Overweight Felines?
I have 2 very active 2year old cats that are putting on weight, our male is already overweight (though not to an extreme point), and our female is well on her way to becoming overweight. They are both fixed. I need a diet plan that is thorough in nutrition as well as keeping the cat full. I need complete nutrition because I also have an 11 month old kitten who is not overweight and is still growing.
Please help, I really want to keep my cats healthy! They are to young to have health problems. And are fed suggested portions 1 time daily, and that feeds them for the full day. Also the older female was born with a heart murmur and while the vet said its gone, I don’t want the weight of stress to cause further problems.
Suggestions on food types, feeding tips, and "rationing" would be greatly appreciated. Experiences will help too!
Thanks a bunch!
Filed under: Pet Insurance
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Try Iam’s Lamb and Rice kibble. Feed once in the morning and only let them feed until they are finished. Don’t leave the food on the floor for them to ‘mop up’ during the rest of the day.
You can feed them again in the evening, but again, don’t leave the food for them.
Cat’s eat when they are bored so if they are indoor cats, you might want to invest in one of those scratching post/trapeze extravaganzas. Also get some other toys for them that move about as they love that. It engages their hunting instincts.
If they have stuff to do, they will only want to eat when they are really hungry.
whatever you do, don’t feed them people food! Its way too fattening for cats with what we do to food.
Also groom, pet, and love them a lot. A cat without much human contact will eat to replace that need. They are very human that way, interestingly.
The answer is multifactorial but to simplify, just remember this� any individual mammal (dog, cat, horse, human, etc.) will gain body weight if it consumes more calories than it burns as fuel for energy. That�s pretty simple, but true. In Nature, food acquisition has never been a sure thing for any creature� not for canines, felines or humans. So food acquisition has always been accompanied by physical exertion to capture (or cultivate) and consume the food. It is only in recent times that the unnatural situation of food excess, readily acquired and consumed with little accompanying physical exertion, has become a way of life. We humans have figured how not to have to do all that work of capturing and cultivating to build up stores of food. Through agricultural expertise we have learned how to grow food and raise livestock and to have those food sources readily available and in abundance� just in case we get hungry! We learned how to refrigerate, dry, preserve and store foods in large quantities that assured us we would not have to endure long and unsuccessful hunting forays nor suffer through famines. We have created the very same food acquisition assurances for our domestic dogs and cats. They, as we, no longer have to hunt to survive. Indeed, we no longer even have to live outdoors.
I’m going to throw the whole blog at you. I reserve this for those I feel are worthy of it – I usually just snip out the summary. But YOU get the whole thing! LOL
FYI, this plan will be especially good for your male, as they are more prone to urinary issues.
WEIGHT LOSS FOR CATS
Why do cats get fat? It can be a combination of issues, or just one. First the obvious – overfeeding. This may happen either because you’re giving in to the begging or because you’re free-feeding (keeping food available all day) and your cat is not self-regulated. The second reason is feeding inappropriate, low-quality food (most dry foods). The third would be medical reasons I’m not qualified to discuss, but they’re rare. Most cats are fat simply because they’re fed the wrong food and are fed too much.
Is it bad for cats to be overweight? Of course! It’s very bad. It often leads to diabetes, not to mention that fat cats probably don’t feel very cat-like. Who would when dragging around extra pounds?
Why is dry food bad? With very few exceptions, dry food is not appropriate food for cats. It’s chock full of carbs/sugar, doesn’t provide enough meat-based protein, and is often loaded with grains such as wheat or corn (which provide those carbs/sugars). Wheat, corn and soy are known allergens and in many cats will cause digestive upsets. Not to mention most also contain "meal" and "byproducts." Cats are obligate carnivores who need to eat a diet high in protein (from meat) and fat and very low in carbs. The mouse is the perfect cat food – meat, organs and bones, with perhaps a tiny bit of grains that may exist in the mouse’s stomach. In addition, dry food leaves cats dehydrated. They do not instinctively drink enough water because they’re designed to get it IN their food. This results in concentrated urine which can lead to all sorts of problems. And it DOES NOT CLEAN THE TEETH! Really – think about – does dry food clean OUR teeth? If it did wouldn’t dentists prescribe cookies instead of brushing?
What should cats eat? Cats should eat a species appropriate diet which very much resembles Atkins (Catkins). A raw diet is the very best, so long as it’s properly supplemented to meet a cat’s nutritional needs. There are many raw feeding forums available through Yahoo Groups that one can join to learn more. The next best choice is a good quality canned food (or even a commercially prepared raw diet such as Nature’s Variety). These foods will have meat listed as the first ingredient, will not contain corn, wheat or soy, may include organ meats, and will not list "meal" or "byproducts." See the What to feed link for suggestions. Additionally, the brand By Nature Organics is a very good food, and at 150 calories per 6oz can, is a very good choice for weight loss.
What about supplements for weight loss? The addition of L-Carnitine to a cat’s diet may assist with weight loss. 250-500 mg per day can be added to assist with weight loss. It is probably best to start with a lower dosage until you see how your cat reacts.
How soon will I see results? Cats need to lose weight slowly, at the rate of no more than 1 pound per month, and often less. This is because rapid weight loss may cause hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) which can be fatal.
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!
Maybe it is the food that your cats are on that are making them very fatt. Maybe take them out on a walk and measure the food you give them so they aren’t being pigs.
Miley
Here is a very informative link to overweight cats:
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/catweight.html
My experience with dieting of my cat has been that the best way is to just control the quantity of what he is eating. Most cat foods have indexes of how much the cat must eat according to his weight. You must feed the amount required for the desired weight. H won’t be full, he will be hungry and complaining. There is no other way. Have you tried to diet? Of course you get hungry, otherwise you wouldn’t be losing any weight! But you must do it for his health. Also a tip is to feed something he doesn’t really like. A good quality food, but that he doesn’t like much. That’s what my cat is eating now, so he only eats when he is really hungry.