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My 9-month-old kitten seems fat and lazy. How can I make him active?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 8 months and 19 days old | 10 lbs

Why is my kitten so fat? He’s 9 months old and is lazy. He doesn’t over eat and has other cats to play with. How can I encourage him to play more?

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on December 3rd, 2017

Honestly, based on your pictures, I don't think Clover looks fat but without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. Some cats are naturally bigger than others, and it doesn't make them fat. Ten pounds can be a perfectly healthy and normal weight for a male cat, I'd be worried if he was 15-20 pounds! I am going to attach a link on how to do a body condition score on your cat. This will help give you an idea if Clover is overweight or not. If you want him to be more active, try getting toys like ones attached to strings that you can dangle over him and get him to chase around. This will help him be more active, just make sure he doesn't chew on the string so he doesn't swallow it. You can find these toys at a pet store. I hope this helps! https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20cats.pdf

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