# How much does fur weigh?



## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

I have a longhaired neutered male moggy with very long, dense fur (I assume a Persian cross) that I got as an adult of around 3 years old. I have had him for the last three years which makes him about 6 years old. His weight has remained stable at 5 kgs all the time I have had him. Because we have had long hot summers, and he suffers terribly in the heat, I have always clipped his undercarriage fur at the start of summer. This summer is particularly hot and so I had him thoroughly clipped about two months ago by a mobile grooming parlour (a distressing and traumatic event that I will never repeat). My husband says that he feels that the cat has been losing weight. I initially thought that it was just an optical illusion due to him being clipped, but I weighed him on my new electronic bathroom scale and it says he weighs about 4.3 kg.  He has always been a skinny cat underneath all the fur. In fact, he has a strange body: quite tall with long hind legs and a bit of a "swaybacked" look (this isn't noticeable when he has all his fur). I can feel his ribs and he has a knobbly backbone. He has never had a large appetite but the vet said I shouldn't worry as his weight was stable at all weighings. Not so long ago, following a bout of cystitis, I had a full series of blood tests, liver and kidney function tests carried out and it all came back normal. The cystitis cleared completely (the vet said it was most likely a stress-related cystitis - we had some problems at the time with an intruding tom cat). Otherwise, he eats as normal, poos and wees as normal, his eyes are bright and clear, his fur (what's left of it) lustrous and thick, his colour is good and he is as active and playful as normal. Could I be imagining things and could the clipping of his fur account for a weight loss of 700 grams (it doesn't seem possible)? If he showed any signs of illness, I would take him straight to a vet, but he seems to be in top form. Am I just being neurotic?

Oh, I forgot to mention, but I don't know if it is important or not, but Nunu has just finished a two month course of Clomicalm for his spraying behaviour.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

I don&#8217;t know a proper answer to this, I can only go on my own quite limited experience with 1 Persian of my own and 4 rescue Persians (had more rescue Persians but too long ago to remember in detail). I have never noticed any weight drop due to shaving them, let alone a significant weight loss. I am pretty paranoid about cat weights so weigh regularly. My own Persian was healthy and fit so I just weighed him once a month, never noticed any difference due to shaving. The 4 rescue Persians were VERY poorly and I was weighing them daily, again as far as I can recall no significant weight loss whatsoever when I shaved them, and with poorly cats anything more than 50 grams would definitely have stuck in my memory. 

What does jump out at me with your post though (but don&#8217;t let this scare you, just let it be something to consider) you mentioned the mobile grooming thing took place 2 months ago and it was distressing and traumatic, I assume you mean not just distressing and traumatic for you, but for the cat. Do you know what FHL is? (feline hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease). Well FHL often starts after a traumatic event like a stay in a cattery, a new pet in the home, or an operation at the vets &#8211; basically anything perceived as traumatic by the cat can cause FHL. The onset of FHL can be sudden and dramatic and cats can loose tons of weight in a week or a fortnight, but it can also be a more drawn out affair with weight loss creeping in gradually. The speed in which it develops, is (I think) directly related to the amount they eat. Total anorexia (total inappetence) would result in FHL developing sooner than it would in a cat with partial anorexia (partial inappetence) 
(sorry, I have no medical training and can&#8217;t explain this kind of thing very well). 

Again though, I do stress, I am not saying this is FHL, absolutely not. But in your shoes I would be discussing this (amongst other possibilities) with a vet. Unexplainable weight loss in cats is never a good thing, or maybe more accurately, it&#8217;s never something to be left unchecked. 

BUT..... the very first thing I would do is to rule out different scales giving different readings. When he was 5 kilos, on which scale was he 5 kilos? And re-weigh him on that scale. Cause it could just be something as simple as the scale at the vets reads him as 5 kilos and your new digital kitchen scale reads him as 4.3kg. 

