How do you put a cat on a diet? (serious question)

[Imzadi]

My kitty needs to lose a couple pounds. The vet said she's at the maximum, highest weight she should be already. She hasn't gained any weight since being weighed last year, which is good, but the vets want her to lose a couple pounds. Yes, she does have an obvious inch layer of fat around her. They told me to do it slowly.

The problem is, if I remove ony 5 kibble from her usual amount, my poor kitty acts like she's starving all day. She will sit by the bowl long after it's empty, waiting for me to come give her some more. I feed her four times a day.

She tends to be an emotional eater, eating when she's bored or anxious - which is how she got to this weight, and always wants more in her bowl. I think she's also used to feeling over-stuffed.
But this seems to be different. She truly acts like she is starving all day and not just anxious that there's no food in her bowl.

If I don't save enough for her to eat overnight, she WILL try to wake me up in the morning to feed her. Normally, she's just very happy to greet me with a "Good Morning! You're awake! " Now, it's a "Oh, good, now you can feed me." Anytime I stand up or walk around, she seems to be underfoot all the time, hoping I will walk over to put food in her bowl. She never used to do that before. I can't tell you how many times I've almost stepped on her or nearly, accidentally kicked her in the last few days.

 

[momrek06]

Subscribing....my DS' kitty is a bit overweight. I would love to hear replies.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Reduce the amount of food you give her and then check her weight every week.

Yes she is going to act like she is starving however you cannot give in.

My sister has 4 cats and she is now feeding them on a schedule 3 times a day for 30mins. The fatter cat lost weight right away and it much happier actually.

 

[Disneynut5]

The key is a good quality food that will not pack on the pounds. We have been using http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/ since it came out about 10 years ago. My cats are 15 and 14 and have never been overweight on this food. Purina on the other hand will make most cats overweight. THey have to eat more of it to feel full.

Hope that helps. Talk to your vet, but I can not say enough good things about his food. I love my babies and this has kept them healthy!

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

also, look into "diet" kitty food. Not kidding, they now have "weight control" kitty food available, and it is not that much different in price that regular kibble. Sometimes it is marketed as "senior" diet.

a trick that my vet suggested was that we get one of the "tower" dry kitty food, we then put about half the daily food in it, in the morning. then about noon we put in one quarter, and at night one quarter.

after a week we noticed that there was actually some left over food in the tower. I guess just knowing that the food is available kept kitty from being worried?

Now I fill the tower up about half way, every week or so, and kitty usually has a few mouthfulls and then walks away.

 

[Imzadi]

Kitty used to be fed Purina. Which is probably what accounted for the weight, plus her bowl used to always have food in it.

But, she has a fish allergy and possibly allergic to more. Since last year, the vet put her on Science Diet Hairball Control, Light formula. So far it seems to have helped her allergy. We may switch her to something else as the allergy still flairs up every month or so. But, I can't tell if that's environmental. So, now, we're onto dealing with her weight.

 

[walkerag]

I agree with getting a good quailty weight management cat food. As the all feline vet here in Nashville puts it "Regular store brand cat foods (ie: Purina, meow mix, etc.) is like McDonalds for cats"
Iams is a very good cat food and it can be purchased at walmart and target. They do have a weight management formula as well.
Unfortunatley you'll have to restrict her diet and not give in to the begging.
Stick to it so your kitty won't develop diabetes like mine did Good luck!

 

[Imzadi]

a trick that my vet suggested was that we get one of the "tower" dry kitty food, we then put about half the daily food in it, in the morning. then about noon we put in one quarter, and at night one quarter.

after a week we noticed that there was actually some left over food in the tower. I guess just knowing that the food is available kept kitty from being worried?

Now I fill the tower up about half way, every week or so, and kitty usually has a few mouthfulls and then walks away.

Hmmm, I'll have to look into one of those towers. I wondered if the absence of food was more the problem. I gave her her quarter portion this morning. And 10 minutes later while I'm up & walking around, she meowing in front of the bowl like she's starving. Like she didn't get enough since last nite. "Hello! I fed you 10 minutes ago. " I didn't put more in her bowl.

But, now as I'm sitting here typing away, she's been snoozing away like she doesn't have a problem, knowing I'm not heading near her bowl. But, as soon as I stand up, she'll be underfoot again.

 

[babytrees]

also, look into "diet" kitty food. Not kidding, they now have "weight control" kitty food available, and it is not that much different in price that regular kibble. Sometimes it is marketed as "senior" diet.

a trick that my vet suggested was that we get one of the "tower" dry kitty food, we then put about half the daily food in it, in the morning. then about noon we put in one quarter, and at night one quarter.

after a week we noticed that there was actually some left over food in the tower. I guess just knowing that the food is available kept kitty from being worried?

Now I fill the tower up about half way, every week or so, and kitty usually has a few mouthfulls and then walks away.

We have a ferret and an overweight kitty so the vet gave us some IAMS diet wet food because we can't change the dry food (Dude and Pearl share and Dude can't have "diet" food because of the vitamin and mineral loss). Anyway, Pearl hated the new wet food so I called the vet. He did some searching and found out that the diet only has at most 10 less calories than regular food. Well, we changed to only feeding her a little bit of IAMS filets 3x a day (we were giving her a whole Meow Mix wet food) and she is cranky but also seems to be a little smaller.

 

[babytrees]

Hmmm, I'll have to look into one of those towers. I wondered if the absence of food was more the problem. I gave her her quarter portion this morning. And 10 minutes later while I'm up & walking around, she meowing in front of the bowl like she's starving. Like she didn't get enough since last nite. "Hello! I fed you 10 minutes ago. " I didn't put more in her bowl.

