Fat Cats!

lisasha3

lisasha3

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Ok, time for me to switch cat foods. My cats eat the worst dry food ever! Please don't yell at me.....I feel bad enough already
, I just never knew how bad it was for them and now I've got 3 (almost 4) that could be considered overweight which is NOT good. I have heard great things about Chicken Soup, but would this work diet wise? To help shed a few pounds? And where the heck do you find it? I don't have a petsmart around me and Petco doesn't carry it. I tried ordering it online at a place, but something was flukey with the website and it let me order a bag, and said it was shipped, but never asked for payment?

Also, my cats are free fed. This is all they've known. How can I switch to feeding them specific amounts at specific times without them going ballistic on me during the transistion? they don't like canned food so it would still be dry food, but I would like to get them on a schedule so that I can get up in the a.m. and put down food, have all 5 eat, then do that again at night. Right now cause of the free feeding, even if I let their bowls get empty, they all come running when I fill them, but don't eat that much. So I worry about picking those bowls up at that point - cause they will be starving in a few hours. I'm so confused.
 
sharky

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what are they eating now?? chicken soup is good but the light is too low in fat IMHO
 
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lisasha3

lisasha3

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Originally Posted by sharky

what are they eating now?? chicken soup is good but the light is too low in fat IMHO
Click to expand...
ummmm.....they're eating really cheap stuff now - the stuff that's really bad for them? Real fatty I've heard......initials MM.

I know I know....I'm a bad mommy.
 
babyharley

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Originally Posted by lisasha3

ummmm.....they're eating really cheap stuff now - the stuff that's really bad for them? Real fatty I've heard......initials MM.

I know I know....I'm a bad mommy.
Click to expand...
Awww, your not a bad mommy!!
Your a great mommy for coming here and trying to find a solution to their weight! I have no advice really, I feed my boys Maxximum, from WalMart, its not the best, but I don't have the advantage of getting to a Petsmart/Petco very often.

Do you feed them wet food at all? I noticed that when Harley was gaining a little weight (When I was feeling them Whiskas) I started them both on a daily wet food diet - they both share 2 pouches a day, and Harley has lost some weight, and he doesn't eat that much dry anymore!
 
sharky

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What is your budget ... likely they arent geting enough fat and protein...
 
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strange_wings

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Originally Posted by babyharley

I feed my boys Maxximum, from WalMart, its not the best, but I don't have the advantage of getting to a Petsmart/Petco very often.
Click to expand...
I used to feed my Sho Maxximum, but they seemed to stopped making the regular indoor formula and now only have the indoor with hairball control. My kitty didn't throw up on this like he did other foods (purina one, iams, pro plan) but he did gain a lot of weight and shed quite a bit.

lisasha3, Chicken Soup is a brand you'll have to check feed/live stock stores for, if you live in a rural or even remotely farming area there should be some around you can call.
 
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chrissyr

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I used to feed my bedroom kitties the Maxximum. China has a low tollerance for food and she started having issues with it. Now, she can eat the Fancy Feast dry, but, I won't let her. We switched them over to the Max Cat Kitten. Now, if there's an award for bad meowmy when it comes to food, I think I'd come close to getting it. LOL We feed the majority of the gang both wet and dry Special Kitty.
 
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I recently started feeding my cats Wellness Super 5 Mix. They all seem to like it. When I tried wet food in the past they would lick off the gravy and ignore the solids. Now I'm trying a better quality wet food, Merricks and Natural Balance, and they love it. It might be worth a try for you to get a few cans of good quality food and see what happens.

My cats are on meals but some of them still whine and beg for food after I pick up their bowls and long before the next meal time. You just have to be firm and not feed them until it's meal time. I made the mistake of giving in to their whining for a while last year and now I have two overweight cats on my hands. They aren't happy with waiting but they'll get used to it and will be healthier in the long run.


Good luck finding a food they will like and in switching them to meals if that is what you decide to do.
 
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lisasha3

lisasha3

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Originally Posted by babyharley

Awww, your not a bad mommy!!
Your a great mommy for coming here and trying to find a solution to their weight! I have no advice really, I feed my boys Maxximum, from WalMart, its not the best, but I don't have the advantage of getting to a Petsmart/Petco very often.

Do you feed them wet food at all? I noticed that when Harley was gaining a little weight (When I was feeling them Whiskas) I started them both on a daily wet food diet - they both share 2 pouches a day, and Harley has lost some weight, and he doesn't eat that much dry anymore!
Click to expand...
No - no wet food. I tried that for all of their first years but eventually over that year all of them stuck their noses up at it. I've heard some folks say that it's actually because the MM is basically like a "drug". They've gotten so use to the bad stuff nothing else compares. Not sure if that's true or not, but if I find another dry food that's actually good for them, maybe I will find that they like the canned stuff again.

