Ragdoll Cat Forums

I had my male Ragdoll cat, Wilf, at the vet today with suspected cystitis (for which he now has some antibiotics). The vet weighed him, and said that at 5.6kg (which is 12.3 pounds) he was overweight and I should cut back on his food. He was 5.4kg a few months ago, and she said he should not have gained 200 grams, and was now too fat. He eats 50 grams a day of James Wellbeloved food, which doesn't seem very much as the recommended amount for a cat of Wilf's size is - according to the James Wellbeloved food packet - 70-80 grams. He is 18 months old now. She advised me to stop free-feeding him, and offer him 20 grams in the morning, and remove it after half an hour, then repeat this process in the evening. She said I should do the same with my other cat, Maude, who is a 4 year old female. I will try it, though it will cause grumping.

The thing is, the ribs and spines of both cats can be felt, and Wilf's can be felt quite distinctly. Maude is quite squat and cobby naturally, with a short neck, legs and tail and a thick body, but Wilf is quite gangly and thin - he looks very slender even with all the fur.

I think my overall question is that of whether or not the vet's opinion sounds right, all other information considered. I thought she was being a bit harsh, but perhaps I'm wrong. What do you think?

It depends whether your vet is familiar with Ragdolls, as they have the fatty pad even if they are not overweight. A lot of vets misjudge the ragdoll weight because of that it seems. If you still can easily feel the males bones I'd doubt he's overweight.
What is the vets basis for still considering 5,4 kg ok and 200 grams gain to 5,6 kg overweight?

You cannot determine if a cat is fat based on a weight. You need to look down from above, holding the fur down. If the cat does OUT between the end of the ribs and the hips, he is fat. He should go in a bit there. As you note, you should also be able to easily feel spine and ribs near the spine. A rapid weight loss may be a growth spurt or appetite change and may adjust itself in the next period. Ragdolls can continue to grow, although more slowly as time passes, for four years.

My vet told me Chloe was overweight at just over a yr....the line she comes from the cats are large. I kept on free freeding, now I measure 1/2 dry in the morning and same at night as needed. Before, I would just fill the bowls not really knowing how much I was offering. I'll be interested in the vets comments next visit.

As far as I know, male raggies can get up to 10kg... I wonder what the vet would say about that!! They grow until 3 or 4 years too. There's a thread on raggie weight here somewhere but i can't find it right now

Just my opinion, but I don't think I would quit free feeding just based on what the vet says if you can feel the spine and ribs as JanH says. They are still in their growing phase at that age.

I think maybe the vet didn't have too much Raggie experience. I know when my last cat (a Raggie cross) got to 4 and a half kilos, my vets told me he was overweight, even though he didn't look it! My other cat, (a moggie) as soon as she got over 4kg, the nurse said she was overweight. At my vets, it seems that they've learned (during training) that any cat over 4kg is overweight! Maybe you should explain to your vet that the Ragdoll breed is bigger and heavier than other breeds, and see what they say then. xx