Frustrated with fat, lazy cat

I posted here before about my fat cat. I have two 3 year old female cats. One is pretty slim and extremely active (Pansy) and the other is overweight and lazy (Tulip). If I'm playing with them, Tulip will lie down and watch as soon as Pansy comes out to play, she's very passive that way.

I switched their food to mostly wet food a few months ago but she hasn't lost any weight, she may have even gained some. I'm feeding them Iams wet food, 1/4 to 1/2 a can each in the morning and the same in the evening. I give them about 1/8 cup each of Royal Canin Light dry food in the morning and another 1/8 cup each before I go to bed.

Tulip is constantly whining for food. Should I changed to a different type of wet food? Am I feeding them enough? Last time I checked, Tulip weighed 16lbs and should probably be around 12 or 13.

I really want to help Tulip lose some weight, she can't even reach her own behind to clean anymore. I don't want her to get sick because of being overweight. She only started really gaining weight back in January when I was gone a lot and had to leave dry food out for them to eat.

Thank you so much for any help.

Kristi

Add more wet... Do you know how to do a search on this site?? you will get loads of info from those who were in your situationa nd what worked for them

was a vet check and some blood work done to rule out any medical issues??

If she only gained this weight in January after an abnormal period of eating a lot of dry food, then I'd think returning her to whatever diet you used before (when she was a better weight) would be the key. And then it may just be a matter of being patient and waiting for the weight to come back off gradually. Maybe the new diet changes and feeding schedule aren't right for her.

I agree with Sharky. Increase the wet. I split one 5.5 can of wet between my two girls and give them 1/2 cup to share of dry. Also, avoid Light foods.
If you like Royal Canin, I'd Try BEAUTY & FIT 37.

Be very patient. A cat should only lose about a 1/2 a pound per month. Also keep in mind that each cat is different and calorie needs vary widely. My advice is to get a professional pet scale and weigh your cat every 3 or 4 weeks. You can order one from www.drsfostersmith.com.

Do not go by a fixed calorie amount unless advised by your vet. Your cat's weight on the scale should indicate if you need to decrease or increase food such as if your cat loses weight too rapidly. Cut down on food gradually. You may even find that you might need to reduce the dry food even further.

Also as far as play, any activity is better than none. Even if she does sit ups lying down to bat the toy or just follows you and the toy around or plays for a short amount of time. You can also make an appointment with your vet for a calorie/ meal plan right for your cat.

I've gotten overweight cats to lose weight by doing a lot of simple things like placing their food bowls on top of the washer so they had to jump up for them, putting water on one floor of the house and the food on another so they have to climb stairs. And tall cat trees are always cat magnets - climbing is some level of exercise.

I've gotten my overweight dog to lose about 7 pounds in the last 6 months. He was always hungry for the first few months then finally adjusted to the decreased amount of food we gave him. We had to be very patient with him during that time. Hang in there.

Please get Tulip to a vet to check her over. she could have developed diabetes since getting obese or some other medical problem.

If all comes out ok at the vet, then I say go for all wet, no dry food at all.

I have a kitty in the same shape, except she weighed 15 pounds and her ideal weight should be about 8-9 pounds. She too could not clean herself. She had to have a heart ultrasound and they had to use the "dog probe" because she was so fat. Not a good thing.

In February I started making homemade food, NO GRAINS. My healthy cats are still at a good weight but my fat ones have been SLOWLY losing weight, just under 1/2 pound a month. Izzy the cantalope kitty is now down to 12.4 pounds and can clean herself again.

I weigh them all once a week. You absolutely do not want rapid weight loss. Hepatic lipidosis is one of the most horrific feline diseases to have to deal with. It comes on so quickly and is very difficult to treat successfully.

I know dry food quickly becomes very convenient, but for many fat kitties dry, grain filled foods just don't work. No matter how little you feed them they just don't lose weight. Even with the "light" varieties.

As everyone else has said, hang in there and go slowly.

Thank you all very much for the suggestions. I didn't realize just how slowly cats should lose weight. So I'll definitely be more patient and weigh her more often. Last night I managed to keep her so busy that she didn't harldy lay around at all. Though she wouldn't actually play with me, she was up and walking around (following me and Pansy) most of the evening. That's a good start.

Thanks again!

Kristi

You have already gotten good advice, but I just wanted to add that Iams is a relatively high calorie wet food. If she seems constantly hungry, you could try switching to a lower calorie brand (not a "weight loss formula") so she can eat more in terms of volume and still lose weight.

Is Pansy gonna scream bloody murder if you put her in a room while you play with Tulip? If she stands for it, try that.

Exercise really helps offset the misery of a diet (I know, I'm on one) because you don't have to reduce food intake as much when you're exercising.