Obese cat! Without going the raw food diet route, what is the best way to get some weight off him?
His owner couldn’t keep him, so we took him in. He’s been fed dry food exclusively and his bowl was kept full. How can I ease him into less food and would canned be better than dry?
Tagged with: dry food
Filed under: Raw Food Diet
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Hi Jasmine…generally, it’s first recommended to discuss an appropriate weight loss guideline with your vet. Sudden changes in dietary requirements can be distressing to a cat and could contribute to other health problems. Cats who have dramatic caloric intake can suffer from something called fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis) http://www.peteducation.com:80/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1327&articleid=217 which shuts the liver down and is fatal. Therefore, before beginning any weight loss plan, please be sure to get approval from the vet to make sure this will not cause any other un-necessary health problems for your cat. Some cats can be overweight as a result of thyroid problems so this should be checked as well.
In the wild, animals will naturally eat what they need and no more. The task of searching for food and other basic necessities involves lots of exercise and so wild animals remain naturally fit and healthy.
The food available to them in their natural habitat is perfectly designed to meet their needs in an environment that has not been tampered with.
Domestic animals are provided with food which they do not have to hunt for and which is not always suited for their bodies. Cats who are free fed as well as given table scraps are more noted to have obesity problems because they eat out of boredom. In addition, they are often exposed to a lifestyle which contributes to sluggish metabolism, underactive thyroids and livers which are not able to remove toxins or eliminate unwanted fat from their bodies.
Most commercial grade cat foods contain corn, corn meal which are fillers (carbohydrates) that bind the dry food together as a way of keeping foods lasting longer. Try finding cat food products which are devoid of these ingedients. The first ingredients should show chicken, chicken meal, etc. Most show the first ingredients as corn on the ingredient labels. IAMs, Science Diet, Purina, Whiskas, Friskies …all have corn listed as the main ingredient. Cats who eat these tend to always feel hungry because the carbs don’t metabolize fast enough and cats are obligate carnivores so they need a diet devoid of these types of carbs. Products such as Innova EVO, Nature’s Variety Prairie, James Wellbeloved (UK), are premium brands. Most cats who eat these find that they do not eat to eat as much because their appetite is better satiated.
Additionally, it’s important to schedule feed a cat so you can monitor servings taken in during the day. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/news/feed.htm . Each product lists the recommended servings based on a age and weight. For an overweight cat you would be reducing the intake gradually by 10% each week that the vet recommends is an appropriate caloric intake. Cats who are switched from a free-fed diet shoudl be fed multiple times a day (if permittable) such as once in the morning, mid-day, and then evening before your bedtime.
When switching to a new brand of cat food it is also important to note that sudden changes can cause sever bowel distress. Cats have very sensitive digestive systems so the quick change will cause bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting. Any vet can confirm this fact. Cat food should be changed gradually by mixing the current brand with the new brand over the course of several weeks. For example you would take 3/4 servings of the old cat food to 1/4 servings with the new for one week…then the next week 1/2 to 1/2…then following 1/4 of the old to 3/4 of the new in the third week before completing the switch in the final week. http://www.peteducation.com:80/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1399&articleid=1155
Furthermore, some cats can take off the weight faster by feeding a canned food diet. For some reason the hydration in the canned products helps metabolize food better and are also completely devoid of carbohydrates, which is more optimal for the feline’s body. When cats eat raw meat in the wild they get hydration from the fresh meat juices as well as some roughage from the animals who are natural herbivores. We are have been exposed to so many commercial ads regarding dry food for cats, but in reality it’s the manufacturer’s who benefit rather than the cats. Cats are not naturally designed to eat dry–the products were designed for convenience for the owner.
Here’s an article about commercial cat food; dry vs. canned, proper nutritional needs, etc: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/index.html
Finally, most cats become bored with toys quickly. It’s important to rotate them by hiding them and then bringing them back out again so the appear to be like new toys. Interactive toys are the best ones to use to get a cat moving such as a laser light. Most cats love chasing the light. The goal is to get the cat to move back and forth at least for 5 minutes to begin as some tire more easily than others especially if they are overweight. You can increase play time more if they enjoy it. Some cats love chasing feather teasers tied on a string too. Experiment to what gets your cat moving. Just please remember most overweight cats tire easily so keep the sessions short and fun. Interactive toys are the best ways to get your cat to exercise rather than leaving toys for them to play with. They only bat at those and really don’t move enough. Not only does the interactive toys work better, but it’s a bonding experience for both of you as well.
I’d stick with the dry food but give him a little less. My brother gave his cat a toy mouse with catnip in it. He loves it. All the cat wants to do is play fetch and run around with the mouse. It’ll make a cat hyper but it gets them to do some exercise. He’ll lose weight like that.
It make me sad that his owner left him, please keep it with you.
