Confused by Vet's order to Gain weight...

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Bam Margera

Deamon Cat of- Barker Street

Purred: Sat Jul 11, '09 12:54am PST


	In January I took Bam here in for his year shots and he weighed in at 18 pounds the vet said he was healthy and a great weight. In Febuary bam got very ill, lost around 10 pounds before all was said and done. We were into the vet this past week and he now weighs again 18 pounds acctually 18.7 so almost 19 pounds. The Vet made a hmmming noise...(same vet from January) And said he thought Bam could stand to Gain some weight..... Why would he say in January Bam was fine and NOW 6 months later say he needs to gave 3 to 4 more pounds?

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Bam Margera

Deamon Cat of- Barker Street

Purred: Sat Jul 11, '09 7:27pm PST


	Bump....please help?

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Boris

I'm cute and I- know how to use- that :)

Purred: Sat Jul 11, '09 8:04pm PST


	How old is Bam? Is he still growing as a cat? When Boris was a kitten, the vet reccomended not to let him top 10 lbs, because she thought he was an ASH mix, so she thought he shouldn't get too big. Well, as it turns out Boris must be an Oriental mix, because he's lean and long, and at 10 lbs he would probably be underweight. At 1 he weighed about 11.5 lbs, and at around 2 years of age, he was 12.5 lbs! At almost 3, he's now settled at around 13 lbs, but the vet said he should be fine at around 12, 12.5 lbs... He's got a little meat on his ribs, but grossly overweight he isn't. So maybe your vet too guesstimated a good weight for him wrong the first time around, is what I'm saying.

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Heidi- McFlooferson

I love everyone!

Purred: Sat Jul 11, '09 8:07pm PST


	That's strange that a vet would say such a big cat would need to gain weight. Can you feel his ribs or does he feel well covered? Maybe you could call the vet to ask if you might have misunderstood because 18 pounds is a BIG kitty! (Though my cousin kitty Alex was even bigger at 20+ pounds...)

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Bam Margera

Deamon Cat of- Barker Street

Purred: Sat Jul 11, '09 8:31pm PST


	Bam is 4 as of June 29th so he's deffinitly done growing MOL. I know it struck me as strange too, Ieven called and asked him again and he said. "Yes, Bam needs to gain weight. BAM is a BIG BIG CAT! I've had people tell me time and time again he's FAT, he's not Fat, really he's not, he's just a very BIG cat. Big Heavy Bones, big heavy head. He's NOT a dainty Cat, he deffinitly takes after his Wild cat Daddy. The Vet insisted three times that Bam needs to gain at least 4 pounds. I'm just confused I think if Bam were to put on those 4 more pounds he'd be very over weight.

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Sassy- (2001-2012)

Gorgeous- Armageddon

Purred: Sat Jul 11, '09 8:49pm PST


	He doesn't look skinny in this photo's. Take a look at this chart that shows how to score your cats body condition from super skinny (1) to very obese (9). http://www.purina.com/cats/health/BodyCondition.aspx Cats weights can vary a lot based on thier size and build and this is an easy to use and well accepted way to figure out if they are a healthy weight or too thin/fat. Lots of vets use it. If you think he's fine based on this you could show it to your vet and see what they say. If they still insist he's too skinny you could check with a different vet to make sure and if they agree with you maybe switch vets.

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Tully

The Tullster

Purred: Sat Jul 11, '09 8:59pm PST


	According to Bam's page, he weighs 18 lbs??? If he is, in fact, that size, I cannot imagine why the vet would say he needs to gain weight. I would ask for an explanation, it doesn't make sense

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Luciano

Gimme some- lovin'

Purred: Sun Jul 12, '09 1:08pm PST


	Don't know but I think the vet was telling you Bam is a big cat. A big cat is not necesseraly a fat cat. A big cat has a big frame and so he needs muscle and flesh to protect that frame. Luc was like that when we found him, he was 12 lbs but very big so was underweight, now he weighs 18 lbs and is good. Maybe the vet meant he was underweight for his big frame, not that he was fat. When we (humans) talk of a fat person we say 'she's large' to be polite, not she's fat. When we talk of cats we don't have to say 'she's large' so I think that is where the confusion comes from

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Vanessa

Furry Girl

Purred: Sun Jul 12, '09 1:27pm PST


	This is puzzling. I would call the vet and ask for clarification. Explain to the vet what you told us here. It seems unusual that a vet would want a cat weighing 18 lbs to gain weight. I know our vet prefers cats to be on the lighter side. You say that Bam lost 10 lbs while ill and then regained all that weight again in the space of a few months. Did you take him to the vet during this illness? What did the vet say was wrong with him? If you're not satisfied with what the vet tells you, you should probably try to get a second opinion from a different vet.

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Shadow

Education is the- Key

Purred: Sun Jul 12, '09 2:24pm PST


	Most cats that loose weight that quickly will develop hepatic lipidosis? Is this the illness that your cat had?? What happened when your cat got sick then what did the vet say, etc.. need more details. but maybe another opinion from another vet would be in order. 18 lbs is alot for some breeds with the exception of Ragdolls, Maincoons, etc, which you are not.

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