Felix weighs HOW much?!

[JuniorxMyxLove]

Felix went to the vet on Friday for the first time since we got him neutered last year.

He's a big, strong boy...with nails, so we finally broke down and bought an actual cat carrier. Barely squeezed Felix's belly through the opening and off we went [it was his first time ever in there...I don't think he was very flustered, he just kinda chilled out]

We pull him out for the vet and her face is literally like this: Remember, the last time she saw Felix he looked more like this:


Well...here's the beast who came with us:


She weighs him...at 17 months old, Felix officially weighs in at 16 lbs, 14 oz. I knew he was big...but almost 17 lbs?!?! Lexi and Gypsy are both around 8. Our biggest cat ever was just under 15 lbs in his prime. Felix is hardly an adult and he's already THAT big?!

The vet said that for now, he's just on the bigger side [he's actually a big cat with just a little extra fluff] but if he keeps gaining like this...well, we have a potential diabetic on our hands hahaha.

I will say...everyone was quite impressed with how he looked...he's quite different from the scrawny little flea-infested kitten we brought in last year!

Here are some pictures I snapped on my blackberry while we were there. We were waiting for the vet to come in, and he was just getting into everything.





And, just cause he's cute...he's taken to sleeping under the Christmas tree


So...I can officially join the fat-cat club! I'm so proud to raise a fat, happy cat XD

[catmandu]

I do not like to be purrsonal , but I have the feeling that a very good Cat Mas gift for Felix would be some Diet or Light Cat Food
That is very haevy for a Young Cat, and that weight if not taken off early can lead Fantatis Felix to severe health issues later on in life
We recommend Pro Plan or Hill's Light Formula

[Karen]

Yes, time for the dreaded D-word - Diet! Too much weight is bad for his heart, as well as potentially leading to diabetes. Glad he is otherwise healthy!

[Taz_Zoee]

Some cats can hold that weight though. My Taz weighed in at 21 1/2 pounds at his heaviest and he was perfectly healthy. It was after he lost some of that weight that he became sick. Every vet that saw him commented on his weight but said he was healthy.
I think Felix is adorable!! Sure he could skip a few meals, but couldn't we all?

[chocolatepuppy]

So...I can officially join the fat-cat club! I'm so proud to raise a fat, happy cat XD

Oh Melanie, hon, please don't say you're proud to have a fat cat! Felix is a gorgeous boy and young, with his whole life ahead! Please restrict his diet and keep him slimmed down a bit.

[Barbara]

Felix has such an adorable face but you can see that his head is a little too small for his body. If he could lose 4 pounds he would be just purrfect- and had much more chances to stay healthy.

[mrspunkysmom]

My Sam weighs close to 17 pounds, but he just looks barrel-chested. He could stand to lose 2 pounds and would look great. I was worried, but the vet wasn't. Sam is an inch taller in the shoulders than Jane or Spunky who weigh 11lbs and 10 lbs respectively.

I use grain free food to keep their weight down. No Corn or wheat. Spunky and Jane both romp around the house with each other, but I have to make Sam play and run.

[Freedom]

Oh Melanie, hon, please don't say you're proud to have a fat cat! Felix is a gorgeous boy and young, with his whole life ahead! Please restrict his diet and keep him slimmed down a bit.

I agree. Just looking at the "now" photo, you can see he is much too fat. Please get him on a healthy quality grain free food and see what happens. Once I switched over to grain free, the excess weight just dropped off my pudgy wudgy two.

The money you spend now on the quality food, will save you huge sums for vet bills in his future, not to mention your anguish when he develops health issues.

[krazyaboutkatz]

He's a very handsome boy but like the others have said he is on the heavy side. I can't free feed my cats anymore because I have a few that would eat everything in sight and they'd be well over 20lbs by now. The others wouldn't get enough so they'd be very skinny. I also feed my cats a grain free diet,Wellness Core dry and Wellness grain free canned, and I feed them 4 small meals a day. You may even have to feed him in a separate room from the others or keep the others food some where away from Felix. A fat cat is not a very happy cat because they won't live a long and healthy life. Good luck.

[JuniorxMyxLove]

Oh Melanie, hon, please don't say you're proud to have a fat cat! Felix is a gorgeous boy and young, with his whole life ahead! Please restrict his diet and keep him slimmed down a bit.

I'm not proud so much that he's getting a bit...chunky...just that he's no longer that skinny undersized kitten he came to us as.

The vet said that his weight right now is okay, but we just need to be careful that he doesn't keep gaining very much, haha. He's a very...thick cat. His legs are like mini tree trunks and his paws are BIG [much bigger than the other cats].

And about the small head - it's actually always looked a little too small for his body, even when he was slimmer. He's just got a teeny head, I guess.

[Laura's Babies]

I think he is a stunning cat and while he looks a little large, Chester weighs 16 pounds but he is 8 to 9 years old now and he is very tall and long so he don't look as "fluffy" as Felix. Now if Boo weighed 16 pounds with her short body and legs, she wouldn't be able to walk.

[luvofallhorses]

Are you free feeding him? How much are you feeding him a day?? He definately needs a diet and it's not healthy for him to be that fat especially at such a young age. He is a cute boy, though!

[katladyd]

I have two cats at opposite ends of the weight spectrum. Mac tips the scales at maybe, 6 or 7 lbs. at the most. He has started putting on weight because I started feeding my cats grain-free food. Mac no longer throws up, so he is starting to put on weight at last. Ming tips the scales at 20 lbs., he's my Big Boy. I've had him to the vet and he checks out perfectly healthy, but I am waiting for the new food to take weight off of this cat. So far, no luck. One needs to free feed because he will go down to 5lbs. if I don't. The other needs to loose weight, so I shouldn't free feed him. I'm stuck. The vet says Ming hasn't gained any weight in the last two years, and he passes his checkups with flying colors, so I guess I will stay the course and love him as he is. Still, when Ming was 17 months, I think he only weighed about 14 lbs. If your vet says not to worry, I wouldn't.

[DJFyrewolf36]

What a cute boy!

[cassiesmom]

Felix, you are beautiful! I especially like the photo of you under the Christmas tree. I know your meowmie and your doctor will work together to have you on the most appropriate food for you. Please have meowmie give you a big hug from me!