less of regular food or change to light,to loose weight

My two cats are getting a little heavier than they should. We finally
settled on Chicken soup brand a while back because they loved the
taste and it ended one of my cats' diarhhea. Its the dry. They are just
turned 1 and 2 1/2.

Is it best to cut back on the amount I am feeding them,which is somewhat over the recommended amount because they were eating that much OR
should I try them on the light version of that brand?


Thanks.

I've heard lite foods are some of the worst foods out there, they cut fat, not carbs. Cats should really have carbs cut, not fats. I would try and change at least some of her diet to wet food, it is much more appropriate for cats and is great in helping them loose weight. Check this out: http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm

How much food is your cat eating each day?

I think I'd make a vet appointment and take in the bag of food, as well as the cats, to get the vet's recommendation on which way to go, especially with such youngsters.

Simply cutting the amount if half, for example, may not be the way to go - you may be cutting nutrients, etc., too far. The January Cat Fancy has a summary of the differences between weight-loss and and weight control foods, including the various subcategories, including adding fiber, adding extra water, adding air, adding canitine, decreasing fat and adding protein, and decreasing carbs and adding protein.

Most vets these days are very aware of obesity, and I bet yours will be happy at your being pro-active. I know mine will do weight checks for free for overweight cats following an exercise/food regime, but I honestly think, like with humans, it's good to get a medical opinion before changing anything too much.

Originally Posted by darlili

I think I'd make a vet appointment and take in the bag of food, as well as the cats, to get the vet's recommendation on which way to go, especially with such youngsters.

Simply cutting the amount if half, for example, may not be the way to go - you may be cutting nutrients, etc., too far. The January Cat Fancy has a summary of the differences between weight-loss and and weight control foods, including the various subcategories, including adding fiber, adding extra water, adding air, adding canitine, decreasing fat and adding protein, and decreasing carbs and adding protein.

Most vets these days are very aware of obesity, and I bet yours will be happy at your being pro-active. I know mine will do weight checks for free for overweight cats following an exercise/food regime, but I honestly think, like with humans, it's good to get a medical opinion before changing anything too much.

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always start with the vet ... In my case the animal I thought was obese was actually bordering between ideal and slightly overwt..

l carnitine is something to ask about..
You will find most "light or lite or wt control " foods are HIGHER in carbs than regular ... wet food has about half the calories of dry on ave per oz

I totally agree with Maxi24. Even 'quality' dry food is not allowed in my house, I feed low carb wet food (under 10% carbs) and free feed and do not have any weight problems with my group. If you can afford grain free canned, that would be top quality.

Thanks for the advice. My vet thought they were a little heavy but
felt it was from me basically free feeding them dry. So I am to slowly
cut them back to what they are supposed to be getting...so we will
see.

I looked for the January issue of Cat Fancy but no one has it yet. They
are all selling December issues.....darn.

And don't forget the importance of exercise as well as diet! Interactive play with a toy like Da Bird is great, as well as having tall cat condos for them to run up and down. If you live in a home with multiple levels, put food on one level and their water on another level. I've actually resorted to putting their food up on the bathroom counters so that they have to jump up to eat. Look around your home and find ways to make them move around constantly.

I think they probably get moderate amounts of exercise. We have a very
large house and they are all over it. They also love to chase each other and
wrestle around until they are both panting. We have a 7 ft cat tree they climb plus numerous toys that they enjoy...in fact,the toy supply was dwindling and they were acting bored so I went out yesterday and stocked up.they are so happy today plus I have three boys that enjoy making them bat at things...oh,and they love flies,so they chase them when they see them.
I was keeping the bowl full(don't ask me why) but they were supposed to only be getting 2/3 to 3/4 cups and they were getting probably close to twice
that much...so now they are down to 1 cup each a day for a while then I will drop it down to what they should be getting. dumb me.

my husband says I overfeed the ones I love....his waist is proof!!!!

What I would do is make a slow transition from dry to 100% wet food- preferably grain free.

I've thought about going all wet,but its so expensive plus they are so picky
about wet foods. They might take a few bites and then walk off. It would take three days to get two cats through one can.

I'd love suggestions on how to do it and decently priced wet food.....

thanks.

I know I should do a search of this site,but I never seem to find the time...

Originally Posted by smokiethecat

....They might take a few bites and then walk off. It would take three days to get two cats through one can....

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If they did, wouldn't that help with the weight problem? You'd be 3 days ahead on the diet. Then you'd only have to worry about getting them to eat less from then on.

The only reason I mention this is that I also have a cat with a weight problem, and the other day the store was out of the kind she likes. All of a sudden I realized this might be a GOOD thing.

Due to work schedule, etc., I feed a mix of wet and dry (Nutro, actually). My boy was overweight. I was originally following the bag recommendations, but, after vet consultation (with the darn bag and can in hand), the vet suggested I go to a measured amount of wet and dry, plus trying to play with my guys some more. It did work - my boy lost about 3 pounds, and he was the one who had to lose weight.

My vet told me I could bring mine in any time for weighing on their scales, for free - since it's not good to lose too much too fast. A friend, with a much more laid back cat than mine, actually stops by the post office after hours to weigh her 'fluffy' cat. And some people have great luck with baby scales. Hmm, does your library carry Cat Fancy - I saw the new issue there last week as well. I think subscribers may get it a bit faster than the newstands. The whole issue focused on 'fat cats', but I did like the overview on light versus weight control foods, etc. I hadn't realized the difference before.

You're a good mommy for caring so much, and good luck!

My cats like wet Friskies the best. I realize its not the best quality.
I also understand that all wet is better than dry. Is Friskies wet
an acceptable food to feed them exclusively? Or would you need to
add a quality dry since Friskies isn't the best? I will be trying to
add higher qual of wet,but not much luck yet. Are there certain cans
of friskies wet that are better/worse than others?

Would two 5-6 oz cans of wet a day be enough(in general) for two
cats?


Help.

Originally Posted by smokiethecat

My cats like wet Friskies the best. I realize its not the best quality.
I also understand that all wet is better than dry. Is Friskies wet
an acceptable food to feed them exclusively? Or would you need to
add a quality dry since Friskies isn't the best? I will be trying to
add higher qual of wet,but not much luck yet. Are there certain cans
of friskies wet that are better/worse than others?

Would two 5-6 oz cans of wet a day be enough(in general) for two
cats?


Help.

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According to my vet it is not horrible ... far from ideal it is ... can you do all wet of a slightly higher grade>> ?? Yes some friskies have few to none in the by products and grains ... really general rule is if feed all wet 1/2 oz to 1 oz per lb per day... ie 10 lb cat 5-10 oz per day ....