It's very easy for tabby cats to get quite overweight if you aren't careful about their diet and level of activity. While large tabby cats look cute, they may also develop health problems.

Fat cat owners are very conscious of their pet kitty’s health condition.  These cats have massive amount of hunger and eat whatever is served before them.

This habit of overfeeding increases their tendency of weight gain more easily and can ultimately lead to some serious complications in cats.

When tabby cats put on some weight which is over the limit of healthy weight, their humans start worrying about it. So, today we will get to know if it is normal for tabby cats to have fat body type or not.

 Let’s get started!

What are tabby cats?

But before jumping right into the topic let's understand what tabby cats are.

Domestics cats having striped and mottled like coat types are considered as tabby cats. This specific pattern of fur is common in almost all types of breed of pet cats.

Moreover, the detailed design of such kind of coat type can be distinguished with a distinctive 'M' shaped marking on its forehead and presence of dark stripes on light background across its body.

Striped coat pattern looks pretty cute and it’s not hard to see why we want them as pets.

Are tabby cats usually fat?

Generally, tabby cats are not fat. Well, it depends on the body frame of the cat as well as what they do all day.

Our animal friends getting fat depends more or less on the individual itself. Sometimes, breed can also be the contributing factor.

Some breeds like Mane coon can weight a lot (around 25 pounds) and are still considered healthy. While some breeds do tend to weigh a little less, it can be said that body weight mostly depends on the individual’s feeding habits as well as their level of activity.

The average weight a healthy tabby cat can have is around 10 pounds. But female tabbies weight 2-3 pounds lesser than male tabbies.

As valued family pets, tabby cats are often quite well-fed and cared for, and American ones- even more so! So, it's not surprising that they build a layer of fat underneath their coat.

Reasons why tabby cats are fat?

A cat’s weight is determined by their feeding habit and amount of calories intake in their food.

Let’s walk through some reasons why tabby cats are fat.

Overfeeding

The major reason for a tabby cat to increase its weight is overfeeding. Tabby cats are very much active and play around a lot which corresponds to their massive hunger.

They can eat anything which is served before them and they eat a lot frequently. Such eating habit leads to obesity in cats and can health complications.

It’s not only over-eating that’s the problem in most cases. Pet owners like to spoil their pets by treating them to tasty snacks often, and it’s no different for a cat owner. If anything, I like to think that we are good at spoiling our cats.

In the wild, cats need to hunt their way around, and this leads to them spending tons of energy. Domestic cats get tasty snacks without moving and that just means that our beloved kitties literally don’t have to move a muscle to get fed. 

Lack of exercise.

Just like any other living beings cats also need to burn calories by doing some activities. The huge amount of calorie intake might result in the accumulation of fat inside the body in absence of exercise.

If your kitty’s not getting enough physical activity throughout the day, they can have serious problems like hypertension and heart diseases.

 So, tabby cat owners should always monitor their activity and make them indulge in doing some exercise.

Confined to a small space

Not able to move around can also cause the tabby cats to gain weight. Small spaces in the house are not enough to keep tabby cats active.

Cats are predators- so they need to get their share of moving around to stay healthy and happy.

They need to move around now and then. It will be better to provide them with enough space.

If you stay indoors a lot, you may have seen your kitty staring outdoors. You can take them out for a nice walk often.

Disease

The underlying health conditions can have a great impact on the weight of tabby cats. Such complications can make tabby cats keep them gaining on weight.

If you sense that something’s off, an appointment with an expert will help solve the problems.

Does your cat seem uncomfortable? Is it incapable of finding itself around you or doesn't play around much? These problems can be solved with cat caves. Get to know more about how your adorable little friend can benefit from cat caves.

Final Thoughts

Adorable kittens look great when a little chubby but that's not very desirable in adults, mostly due to the health risks such body poses.

A correct balanced diet should be provided to the tabby cats as they are much prone to gain weight more easily. The owners might want to look into their cats’ calories intake and monitor them accordingly. Otherwise it may lead to obesity in cats.

You can maintain a daily routine exercise and help your cat stay fit as well! That way, not only does your cat stay fit, you can also lose some extra pounds!

Being a pet parent is great but it also comes with some responsibilities.

Periodic visit to a vet might also add up to a happy, active and healthy life of your tabby cat.