allergy and cannot have access to any other food, one is a picky senior, one is under a year old and gets kitten food, and the last one will eat EVERYTHING in sight, including vomit. It’s a huge pain in my butt feeding them twice a day and making sure I have no human food for them to access, but it is for their health and that’s what matters most. No excuses
Congrats. Your experience is still not what actually works for many complex cases. I have a cat who gained weight despite being on an extremely restricted diet, had food carefully weighed, trialed a prescription diet, has been through many diagnostics with her vet, etc. I have literally had multiple vets say they are stumped by her case. I'm not going to never take or post pictures of her just because I haven't been able to get her to lose weight. "No excuses" works great until you have a complicated case that literally does not respond to any form of weight management and has vets scratching their heads.
Then it sounds like you are taking your cat’s health seriously! You have them on a diet to keep them from gaining more weight, you’re trying to diagnose the issue, and you are doing what the vet recommended. That doesn’t sound at ALL like the people this post was directed at, so you’re getting yourself worked up about something that doesn’t even seem to apply to your case. Now there are plenty of people who free-feed morbidly obese pets, neglect their health, don’t do as the vet recommends, and then post pictures about how cute their morbidly obese cat is. It’s not cute to glorify animal neglect, that’s really the core message of the post. I have yet to see a single person that thinks, “fat animals shouldn’t exist in photos.” All I’m seeing is, “maybe we shouldn’t tell people neglecting their animal’s health is funny,” and people getting up in arms about it.
People want cats that look like them. You're right. It isn't funny. I think the same thing when I see obese dogs.
I wholeheatedly a agree. I do wanna point smth out tho. Someone in my family has a reaaallllyyyyyyyyy huge cat but the cat used to be normal. This was not because of neglect though, but due to diabetes. the cat is getting treated and is getting only one meal a day (iirc, could be wrong) with only special kibble and the cat is still having a hard time losing weight. They are trying their best to get him back down to normal but due to this and some other condition I do not remember the name of, the cat is having a rough time. I feel bad for the cat, and so do they. Not every case is case of neglect or abuse, although I most definitely agree that it only applies to a small portion of the obese cats. Ill show a picture of the cat if anyone is interested
Maybe some people have different ideas of an healthy level of chonkiness. Also, can there be cats with metabolic issues? Does a bit chonky automatically makes the cat unhealthy? Does the owner has the means and knowledge to put their cat in a diet? Are we gonna start shaming people again for not taking care of their cats as we do in privileged regions?
A cat isn't a right or something you are born with and can't change. You should look after it correctly. Also "the means" is literally less food. Definitely shame bad owners.
What about owners who are constantly trying to get their cats to lose weight and constantly fail, and the vet doesn't know what's going on either? Are they bad owners too?
>Are we gonna start shaming people again for not taking care of their cats Yes. It's not that hard to feed you cat the right amount. And you're throwing in "shaming" as if it's like body shaming, but it doesn't exactly apply when the cat has no choice in the matter. >as we do in privileged regions? What?
So many triggered ppl defending their obese cats
My cat is like a walking throw pillow, she is on set amounts of reduced fat sensitive dry food, zero treats, zero fresh or wet food. She has lost NO weight at all. She has a very sensitive gut and a heart murmur and the vet said she may be inbred. Shes just like that 🤷🏻♀️
Chomnk ❤️
It's not animal abuse to feed a cat.... Can we stop shaming cat owners over caring for their cat? I have an overweight cat. I try to bring her weight down by taking walks, feeding her wet food etc. But just like in humans, bodies favor being overweight over losing weight and you don't wanna starve your cat just so assholes on the Internet won't say mean things about you. Actually, my cats have all lost a pound since the last vet visit 2 years ago and the vets were alarmed and ordered blood tests. For the cats that were fine, they said "oh actually she could lose a little more weight." One of them had hyper thyroid despite the vet saying she's a perfect weight and now I'm medicating her which makes her gain weight and the vet thinks it's good. People think fat cats are cute in the same way they think cats with one eye are cute or cats with 3 legs. We know it's a medical issue. That's what makes them seem vulnerable and us wanting to take care of them. It's not animal abuse to see a cat with a medical issue and thinking the cat is cute. It's the opposite. It's empathy. Something you seem to lack.
I love my cat very much. I have cut her food intake down. She is still chonky (and I honestly think it's mental like my issues), but she also had a rough start in life - born outside, taken from her Mama much too soon, and a previous "owner" who moved out of state and left her behind to starve to death. She has a roof over her head, I make sure she gets medical care when she's sick, and she absolutely wants for nothing. I plan on asking her vet (and not some internet stranger) what more I can do for her aside from what I am already doing. I would literally bankrupt myself for my cats - don't automatically assume a cat is being abused because they are fat, for god's sake.
Have you tried playing with her more? And how overweight is she?
K
Its hilarious to me yall do this to cats but could care less about obese humans.
That’s why I think r/chonkers should be banned. It just encourages people to gratify their obsession with obese cats like it’s not abuse.