i need your help

blueandfrodo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
243
Purraise
1
Location
newfoundland, canada
i have a chubby cat, ok, he is fat. he has been on a diet for the past year and it seems that he is still gaining weight. i know the first thing that is going to be said is that he is still eating too much and he needs to be given less. my vet has told me that frodo needs around 320 cal to maintain the weight that he is and between 220 and 250 cal to lose weight. i am currently feeding my cats 2 times a day. they get 1/2 a can of wellness chicken or turkey food (220 cal/can) and 1/2 a cup of orijen cat food (540 cal/cup) between them, split over the 2 meals (1/4 can and 1/4 cup at each meal). that is 380 cal between them a day. blue is not losing weight. frodo is still gaining. i just don't know how this is possible. he is due for his check up this month so i am thinking that i will ask the vet for some blood work. we have had him on this diet for a year now and he is definitely not losing weight. we have not weighed him because he does not like getting in the carrier or the car and the only way to get a really good weight for him would be at the vet. i thought that he was gaining weight but my husband just kept saying that he didn't think that he was. a friend of mine just watched a video of frodo the other day and she asked if he was getting bigger, so that kind of confirmed to me that he really is gaining weight still. he has lots of toys and he plays with them, but maybe we should be playing with him more... he also plays with his sister and he does run around the place at least once a day. he does not get treats, just lots of cuddles.

we cannot afford to feed only canned food. that would be 2 cans a day - one each - and it is just way out of our price range. i can't find any food that i would consider feeding them that is less than $1.50/can. i can't afford $3 a day to feed my kitties. i really wish that i could, but it is not possible right now. i know that all canned may help him lose weight but it is either feed everyone or feed just the cats (that makes me really sad!) and, unfortunately, frodo is addicted to his dry food just a little too much.

has anyone else had the same problem with their kitties? how did you help your guy lose weight? frodo is 7 years old. he has always been a little chubby but for the past few years he is now getting into the fat category and out of the chubby one. i am really worrying about his legs and joints now. i want him to live a long healthy life. please help me...
 

snake_lady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
7,218
Purraise
13
Location
ON./Canada
Originally Posted by blueandfrodo

i have a chubby cat, ok, he is fat. he has been on a diet for the past year and it seems that he is still gaining weight. i know the first thing that is going to be said is that he is still eating too much and he needs to be given less. my vet has told me that frodo needs around 320 cal to maintain the weight that he is and between 220 and 250 cal to lose weight. i am currently feeding my cats 2 times a day. they get 1/2 a can of wellness chicken or turkey food (220 cal/can) and 1/2 a cup of orijen cat food (540 cal/cup) between them, split over the 2 meals (1/4 can and 1/4 cup at each meal). that is 380 cal between them a day. blue is not losing weight. frodo is still gaining.
Do you seperate them for feeding??? If not, Frodo could be eating more than Blue, and that could be why he keeps gaining weight.

Has he gained much since you last weighed him?

What about exercise? Does he get much running, or strenuous activity? Feather wand toys are great for exercise
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
this is something to retalk with the vet about ...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

blueandfrodo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
243
Purraise
1
Location
newfoundland, canada
i don't feed them separately, but i figured that blue would lose weight if he was eating her share! i watch them carefully, to make sure she is eating and she is still healthy - she is 11, i don't want her getting sick.

we have feather wand toys and we play with him, but maybe not as often as we should. he usually plays with blue, running around the place with her. and we also put lots of toys out for him to play with on his own, which he does. we have one that is like a "birdie" that you play badminton with but it is made with feathers. he LOVES that one, and his giant mice that look more like rats.

i was thinking that i should ask the vet again. his belly just seems to be protruding out on the sides now, it never did that before. he always just had a droopy belly that was like jello. also it seems like his "chest" (under his throat, between his two front legs) is sticking out now. i am really worried.

he has a bit of a cold now, for the past few days, and he is not quite as active as he usually is. i used to work for a very large humane society and although i tried really hard not to spread uri to my guys, they still ended up getting sick. they didn't show any signs of uri until about a year after i left the humane society. i had to put them in a kennel (with a personally known and trusted person - actually the manager of the spca at home) and the stress made the symptoms come out. every now and then frodo will get sneeze-y again and less active.

i have been putting off weighing him at home because i don't have an accurate scale - it is pretty crappy actually. he is too scared to go to the vet so i don't want to put him through that. he will be going to the vet soon though, so we will figure out then.
 

nil4664

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
46
Purraise
2
Location
Northeast Georgia
How much did your cats weigh the last time you had them weighed? 320 calories daily is enough to maintain a 15 pound cat. Do you feed them any treats at all between meals?
 

darlili

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
3,310
Purraise
14
Location
Illinois
I'd talk to the vet...my guy was too heavy when I got him, and, after vet consultation, he did lose weight based on a measured mix of dry and wet foods (based on my work schedule, I like leaving some dry food down for them to nibble on, especially if I have unexpected overtime). At the time, I was using the Nutro Max hairball formula (I think that's the indoor chicken now?) - vet thought the fiber in that formula may have made Dante feel fuller and thus not chase after his sister's food as much.

