Why Is My Cat So Big – Ideal Weight & More!

Cats make a great pet with their adorable furry coat, and they tend to become furrier and pudgier as time passes. As a pet owner, sometimes, simply looking at the enormous size of your furry friend, you might have a question regarding Why Is My Cat So Big?

Your cat is big due to an overfeeding and an uncontrolled diet. Hybrid cat breeds are naturally big. Underlying health issues and old age are contributing factors to cats becoming big.

Let’s discuss everything about the cat’s weight and how you can determine whether your furry feline is overweight or just oversized, and many other aspects about weight gain in cats.

What Is Considered Big For A Cat

If you have a domestic cat, ideally, its weight should be around 10 to 15 pounds. If the cat’s weight exceeds this limit by a significant margin, then it can be considered a considerable weight for your cat.

Weight also depends on the breed and the frame of your cat. For instance, a siamese cat usually weighs on the lower side, somewhere around 5 pounds, whereas a Maine Coon can weigh as much as 25 pounds.

If you want to check at home whether your cat is big or not, check if you can feel their ribs. If yes, then your cat is fit and healthy, and if you are unable to feel your furball’s ribs, then your cat is obese and overweight.

How Big Should A Cat Be

A cat should be big in a manner that you can easily feel the ribcage of your four-legged friend without any deposition of fat. If you can see the ribcage of your cat from a distance, it means that your cat is underweight and needs to pack on some weight.

It would help if you kept a tab on your cat’s growth. You can take a look at the kitten weight chart, which we would be discussing later in this article, to get an idea about the healthy weight gain of your furry friend.

If your cat is not packing up on the weight, your cat might have worms, or the quality of food that is being fed to the cat is not of high quality, or your cat might be suffering from something else. It is best to take them to a vet for a quick check-up.

Is My Cat Overweight Or Just Big

The most accepted method to determine whether your cat’s weight is obese or not is by using the body condition scoring method. The best way to check this out is by checking the rib coverage, the bones on the back, and the waist area. 

If your findings indicate a scale of 1, your cat is underweight. If the findings indicate a scale of 2 to 3, your cat is simply big, and its weight is average. However, if your findings indicate a scale of 4, it means that your cat is overweight, whereas a scale of 5 indicates that your cat is obese. 

Take a look at the table below.

Scale	Body Analysis(Rib Coverage + Bones on Back + Abdominal Area)
1	Ribs and the backbone of the cat are visible even from a distance.Bones are easily visible on the cat’s back.There appears to be no body fat.
2	Ribs are visible and they can be felt easily.Bones are visible and can be felt easily.The waist of the cat is easily visible.
3	Ribs cannot be seen, but they can be felt easily when checked.No extra fat appears on top of the ribs.Bones can be easily felt when you run your hand across the cat’s back. Bones are not clearly visible.The waist of the cat is properly visible.
4	Ribs can be felt with a bit of difficulty under a layer of fat.It is a bit difficult to feel the bones under the fat layer on the back.The abdomen area is rounded.
5	Ribs cannot be felt at all, as there is a big layer of fat.Bones on the back are not felt at all due to a heavy fat layer.The abdominal area appears bloated and disfigured.

Can A Cat Be Naturally Big

Even though cats are considered small and petite pets, it can come as a shocker for many that some cats are naturally big and can weigh up to 25 pounds. 

Apart from that, hybrid cats also tend to be naturally big. The reason being that they are a result of breeding between domestic and non-domestic cats.

Take a look at the top ten naturally big cats below, along with their weights. You might be shocked to see some of the weights for sure!

Sr. No	Cat Breed	Weight
1	Maine Coon	7.9 – 35 pounds
2	Savannah (Hybrid)	12 to 30 pounds
3	Siberian	8 to 28 pounds
4	Norwegian Forest Cat	8 to 22 pounds
5	Ragdoll	8 to 20 pounds
6	Ragamuffin	10 to 20 pounds
7	British Shorthair	7 to 18 pounds
8	Chausie (Hybrid)	11 to 15 pounds
9	American Bobtail	7 to 16 pounds
10	Turkish Van	12 to 14 pounds

What Weight Is Considered Obese In Cats

Even though there is no average defined weight for a cat, owing to the numerous breeds out there, an average ideal weight should be between 10 to 15 pounds for a domestic cat. 

A few pounds plus or minus can be considered okay; however, if your cat’s weight exceeds the limit by a significant margin, you can consider your cat obese.

If you have an obese cat, you will not be able to see the rib cage, and apart from that, the abdominal area will appear bulky.

Since obesity can lead to many diseases, you must implement a plan for healthy weight loss in your furry friend.

