Hi: I have two ragdolls - brother and sister about 1 year old. The brother Gabs is about 15.5 lbs with his sister about 13.5 lbs. I know that ragdolls tend to be larger cats, yet am a little concerned that the male gained so much weight so quickly. He already has a little belly waddle and seems a bit uncomfortable with his new found size.
Is this normal for this breed at his age?
Thanks for your advice, Kat
Those are normal weights for the ages (really not unusually big) and weight gain can be fast. However, neither of those tell you if a cat is fat. That is determined by looking from above when he is standing to see if he goes out between the end of the ribs and hips. You should also be able to easily feel his spine and his ribs near the spine. His chest should be firm. Ignore the stomach, because the fat pad that belongs there can be confusing, even to vets. However, for an almost kitten, I would not diet him unless he was more than just a bit fat.
I know that you posted that you rescued your kitties from a breeder who had to get rid of them quickly. Were they recently neutered/spayed? If so, I believe that can cause them to begin gaining weight also.
Thanks TeresaK and JanH for your very quick response. I got them when they were 6months old and the resue group had them spayed/neutered days before I picked them up. When I look down on Gabs when he is standing, he does splay out just a little from the end of his ribs to his hips. More pronounced in how is feet are angled out - making it look like he is carrying more weight than his frame is growing?
Although I am glad to hear that his weight gain (12lbs) in 6 months is pretty normal for these cats. My vet was getting a little worried. I also feed them really good organic wet food and dry food every day... and they do not finish everything that is put out based on the can/bag instructions.
When I first got Gabs, he had very strong sneezing fits. My holisic doctor said it was yeast in his system giving him allergies. So, I did a few alternative herbs and coat wash and he stop in a few weeks. Other than that, they seem to be pretty normal cats.
Any advice you have is welcome. I do feel more comfortable now knowing that this is typical weight gain for ragdolls. Best, Kat