With the increasing variety in cat breeds & sizes nowadays, it's difficult to give an average weight ~ we don't for dogs, it's done by breed & sex, so perhaps it should be the same for cats. A 10-11 kg Norwegian Forest cat is a far cry from a 3 kg female oriental!

But most people can tell if their cat is a slimjim or a porker!!

I've had cats that are prone to being overweight, & cats that stay slim whatever they eat. It's just a question of being aware & adjusting food & activity levels accordingly.

As for cats getting fed elsewhere, or catching their own food ~ there's not a lot we can do about the latter (other than confining them indoors & taking the usual precautions to warn birds), but it's not difficult to have a word with neighbours or potential second homes to ask thenm to stop feeding your cat. Even a white lie, like the cat's diabetic & has to have a special diet, can be enough to stop neighbours feeding your cat, or stick a note round the cat's collar for these neighbours.

So they can sell foods etc I'm sure they have a chart that is provided by a food company.

Thanks guys - think he's prob ok - from above he is quite small and you can see his shape but viewed side on he def has that loose skin which was my worry. Personally I think he is very nice-looking. He's still only a bit of a baby though (about 9 months) and very active so hopefully no problem then

AH! hes a just a little wild one yet! at 9 months

I personally think people are so used to seeing overweight dogs that they don't actually know how a dog should be. Vets too! Rupe's not overweight, he's 24 inches at the shoulder, weighs 35kg, has a waist and his ribs can be felt. He didn't LOOK much different at 26kg but when you stroked him it was like stroking a skeleton with fur or running your hand along the park railings, you coulda played a tune on his ribs, spine and hips. I guess his hair hid it or something. He suffered terribly in the cold weather though and had to wear a sweater to stay warm. The last couple of years he's not needed one. My current vet thinks he's in excellent condition and wishes more were like him.

I've had problems keeping weight on Rupert. On most of the recommended foods he needs more than the guideline says a giant breed should have. I dread to think how much he'd need if he weren't so lazy As it is now he eats 600g of food a day, plus treats and drops weight hellishly fast if he's ill.

I HATE seeing ridiculously fat dogs waddling along and if someone were to point out that my dog was a bit on the hefty side I'd check and if he was I'd cut down his food a bit. If he wasn't then no harm done. No need to be offended imo.

I think you are right about people's perceptions Sarah.

When I went to collect Parker from the groomers yesterday there was a lady collecting a Westie at the same time. Parker and the Westie had a sniff and greet and later in the car my Mum said about what a nice looking Westie it was. I replied that it was quite fat (it was!) and she said no-it's the right weight!

I am often shocked as to the fat dogs they have at the groomers-very rarely do I see ones that look right for their breed. Parker is nearly 9 and I am careful to not let him get fat as he is a stomach on legs but I want him to be healthy and not put strain on his joints. Good job I am not a dog groomer there-I would have to be very tactful with the owners!!

I wouldn't be offended if someone said about my dogs being overweight (they're not!) as when I had 2 Cairns my Mum overfed one of them and she wouldn't admit he was fat (he was) and a lot of other dog owners would say to me he was overweight and I was grateful as she eventually took the point and stopped feeding him too many treats!

Sarah1983 My current dog was like that on dried food, maybe a bit worse as the weight didnt ever seem enough but I have found raw feeding great, hes not fat or anywhere near it and could do with a tiny bit more but he actually has a good muscle tone and a covering over his ribs (you can still feel them though) Maybe adding tripe to his diet would help keep yours up?

I know your dogs DA is behavioural but there was one dry food I put mine on and he started getting funny with dogs, it stopped the moment I took him off that food! (was a 'good' food too)

Just thought I would mention in case its of any help.

I think sometimes they need so much dry food becasue of all the fillers etc?

I'd actually love to feed raw but it's just not practical at the moment. We're out in the middle of nowhere on a military base and if my hubby were deployed I'd be stuck for food for myself let alone food for Rupert if he were on raw. I can stock up on dry food easily enough if necessary. It's something I want to look into when we're back on the mainland though. I may give the tripe a try if we can find it anywhere though.

None of the foods Rupe's been on seem to have made a difference in his behaviour towards other dogs unfortunately. He's more itchy on some than on others but that's the only difference we've noticed.

A year or two back, when she weighed our dog the vet said how great it was to find a dog that was bang on healthy weight as the 'majority' she saw were now overweight.

That shocked me a bit.

Not long after, I went to a re-enactment event and a member of our group brought along a dog - a spaniel that was just a year old. I'd never seen it before. It was, quite literally, the most obese dog i ever saw. Everyone was laughing about it, and feeding it constantly the whole weekend but I couldn't help thinking it was a welfare issue and as cruel an abuse as neglect, almost. The dog was so young too and already must have been getting joint pain, less freedom of movement, etc.

Can't tell you how close I came to ringing the RSPCA - only thing that stopped me was the owners were close friends of my relatives and some friends and everyone I knew would know it was me that picked up the phone.

Which in tiself is interesting because had it been starved or neglected or maltreated in any OTHER way - I actually wouldn't hesitate.

I kept quiet but kept cornering them and trying to persuade them to do something to help the dog.

I couldn't help thinking part of the problem was that the humans in the family were all morbidly obese and somehow allowing it to eat really unhealthy 'huiman' food and loads of treats and letting other people stfuf it with food too, was somehow part of their 'identity'. They felt challenged by anyone saying anything.

I have short haired dogs, it's easy to see if their weight is correct and I've adjusted their food accordingly throughout their lives.

Even if a dog gets the same amount of excercise throughout the years [time and distance] a middle-aged dog will run less manically than a young one so burn less calories. It is a case of constantly adjusting. My oldest dog now is 14, youngest 10, none are overweight and even the 14 yr old can run when she wants to and still loves chasing a ball.

They eat a lot less now than when they were in their prime but the food reduction has been gradual so they don't notice so much.

They are also thieves, this house is like Fort Knox!

I think the biggest problem with elderly dogs getting fat is the owners keep feeding the same amount.

Also the guidelines on the bag go by weight of dog, so if a dog should be 20 kilo but weighs 25 kilo, it should be fed the amount for a 20 k dog not a 25k