Can a cat be naturally skinny?

Question

I'm writing with a question that has bugged me for a while. I have an approximately two year old rescue cat we found as a kitten. She is our first time cat so I'm not too sure if this is common but I find her to be so skinny and slight in comparison to other cats.

She has all of her shots and worming up to date. We feed her high grade dry food and occasionally wet food as a treat. We get nothing but compliments on her coat being so silky.

She is mainly an indoor cat but she goes outside for maybe 4-5 hours a day then stays in for the evening. We try to refrain from feeding her much until the evening because she will stay out after dark if she's full.

When I went in with her to the vet to get her last shot the vet commented on how small she was and we wormed her then to be sure, that was about 2 months ago now.

Basically, she hasn't really grown much in height since she was about 6 months old, she's just really long and skinny, you can even feel her rib cage despite her eating well and being wormed. My friend has two cats (male and female) that are about 6 months old and have way surpassed her in size. Is this normal, has anyone else a similar type of cat? I've just been thinking of it ever since the vet commented on it.

Edit: She is also spayed

Answer 1

Yes. Just like us, cats vary in size and shape and weight. And like us, some of that is diet, some is health, some is genetics, some is age.

One of my lady's cats was the runt of the litter; it wasn't certain she would survive, and she has always been both small and skinny. It hasn't seemed to limit her climbing/jumping much, if at all; I think she benefits from square/cube law to be stronger relative to her weight than you would expect.

Another cat in the family was not only longer/taller/broader but also more solidly muscled. I think he may have weighed twice what the small one did, without being overweight.

(The simplest rule-of-thumb test for whether a cat is overweight: if you can count every vertibra as you run your hand down their back, they're fine. If some or all of them are hard to feel through the skin, there's probably more fat there than there should be. The runt really is below ideal weight; not only can you feel every bone in her back, it's somewhat hard to believe there are muscles and tendons there. Especially true now that she's a senior catizen.)

Answer 2

I have an 8 yr old long-haired tabby who is very long and skinny. He eats, but is never really very interested in food. He'll always take a cuddle over grub if he has the choice. He's indoor at night and in and out using a cat door during the day. Occasionally hunts and brings me a bird, but never eats one that I've seen.

I've tried every kind and combo of food out there. He has only gained 40 grams since I adopted him 2 months ago. The vet did complete labs and a very thorough exam. She says his blood work and teeth are that of a much younger cat and he's very healthy. I guess he's just a naturally skinny guy.

If you're concerned, a blood and urine test to show liver and kidney function could reassure you. Although they're expensive, it Helped me quit stressing and buying umpteen types of cat food that he didn't really want anyway.

Answer 3

Is your cat sterilized? Non-sterilized cats are usually rather fit and even skinny because mating calls take a lot of energy.

In addition I guess she runs a lot outside that helps her to keep fit.

Also I suppose that she is still growing and all her energy goes into size not width, which would be hilarious.

My third though: was the medicine for worming effective? As she goes outside she must be wormed every 4 months. Maybe it's worth trying another medicine?

Answer 4

We have a long, tall and skinny tux-tabby boy who is also commented on for his slender appearance. He's 12lbs, slender, and perfect. Might be the breed? Some are slinky! I was always told that feeling ribs is fine as long as it's when you press gently, during a stroke for example. Neither of mine go outside due to personal choice given the traffic and diseases around my neighborhood. I could not cope with anything happening to them because I decided to let them go explore our crappy neighbourhood.

I second people's comments on the wet food, though, and would add that ingredients are everything, especially where cats are concerned. My 2 boys have been on good quality food their whole lives and at 3 years old, still play like crazed kittens. Keep dry food to a minimum, think "fingerpinch" not "handfull" as well. There is NO such thing as a "dry mouse" and cats are carnivores, they get little to no nutrition from plants and almost zilch from the ground up grains that brands like Hills(?) and Friskies love putting as a main ingredient in their food. Ground Yellow Corn... for example... nothing but industrial waste used to bulk up their slaughterhouse waste, something I would not feed to a pig but people put their hard-earned cash into these products that are worth less than the tin they come in! A lot of the dry food you see out there also has too much filler, and not enough rich protein sources, plus the manufacturing process is said to be appalling. People add water or wet food, allowing stagnant bacteria to flourish. Drinking cannot make up for this dry food diet -- it's not going to help a species known for low-thirst drive and it's not going to prevent those kidneys from working overtime to undo the damage dry food does.

Perhaps if you keep this cat indoors more, you may notice some weight gain? There are plenty of ways to give a cat exercise indoors, a cat tree for example.

Last note, try lightly cooking (or fully cooking) some chicken liver, hearts or even breast for a treat. I leave it a little pink in the middle for my lil guys and they love it! Also, seems basic but I had trouble adjusting as my boys both grew (both are now 12lbs) but make sure that you are feeding appropriate to the weight of your cat, that means nevermind the cans, look at the calories. My boys are on about 300 a day on average if that helps.

p.s. "High grade dry food" is a misnomer. It's actually becoming known as "Kidney disease in a bag". The worst wet food might just be better than the best dry food, with a few exceptions to that rule cough science-diet-"hells"-purinacough.

Answer 5

I have three cats at present. Two are norwegian forest cats. One of it is overweight, it could have a kilo less. The tomcat has an optimal weight. My third cat is a Main Coon and it is taller than the others - and very skinny. It could have at least 500g more. Each of my cats gets its own kind of food because they are a bit picky and they don't like the food the others get. They did not change their build during the last years.

I would not worry if your cat is healthy and active. If you feed dry food you could offer it permanently (and water of cause). I think your cat will take as much as it needs.

Answer 6

I know cats are desert animals and the get their needed moisture from the wet food. Think of dry food like eating a dehydrated food ration. Then the drink and it plumps and goes out pretty quick, not really the way id choose to eat. But seeing how there is no listing of sugars on pet foods, its harder yet to get your cat its needed nutrients. hope this helps someone , and my next cats will be all wet food or cooked meats, like chicken and fish.

Answer 7

Cats do need to get their moisture from their food. A steady diet of dry food can lead to cystitis in females, and worse, a plugged male. Cats do not like to drink water from a bowl, although they will when they get thirsty enough. It is definitely healthier if they can get their water from their food and not be forced to get their water from a bowl.

Answer 8

Unfortunately the food sold in most Vet Hospitals (Hills) is not the best for your pet. Veterinary nutrition is the most overlooked course work in Vet. School. Hills does a beautiful job convincing vet students that their food is "the best". They also provide the best margins thus prompting vets to promote their products. Look at the ingredient label and understand that the ingredients are in order; the first being the biggest portion of the food and portions decline in order. If corn or other grains are in the first three ingredients, that is a definite indicator the food is a lesser quality. ( Have you ever seen a cat or dog in a corn field chowing down?) It is unfortunate the economics drives many of the decisions in the "modern" Veterinary Hospital but it does.