But, the vet can check for other issues, like thyroid, etc. I know someone who has a young male that just could not lose weight - turned out he did have a glandular problem, determined through a full blood panel - with the right meds, he did lose weight quite nicely.

I know this doesn't help with the fear issue, but my vet's office will weigh pets, for free, anytime you want - part of their fight against pet obesity. You just call ahead so the techs can make some time for you.
 

snake_lady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
7,218
Purraise
13
Location
ON./Canada
Originally Posted by blueandfrodo

i was thinking that i should ask the vet again. his belly just seems to be protruding out on the sides now, it never did that before. he always just had a droopy belly that was like jello. also it seems like his "chest" (under his throat, between his two front legs) is sticking out now. i am really worried.

he has a bit of a cold now, for the past few days, and he is not quite as active as he usually is. i used to work for a very large humane society and although i tried really hard not to spread uri to my guys, they still ended up getting sick. they didn't show any signs of uri until about a year after i left the humane society. i had to put them in a kennel (with a personally known and trusted person - actually the manager of the spca at home) and the stress made the symptoms come out. every now and then frodo will get sneeze-y again and less active.

i have been putting off weighing him at home because i don't have an accurate scale - it is pretty crappy actually. he is too scared to go to the vet so i don't want to put him through that. he will be going to the vet soon though, so we will figure out then.
Definately sounds like time for a vet recheck, especially if he has an URI and needs antibiotics for it.

Unfortunately, most kitties are scared of the vets, BUT, it is something that needs to be done to ensure our kitties health.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

blueandfrodo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
243
Purraise
1
Location
newfoundland, canada
thanks for the responses.

last time he was weighed he was 25lb. that sounds severely obese, but his ideal weight is somewhere between 16-18 lbs. he is a monster anyway.

he does not get treats. well, he may get 2 zuk's naturals treats a month, maybe, if he is around the cupboard when i open that one. really, not enough to make any difference in his weight. like i said, he has always been a little chubby, so i never gave him treats because i didn't want him to get bigger.

i am going to call the vet on monday and see when i can get him in. my vet said to bring him in any time to weigh him, but it is just too stressful for him. he will get weighed when he goes for his check up.

he is not really sick with uri at the moment. he is still eating and drinking fine. there are just sneezes and he is sleeping a little more than normal. maybe about 5-10 sneezes a day. i am pretty experienced with uri since i worked at that humane society and i know what to look for. (there were at least 300 cats sick at any given time, with most of them being force fed - it was one of the saddest things i have ever seen in my life!) when they first got sick frodo was breathing through his mouth and drooling - i didn't sleep for days, i was constantly checking on them. i couldn't even get a decongestant for them since i lived in a small town and couldn't get a small enough dose, even ordered in through the pharmacy! they spent a lot of time in the bathroom with the cold mist humidifier on!
 

snake_lady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
7,218
Purraise
13
Location
ON./Canada
Originally Posted by blueandfrodo

thanks for the responses.

last time he was weighed he was 25lb. that sounds severely obese, but his ideal weight is somewhere between 16-18 lbs. he is a monster anyway.
pics? He sounds like a lovable monster....I love bigger kitties


i am going to call the vet on monday and see when i can get him in. my vet said to bring him in any time to weigh him, but it is just too stressful for him. he will get weighed when he goes for his check up.
understandable. Maybe your vet can recommend a calorie reduced dry food for him.

I was just thinking....since you don't feed seperately... even though Blue is not losing weight, it is still possible that Frodo is eating more of the food than he should. You mentioned Blue is 11....perhaps his metabolism has slowed down or he's not as active, therfore requiring less food and Frodo is thoroughly enjoying that.

I would definately try to feed them seperate, so you can monitor how much food each kitty is getting. Aside from that, vet check for thyroid probs, etc. and more exercise.... I don't know what else you could do.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

blueandfrodo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
243
Purraise
1
Location
newfoundland, canada
thanks

we tried medical weight control food and he refused to eat it. i don't know how i would feed them separate. blue is a siamese and she doesn't eat much at one sitting so i can't put the food out and then take it up again because she won't eat it then. if she eats too much at once she will throw up.

i just checked the vet notes and it said that frodo would need 200-250 cal to lose weight and blue needs 220 cal to maintain. she is not losing weight so she must be getting enough.

we will make sure to play more with frodo. we will go for a check up. thank you again!


here are a few pictures:

sleeping in the sun


this is a body pillow!! you can't see the other end really clearly, but it is right outside of the shot!!


this is both of them, "helping" me make their new bed! i get such a kick out of frodo's face in this picture. he looks like he is completely surprised!!


and this one just because it is super cute!!


frodo is super photogenic.
 

snake_lady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
7,218
Purraise
13
Location
ON./Canada
OMG, he is amazing. Love the body pillow shot.

I hope you are able to get the weight issues sorted out so that he's around many more years
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

blueandfrodo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
243
Purraise
1
Location
newfoundland, canada
thank you. i really hope so too. i want him to live a long LONG life! i worry about his legs and joints when he jumps on/off things, but i also worry about diseases too...
maybe the blood work will show something that we can work on
 
Top