Tummy flap?

Our 9 month old kitten isn't fat, and I don't want to cut down on his
food since he's still growing. Look down at him from directly above and
he looks almost skinny. You can still feel his ribs and see his little
ankle bones.

But in the past couple of months he's developed this incredible 2 inch
FLAP that wobbles from his gut. It's all skin and no filling. Is this
normal? Should I suggest crunches? ^_^

My 7 yr old male cat has the same "tummy flap" - it reminds me of how a fat
person looks when he/she gets skinny and has loose skin. He's never been
fat, but he developed this feature. I'd also like to know what it is caused
by. Does he need a tummy tuck?!!


"Michelle" wrote in message
ps.com...
Our 9 month old kitten isn't fat, and I don't want to cut down on his
food since he's still growing. Look down at him from directly above and
he looks almost skinny. You can still feel his ribs and see his little
ankle bones.

But in the past couple of months he's developed this incredible 2 inch
FLAP that wobbles from his gut. It's all skin and no filling. Is this
normal? Should I suggest crunches? ^_^




--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On 1 Aug 2006 15:48:09 -0700, "Michelle"
wrote:

Our 9 month old kitten isn't fat, and I don't want to cut down on his
food since he's still growing. Look down at him from directly above and
he looks almost skinny. You can still feel his ribs and see his little
ankle bones.

But in the past couple of months he's developed this incredible 2 inch
FLAP that wobbles from his gut. It's all skin and no filling. Is this
normal? Should I suggest crunches? ^_^

My cat has the flap, so I have checked this out. It's not a problem
or an indication of obesity. Abyssinian cats have the flap. So do
American keudas, a phenotype that has since morphed into a breed with
registered stock (which is somewhat absurd, as Kitten Evaluation Under
Direct Assessment was a study to define traits found in the most
well-adapted barn cats).

Here's a picture of an Abyssinian show cat:

http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/history.htm

Charlie

On 1 Aug 2006 15:48:09 -0700, "Michelle"
wrote:

Our 9 month old kitten isn't fat, and I don't want to cut down on his
food since he's still growing. Look down at him from directly above and
he looks almost skinny. You can still feel his ribs and see his little
ankle bones.

But in the past couple of months he's developed this incredible 2 inch
FLAP that wobbles from his gut. It's all skin and no filling. Is this
normal? Should I suggest crunches? ^_^

My Espy has a flap. He is by no means overweight and never has been,
but just has that skin flap.

"Michelle" wrote in message
ps.com...

But in the past couple of months he's developed this incredible 2 inch
FLAP that wobbles from his gut. It's all skin and no filling. Is this
normal? Should I suggest crunches? ^_^



That's pretty common in neutered males and spayed females- I've even heard
of it referred to as a "spay sway".

--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/kitties.htm

On 1 Aug 2006 15:48:09 -0700, "Michelle"
wrote:

Our 9 month old kitten isn't fat, and I don't want to cut down on his
food since he's still growing. Look down at him from directly above and
he looks almost skinny. You can still feel his ribs and see his little
ankle bones.

But in the past couple of months he's developed this incredible 2 inch
FLAP that wobbles from his gut. It's all skin and no filling. Is this
normal? Should I suggest crunches? ^_^

Three of my four kittens had this, up until about 1 1/2 years old.
They are now two years old, and the baby fat is almost gone
completely.

At about 8 to 11 months of age, the flaps looked quite alarming,
if I didn't know any better. The baby fat doesn't all burn off right
away, after they are almost full grown (spinal length-wise), so it
hangs down as they trim up and become more muscular. It should burn
off in later stages of maturity, between one and three years of age
(up to 5 years for ragdolls). They may also continue to "fill out"
and become heavier, though not apparently "larger", as they gain
muscle mass. This is normal.

--
-john
wide-open at throttle dot info

On Wed, 2 Aug 2006 11:28:32 -0400, "Toni" wrote:

I've even heard
of it referred to as a "spay sway".

LOL!

I've never heard it called that.

And I have seen older cats that still have it...
whether fertile or spayed.

Many spays today are done via laparoscopy, and the uterus is
visceral, so how would it's removal leave a flap?

Hormones (or loss thereof) notwithstanding.

--
-john
wide-open at throttle dot info

"~^Johnny^~" wrote in message
I've never heard it called that.

And I have seen older cats that still have it...
whether fertile or spayed.

Many spays today are done via laparoscopy, and the uterus is
visceral, so how would it's removal leave a flap?

Hormones (or loss thereof) notwithstanding.


I'm certainly not thinking that the sway is a result of physical organ
removal.
The majority of cats I have witnessed this is are neutered males, and that
procedure is nowhere near their tummy
And I also draw a distinction between the abdominal fat seen in intact cats
and this particular type of sway.

I think it has to do with a lack of certain hormones affecting the animal in
a manner we just don't understand yet. In other species testosterone is a
major factor in muscle mass and fat deposition, and I can't see it being any
different in cats.


--
Toni
http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com