I know my scales are accurate, and I know they are in sinc with the scales at the vets (because I continually check they stay in sinc). I visited a sick cat last night and my scales read that cat as being 550grams lighter than the scales his foster mum was using. If my scales are right this cat has lost 500 grams in a fortnight (not good at all!!) but if my scales are wrong there is probably no issue. 

All the best Koeke, keep us posted how this pans out !!


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

Thanks tje. I will take him to the vet asap for a checkup. If he has lost any weight at all, I will ask them to run some tests.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

koekemakranka said:


> Thanks tje. I will take him to the vet asap for a checkup. If he has lost any weight at all, I will ask them to run some tests.


do check his weight first.... maybe it is your new scales that are out (or the old ones were). I would hate for you to waste money at the vets just to find out your new scales are dodgy!!


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

Just a feedback. Had him weighed properly and he had indeed lost weight. He is now 4.2 kg. I waited for my preferred vet to return from holiday for a checkup. She had a good look at him and ran a few tests. Everything seems to be OK, 100% even. I suggested FHL or hyperthyroidism, but she said she highly doubted that, esp hyperthyroidism, which is apparently extremely rare for cats to get in this country (quite common in dogs). He has to go back in two weeks time for another weigh-in and if he has lost any more weight, she will do full bloodworks on him. She says he isn't very skinny at all. She reminded me that he had been on a course of steroids about a year ago for a skin condition which may have accounted for a weight gain. He had also been on a hyperallergenic diet round about the same time, which I stopped because it had no effect on his skin condition (and he became very sluggish on the diet and his weight rose to 5.8 kg, which the vet at the time classed as a "little chubby"). When I told her I had got him at 5 kg three years ago from the rescue centre, she said he had probably gained some weight in the shelter due to lack of exercise and boredom, so in fact, he might well be at his ideal weight now. Anyway, even though I feel a bit like a neurotic pet owner, I am glad I took him. I feel much better and my mind has been set at ease. I will keep a close eye on him re his weight, eating, other behaviour, etc. Although I must say, over the last few months, he has seemed to be in top form.
Thanks for your support.


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## Tje (Jan 16, 2010)

koekemakranka said:


> Just a feedback. Had him weighed properly and he had indeed lost weight. He is now 4.2 kg. I waited for my preferred vet to return from holiday for a checkup. She had a good look at him and ran a few tests. Everything seems to be OK, 100% even. I suggested FHL or hyperthyroidism, but she said she highly doubted that, esp hyperthyroidism, which is apparently extremely rare for cats to get in this country (quite common in dogs). He has to go back in two weeks time for another weigh-in and if he has lost any more weight, she will do full bloodworks on him. She says he isn't very skinny at all. She reminded me that he had been on a course of steroids about a year ago for a skin condition which may have accounted for a weight gain. He had also been on a hyperallergenic diet round about the same time, which I stopped because it had no effect on his skin condition (and he became very sluggish on the diet and his weight rose to 5.8 kg, which the vet at the time classed as a "little chubby"). When I told her I had got him at 5 kg three years ago from the rescue centre, she said he had probably gained some weight in the shelter due to lack of exercise and boredom, so in fact, he might well be at his ideal weight now. Anyway, even though I feel a bit like a neurotic pet owner, I am glad I took him. I feel much better and my mind has been set at ease. I will keep a close eye on him re his weight, eating, other behaviour, etc. Although I must say, over the last few months, he has seemed to be in top form.
> Thanks for your support.


again, all I can say is how I would feel given the same (similar) set of circumstances ... and what your vet has said to you would reassure me. I can totally buy the bit about him now getting excercise and now plateauing (is that even a word, lol) at _his_ ideal weight.

Don't ever feel neurotic about sudden weight loss in cats and a possibly not strictly necessary vet visit ... never!! (and that's an order, lol :arf


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

Just a quick update. Been keeping an eye on his weight and it is still stable at 4.2 kg. Vet is happy. He is in good form, active and eating normally.


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