Our Buddha's Belly..

Our little fellow (Buddha ... a male Bengal mix) is now 9 or 10 months. We feed him a cup of Nutro Kitten food a day and a few days a week some canned salmon ... a couple of teaspoons.

He sleeps most of the day ... and loves to go out to play with his furry friend at night ... and comes home around 10 ... then sleeps all night.

Our little Buddha is getting a belly and a bit heavy ... especially this little pouchy area toward the back of his belly ... its really furry and we can't tell if its just fur or hanging skin.

When should we be concerned with weight issues ... isn't there a fatty liver disease? ... my sister's kitty died from a weight related problem and I don't want this to happen to Buddha.

He is our first ... so all you seasoned cat folks ... can you lend a few suggestions or thoughts?

Thanks so much!!!

yes, you should be concerned if he is overweight. being overweight for a cat or a dog is actually worse for them than it is for an overweight human. it significantly shortens their lifepspan and gives them numerous serious problems.

but first you need to know if he is actually overweight or not. weigh yourself on your bathroom scales, then hold him and weigh yourself again - deduct the first weight from the second and youll have his.

10 -12 pounds is good for a male bengal - but if he is larger than average he can be up to 14/15 with no great problem. Do you know what he is mixed with?