Please consider following sites:
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/catweight.html
http://www.catcarehome.com/feline-obesity.php
http://ezinearticles.com/?An-Obese-Cat-Is-An-Unhealthy-Cat—Help-Them-Lose-Weight-Today!&id=442750
http://www.ehow.com/how_2437_cat-diet.html
Please choose my answer as best answer
I found an excellent link about this subject. Since I wanted to help yet lacked the skills to provide this on my own. It is very interesting and I hope you find lots of help. Congrats on the new cat, adopting him is so wonderful. The link will help with your concerns and questions.
Good luck and Best wishes!!!! :)
Play with him. Get him to exercise somehow. His body must be in pain from all that excessive weight.
In the pet store I saw a type of toy that forces cats to exercise for food. It’s a small plastic ball that you put dry food in, and the cat has to push the ball around to make the food fall out of the holes. Maybe you could see if you can get one. It looks like a good idea, and I’ll get one for my cat if she gets too porky.
Try Innova’s EVO or one of the other grain-free foods (in limited portions of course). They have no carbohydrates – think Atkins diet for cats. It works very well for lots of cats, along with proper portions and some exercise.
Congratulations on your new family member…
I would just start feeding him less a little at a time…Catnip is a wonderful way for cats to excersize if it’s a lazy cat…I don’t know how old he is and what kind of health he is in. Cat’s are like people in that respect. I would get him checked out by a vet to see if he is able to excersize without pain. The vet may be able to come up with some solutions to the weight problem through diet.
Ration his feedings, and don’t give in to his meeeeooowwwing for more food. (Follow portion size directions on the food package) Get him to exercise by chasing a laser pointer. If necessary, go to your vet and ask if a prescription low-cal food would be suitable.
Science diet has a dry food for weight management and you could supplement it with a little wet food. Just give him the amount that he should have daily and don’t leave food out all day.
Yes, you should go to a canned food diet. There is NO such thing as dry "diet" food for cats. Dry foods are filled with carbs that make your cat fat. You can’t make a dry food without carbs, so there are no dry diet foods.
The proper amount to feed per cat/per day should be about 5.5 ounces of wet (high quality grain free canned or Raw Meat/Bones/Organ) food.
The calories in that amount of food are sufficient for most "normal" sized cats. Of course a highly energetic cat will need more food to keep it healthy, and a lazy cat will need less food to keep it from getting obese. But 5.5 ounces of wet food per day is a good place to start.
Here is a fantastic site written by a vet that will help you help your cat lose weight on a canned food diet!
http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm
Canned will be better. Choose a grainless variety.
Cats should eat between 20-30 calories per IDEAL pound per day. Choose a number that represents your goals and his activity level – in your case let’s say 20. If he’s 15 pounds but should weigh 10, multiply 20 by 10 to get 200 calories per day.
Then find out how many calories are in the food you’ve chosen and feed appropriately.
From my blog:
In a nutshell, most cats are fat because they’ve been fed too much (free-feeding or indulging them) and because they’re fed dry food which is NOT appropriate food for them due to the grain/carb/sugar content. Cats are obligate carnivores who need to eat a high meat-based protein diet, which is also high in fats and low in carbs.
Many vets, who are sadly ignorant on the topic of proper cat nutrition, will recommend prescription diet foods (usually dry). Cats are expected to lose weight on a starvation diet of 1/4 or 1/3 cup of food per day. Everyone is miserable in these situations.
The solution is to switch the fat cat (and any others in the household as well) to a good quality canned food. Because these foods are species appropriate, the cat will lose weight at a safe, slow pace (no more than 1 pound per month). Switching foods needs to occur slowly, and if you’re trying to get a kibble junkie to eat canned food, that will happen naturally.
How much should cats eat?
This varies. Average cats may eat between 20-30 calories per pound per day. But note that that is IDEAL pounds. Using 25 calories per day for example, an 8 pound cat could eat 200 calories per day. By the same token, a cat who weighs 20 pounds but should weigh 10 could eat 250 calories per day. You multiply the ideal weight by the calories to arrive at that figure. When working toward weight loss, it’s perhaps best to start at the lower end of the scale (20).
How do I find out how many calories are in cat food? See the link "Values in canned food." If it’s not listed there, you’d need to contact the manufacturer…..I believe that link provides some help there as well.
That’s it. Easy as pie. Not only will fat cats lose weight, but it and any others in the home will reap many benefits of eating a speciies appropriate diet.
See the links below for detailed information on this topic.
UPDATE: Poppy lost 5 pounds and Sophie lost 2 following this plan (from October to October). Each cat gets one can (5.5oz) of Nature’s Variety Instincts per day. No one is starving or miserable. My vet is happy with her progress and so am I. Only 4 pounds to go!