Do Cats Gain Weight As They Age

You may be surprised to know that your little furry friend will gain weight and grow into a surprisingly big cat as she ages. Depending upon the breed of cat you owe, you will notice changes in the body weight and the fur density of your cat. 

A kitten growth chart is an essential tool to determine the proper growth of your kitten. A kitten should grow steadily, and the weight gain should happen at a steady growth for proper development.

If the weight gain happens as per the kitten development chart described, you can consider your furry friend to be healthy.

Considering there are various cat breeds, to give you an example of how aging affects the weight gain in these feline pets, we discuss the effects of aging on the average weight of a typical pet cat.

Age	Weight
Newborn kitten(0 to 6 days)	3 ounces to 7 ounces
1 Week	5 ounces to 10 ounces
2 Weeks	8 ounces to 14 ounces
3 Weeks	10 ounces to 1.1 pounds
4 Weeks	12 ounces to 1.3 pounds
5 Weeks	14 ounces to 1.8 pounds
6 Weeks	1 pound to 2 pounds
7 Weeks	1.2 pounds to 2.3 pounds
8 Weeks	1.4 pounds to 2.6 pounds
9 Weeks	1.6 pounds to 2.9 pounds
10 Weeks	1.8 pounds to 3.1 pounds
11 Weeks	2 pounds to 3.3 pounds
3 Months	2.21 pounds to 3.96 pounds
4 Months	3.96 pounds to 5.51 pounds
5 Months	5.07 pounds to 5.95 pounds
6 Months	5.51 pounds to 6.39 pounds
7 Months	5.95 pounds to 7.05 pounds
8 Months	6.61 pounds to 7.71 pounds
9 Months	7.71 pounds to 8.81 pounds
10 Months	8.81 pounds to 15.4 pounds

Once your cat reaches ten months of age, the weight gain tends to slow down. You will notice that the healthy weight gain has almost stopped in your cat.

It would help if you also considered that the weight gain is the fastest in the first few weeks after your cat is born. This is when it will rapidly gain weight. Also, male cats tend to weigh more as compared to female cats.

When Should I Worry About My Cats Weight

If you are unable to feel your cat’s ribcage, or if you do not notice the bones on the back when you touch your cat’s back, it means that your cat is obese, and you should start worrying about her. 

Another thing is that the abdominal area will be disfigured, as compared to the proper waistline shape. Your cat might suffer from the below-mentioned diseases due to being obese, which should be a cause of worry for you.

Diabetes

If your cat is obese, it can cause diabetes or make controlling diabetes a bit difficult. With proper care, exercise, and controlled eating habits, you can be at ease that your cat will not suffer from diabetes or, maybe, will not need any insulin if it is already suffering from diabetes.

Urinary Diseases

An obese cat is at risk of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). To control and treat this, it is essential that the cat sheds off that extra weight and modify the diet and stress management.

It is vital to keep your cat fit and without any stress to prevent FLUTD.

Arthritis

If your cat is overweight, the excess weight will put immense stress on the bones and joints of the cat, thus leading to arthritis. A common visible sign of this disease is limping in cats.

However, maintaining a healthy body weight can help in preventing this disease in cats.

Underlying Adverse Conditions

With the excess body weight of your cat, the fat tissues can also cause inflammation in your cat’s body. This, in turn, can lead to several other diseases, which can cause pain and discomfort to your cat.

Things To Consider

Since obesity is common in cats, it is essential to understand what causes obesity. 

Diet plays a crucial role in weight management. An uncontrolled feeding pattern also referred to as “Free Feeding,” can significantly impact the cat’s weight. 

Apart from this, as a cat grows older, her metabolism decreases, and thus she will need less food. If you provide her with the same food quantity, your cat tends to become obese.

If your cat has any underlying disease, like arthritis, her movement will be restricted, and this can also contribute to the weight gain in your feline friend.

If your cat is overweight, you can follow the tips below to ensure that your furry friend transforms from fat to fit.

Nutritious Diet

You must put your cat on a healthy diet by providing smaller portions of food. You can also switch to low-fat and high-fiber cat food. Please consult your vet and inform him everything about your cat’s diet, including any treats you give him.

Your vet can guide you with a proper diet plan.

Cat Exercise

An obese cat tends to become dull and sluggish. You should motivate your feline friend to do lots of exercises by providing cat toys like cat trees and cat poles.

You can also create cat toys at home by using empty boxes or bags.

Provide Proper Attention to Your Cat

If you do not provide attention to your cat, she might overeat and oversleep, causing a rapid weight gain. Hence, make sure that you give your cat full attention.