But, now as I'm sitting here typing away, she's been snoozing away like she doesn't have a problem, knowing I'm not heading near her bowl. But, as soon as I stand up, she'll be underfoot again.

Pearl does the same thing....if I head to kitchen she begs for wet food. Seriously begs, she puts up one paw, whines and gives me puppy dog eyes, which on a cat is so funny. (Where did she learn this behavior?)

 

[Imzadi]

Stick to it so your kitty won't develop diabetes like mine did Good luck!

I have to worry about me getting it. It runs in the family. I don't want Kitty to possibly get it, too.

The problem is, her food allergy makes it harder to find food. She's going to be 7 this summer, and the bags of food I see say she should be heading towards a Senior formula.

 

[sbell111]

Cats are just like the rest of us. To lose weight, you have to reduce the calories going in, burn more of them, or both.

Your cat isn't likely to use the treadmill, so you have to reduce the inflow. Look into diet food and give him less of it. Do not leave the food down and let hm eat whenever he wants. Feed him a set amount at set times.

He'll complain about the change. Let him. Maybe that will burn a few calories.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I'm curious about this too. My cow cat needs to go on a diet. I have two cats and a gravity feeder. One is fine, the other is well... a cow. I tried asking my vet how much to feed them each day but he wouldn't tell me. I have no clue how much he eats in a day, or how to make sure he is not eating Eowyn's portion.

 

[rowbear]

Two things.

1) When it comes to pets I am strictly a quality over quantity person. I consider a bored pet a higher priority than an overweight pet. If she is bored I think you should fix that first.

2) Ever try free feeding? I know this sounds like the reverse of the answer but having no control over her feeding may be causing her to eat more than she should when the food is available for fear there will be no more. Going to an empty bowl when she is hungry because her schedule is different from yours could be the problem. Try measuring the amount of food you'd give her for about a day in a half and then track her progress. Track the amount you give her and the amount she consumes daily when left to her own devices. After about 10 days see if her daily consumption has increased or decreased. The answer might surprise you and even if it doesn't she won't gain much in such a short amount of time.

 

[Imzadi]

Pearl does the same thing....if I head to kitchen she begs for wet food. Seriously begs, she puts up one paw, whines and gives me puppy dog eyes, which on a cat is so funny. (Where did she learn this behavior?)

My kitty does that too. Those big, sad eyes staring at me.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Pearl does the same thing....if I head to kitchen she begs for wet food. Seriously begs, she puts up one paw, whines and gives me puppy dog eyes, which on a cat is so funny. (Where did she learn this behavior?)

My kitty does that too. Those big, sad eyes staring at me.

Well, did you guys every watch Shrek Two with kitty in the room?

They take mental notes of stuff like that!!!

heheheheheh


Along the lines of health food for kitties, we have switched to Royal Canin indoor mature 27 and that seems to be what needs! (she is an older cat)

 

[bumbershoot]

The problem is, her food allergy makes it harder to find food. She's going to be 7 this summer, and the bags of food I see say she should be heading towards a Senior formula.

Our cat had allergies too. Finally we were just about to switch to a raw food diet for her, with the most basic "what a cat could catch and eat on its own" foods (someday someone will make a mouse-based cat food and it will be brilliant). We were starting her slowly and her allergies were lifting, it was lovely. And then she ran out an open door (big sad back story to it, it was not normal for the door to be open, it was a tragic happening during a tragic time) one day and we never saw her again, so I don't know if it would have worked, but she sure seemed to LOVE that food.

Was only found in the back of a specialty pet store then, but now we see it all over. Organically raised small animals, is basically what it was.

 

[sbell111]

... I have no clue how much he eats in a day, or how to make sure he is not eating Eowyn's portion.

Separate bowls in separate rooms.

 

[swanmom]

My cat was overwieght and the vet warned us to get serious about it or face the possibility of diabetes (inlcuding giving her shots!) Well, that was enough for me. The vet recommended "Feline R/D." It's a calorie-controlled food that comes in both wet and dry. Some additional things really helped.
First, we started by giving her the same amount as she was used to and then each week lowered the line on the plastic measuring cup so she was getting a little less - until she reached the lower recommended daily allowance. Also, we started feeding her at routine times - 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 before we went to bed. No cheating in-between times. She stopped begging so much when she could anticipate when her food was coming. Most importantly, we HAD to stop feeding her any human food. With these things in place, she lost 3.5 lbs and has not regained. Hope this helps!

 

[TheLittleRoo]

Okay, true story: I got my orange tabby at the pound when he was about 1 year old and very lean. Then I had him neutered and brought him home. Fast forward 3 years at my place, and the "cat" is beagle sized! Seriously! He weighs 23 lbs, is 21 inches long from nose to base of tail, 14 inches wide (not around, ACROSS!) and does not fit in an approved cat carrier - he needs dog-size!

BUT! He only eats Iams dry food, and I keep a scoop in his metal can so there is NO WAY he gets more than 1/2 c in the AM and 1/2 c in the PM. That is ALL he gets, for sure. So how on earth can he be getting bigger?! We saw the vet and she said put him on wet food, which we did but he had constant "diaweea" which was causing my husband to threaten taking him to the pound... (whole 'nother story there...)

I'm stumped, except to think it's a metabolism issue for him. But I would sure love to see what kind of replies you get to your question. I'm actually working on the "calories burned" side of the equation with him, since it's not the "calories consumed" side that is doing him in. We play chase with him, make him run after toys, etc to try and tire him out.