Cat/Weight question

[Diva0413]

So I have this cat that DH and I adopted from a co-worker because his son his allergic. When we got him almost a year ago, he weighed 20 pounds. We''ve tried the obvious which is some exercise (like having him run back and forth chasing a laser or jumping activites), as well as cutting back on how much he''s fed. It worked for a little while because he lost 3 pounds, but now it seems, as odd as it sounds, as if he''s plateued. We took him to the vet last month and he gave us some diet food (Science Diet I think), but Felix doesn''t seem to like it. Do any other cat owners out there have any ideas or suggestions to help him lose weight?

 

[Aloros]

Try a different food? I don''t think Science Diet is a very good cat fod - it uses corn, which is just a filler for cats since they can''t digest it.

My cat''s on weight management too. I like the Innova Light formula, and he LOVES it. I give a handful in the morning, and a handful at night. He''s down to ~13lbs now, which is where the vet says he should be.

 

[Little Monster]

Diva,

You might check out this website about cat foods... it explains a lot about ratings, fillers, grains, etc. http://www.petfoodratings.net/cats.html

I would suggest either Wellness or Natural Balance (both come in reduced-calorie formulas).

Make sure you're measuring out the exact amount of food you'll feed for the day and STICK TO IT, no matter how whiny the cat gets. If you do wet food, give it on a schedule, not any time they just 'seem' hungry. Cut back on treats, or eliminate them all together. You can try making a game of making him chase his kibble (we used to do this with treats and now do it with kibble from his daily allotment of food)...

Hope that helps : )

 

[Haven]

Awww, overweight kitties make me so sad. Good for you for adopting him and caring for his health!

Our big boy Manny weighed 16 lbs at his heaviest, and he is now a healthy 12 lbs. We feed raw now, but we used to feed them Innova and Wellness kibble. The biggest thing is to measure out his food instead of free feeding throughout the day.

We feed our little guys three times a day--7 AM, 5 PM, and 11 PMish--otherwise they end up screaming for food in the wee hours of the morning.

Good luck with Felix!

 

[Diva0413]

Thanks ladies! I''m definitely going to try any and everything to get Felix to lose weight.

Aloros - We''re about to switch his food again. I didn''t think Science Diet was good, but since the vet gave to us I thought it was worth a try. I didn''t know it had corn filler in it. Maybe that''s why it didn''t agree with him. Wow for your cat getting down to 13lbs! How much did he weigh before you put him on weight management?

Little Monster, thanks for the website! I looked it over with DH and found lots of useful info! We''re working on the food measurement thing. So far we''ve been using my hand (since it''s smaller between the 2 of us), to measure how much food we give him. And you''re totally right, he meows and whines from the time we leave for work, to when we get back from work, to bedtime. He''s even our own alarm clock now by waking us at 5:30 every morning. I like the idea of making a game out of it too. I have to admit that DH more than I have been sneaking in the treats (found that out yesterday), so we''re going to change our game plan.

Haven, thanks! Seeing him overweight makes me sad too. He''s a beautiful cat (my avatar) and it breaks my heart at the idea that if I don''t get him to lose weight, it will cut his life span. Since you too recommended Innova and the other 2 PS''ers suggested Wellness, we''re going to give those a try. So far we feed him twice a day, once in the morning before work and once when we come back. Should we feed him 3 times a day? If so, maybe an automatic feeder might help?

 

[Clairitek]

I wanted to throw another food out there- Nature's Variety. I feed it to my cats and they love it! They also poo a lot less on this food than they have on anything that has a lot of fillers in it. Since it is higher in protein they can use a lot more of what goes in.

ETA: After reading that website on pet food ratings I might have to say that you can probably find a higher protein content food from the website. Personally I am going to look into some of the other options listed. Good luck!