Originally Posted by sharky

What is your budget ... likely they arent geting enough fat and protein...
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My budget.
I'm not rolling in cash over here like Richy Rich is
, but I can afford to get some decent food for my kits I think no problem. That said though - please don't suggest chicken, beef, or stuff like that - cause while I love my kits to death and probably could afford it - that's a lot of work and puts my little women (and man) into the "high maintainence" category. Nobody want's a high maintainence woman!
 
sharky

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Next ???

do you have a petco or petsmart??
 
sharky

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Look at Nutro max ( i advise against light just check % of protein and fat)
I like hairball for some wt loss
Solid gold( not as $$$ as you think)

Castor and polluck

all three are good and reasonably priced an at petco
 
white cat lover

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I would just like to throw this in! If you are going to start on a feeding schedule, you might want to work on it while you are still feeding MM. Then, once the kits have learned the feeding schedule, you can slowly start switching them to a new food.
 
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Don't forget that for weight loss, wet food is VERY beneficial! Even as one of their meals, it will help bring weight down significantly.
 
tuxedokitties

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I'll third (fourth?) the adding some wet food suggestion.

One of my cats was overweight for his entire adult life (he's 12 years old now), and I was never able to get him to lose any weight, until I tried adding wet food to his diet. I have other cats who aren't overweight, so I needed to leave dry food available - also, when I tried to feed set meals, he would get into the cupboards and tear into all the packaged human foods - not healthy.

A couple of years ago, I started splitting a can of good wet food between the three cats every evening, and leaving dry food available during the day. I don't know if the quality of the wet food made it more filling so he didn't need to eat as much, or if he started eating less dry to leave room for the wet food, but he gradually lost weight. It took some time, but he eventually went from 16.5 pounds down to a healthy 12.5 pounds, and has maintained his healthy weight since then. We also have a play session every evening before feeding time. (If you have an older cat who's losing weight, be sure to get a checkup w/the vet to make sure everything's OK.)

catinfo.org has information about getting dry food 'addicts' to eat wet food. They say 100% wet food is best, but that's more than I can afford at the moment, so our cats still get a combination of the two, and are doing very well.

Don't feel bad for feeding a grocery-store food. You do the best you can, and you've made the effort to come here & learn what's good, and you've definitely come to the right place. Sharky, Pat&Alix, and probably some others that I can't think of at the moment are very knowledgeable about cat nutrition, and can steer you toward a good food that fits with your budget.

Good luck!
 
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lionessrampant

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As far as wet food goes, if you can swing it, my terribly picky cats will eat the Evanger's wet food flavors Pheasant and Turkey/Butternut Squash. They'll also eat the little Trader Joe's cans, if you have access to a TJ's, but they are very fishy...which can have some nutritional drawbacks. Also, I've heard that the MM wet pouches aren't so bad, although they're all very fishy as well.

ETA: Anyone with a cat who has gastrointestinal issues should look into this food as a possibility for allergies and sensitive/inflamed digestive systems. http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/50111.html
 
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lisasha3

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Originally Posted by vanillasugar

Don't forget that for weight loss, wet food is VERY beneficial! Even as one of their meals, it will help bring weight down significantly.
Click to expand...
Originally Posted by white cat lover

I would just like to throw this in! If you are going to start on a feeding schedule, you might want to work on it while you are still feeding MM. Then, once the kits have learned the feeding schedule, you can slowly start switching them to a new food.
Click to expand...
Originally Posted by tuxedokitties

I'll third (fourth?) the adding some wet food suggestion.

One of my cats was overweight for his entire adult life (he's 12 years old now), and I was never able to get him to lose any weight, until I tried adding wet food to his diet. I have other cats who aren't overweight, so I needed to leave dry food available - also, when I tried to feed set meals, he would get into the cupboards and tear into all the packaged human foods - not healthy.

A couple of years ago, I started splitting a can of good wet food between the three cats every evening, and leaving dry food available during the day. I don't know if the quality of the wet food made it more filling so he didn't need to eat as much, or if he started eating less dry to leave room for the wet food, but he gradually lost weight. It took some time, but he eventually went from 16.5 pounds down to a healthy 12.5 pounds, and has maintained his healthy weight since then. We also have a play session every evening before feeding time. (If you have an older cat who's losing weight, be sure to get a checkup w/the vet to make sure everything's OK.)

catinfo.org has information about getting dry food 'addicts' to eat wet food. They say 100% wet food is best, but that's more than I can afford at the moment, so our cats still get a combination of the two, and are doing very well.

Don't feel bad for feeding a grocery-store food. You do the best you can, and you've made the effort to come here & learn what's good, and you've definitely come to the right place. Sharky, Pat&Alix, and probably some others that I can't think of at the moment are very knowledgeable about cat nutrition, and can steer you toward a good food that fits with your budget.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thanks very much for all the advice. I did not know wet food was good for weight loss. I think I'll start there. I'll try to get them all to eat a little at night and then hopefully over time they will cut down on their dry food and I can switch them over after a while.
Thanks guys!
 
gizmocat

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California Natural food is high quality, mid-priced, and only has five ingredients in the Chicken and Rice variety. Cats like the flavour. It can be purchased in most pet stores and you can even get it on amazon.com and other online sellers.
My cat also won't eat wet food and there's nothing wrong with dry IF it is a good quality one. Don't make things more confusing and frustrating for them by feeding wet as well as switching them off MM!

The Cal Natural should be rationed. It's very high calorie so your cats should eat less. You might want to feed only in the morning and at night--Gizmo is a free feeder but that's how she gets her vittles (1/3 cup of Nature's Logic in the morning and 1/4 cup at night if she has eaten all the rest)

Good luck.
 
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