fatty cat...read on please

My cat has gained about 3lbs over the past 1-2 years and seems to be still gaining.

Right now I feed her wellness canned 90% of the time and nutro max indoor 10% (approx). Is there any better food that I can give her to promote weight loss? I only feed one regular size can (5.5oz) day which doesn't seem like it's a lot and then I give her 1/4 a cup or less of dry food...sometimes none. I also feed her maybe 3-4 small greenie treats a day.

Any advice...my vet says just feed her less, but it seems like I don't feed her much already.

HOW much overweight according to the vet??

how much does kitty weigh now ??

Originally Posted by sharky

HOW much overweight according to the vet??

how much does kitty weigh now ??

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she was 12lbs at this last appointment and previously when she was 11lbs my vet said for her build 10lbs would be better. I tried to feed her less dry to promote weightloss but now she's just gotten fatter. She has a huge flabby belly.

calories 5.5 ounces of wet is usually about = to 1/3 to 1/2 cup dry ...

if she should weigh 10 lbs just the 5.5 oz can would be enough technically ( ie take this up with the vet

Originally Posted by sharky

calories 5.5 ounces of wet is usually about = to 1/3 to 1/2 cup dry ...

if she should weigh 10 lbs just the 5.5 oz can would be enough technically ( ie take this up with the vet

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well I've been feeding her this amount for awhile and she's only gained weight. Should I try feeding her less...say 3/4 of a 5.5oz can?

I feed her the dry food late at night or else she'll wake me up several times during the night for food...so I can't really totally eliminate that.

The vet examined her and seemed to think there were no underlying issues for the weight gain, but maybe I should call and see what they suggest I do?

please call since 2 lb is a big % of overall wt ... 2lbs of a 10 lb kitty is 20% loss ....

It seems that the previous poster was trying to say that a whole can of wet and 1/4 cup of dry is too much food. You should either feed her 1 can of 5.5oz and no dry or 1/2 can of 5.5oz and 1/2 of the dry serving size a day. Try feeding her twice a day about 10-12 hours a part.

If she wakes you at night about the dry then try and set the feeding schedule so that her second set of food is put out later. So do 9am/8pm feedings or something like that.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by venusgirltrap

well I've been feeding her this amount for awhile and she's only gained weight. Should I try feeding her less...say 3/4 of a 5.5oz can?

I feed her the dry food late at night or else she'll wake me up several times during the night for food...so I can't really totally eliminate that.

The vet examined her and seemed to think there were no underlying issues for the weight gain, but maybe I should call and see what they suggest I do?

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Dry food is much more calorie dense than wet food...

My cat Mattie is 10 lbs and eats 1/4 cup of dry in the morning (1 cup of her dry food is about 390 calories) and 3 oz of wet food at night (Chicken Soup, which is approximately 100 calories for 3 oz I think).

To help her lose weight, cut out 10% of her food intake.

Don't cut back on the wet food at all. Wet food is healthy for cats and you probably can't feed enough of it, it's the dry food that you have to be careful with. I would start by going from 6 oz of wet per day + 1/8 of dry and then work to eliminate the dry completely so that you eventually are just feeding her 6 oz of wet per day (split into 2 meals).

My cat has gained about 3lbs over the past 1-2 years and seems to be still gaining.

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How much does she weigh? Is the vet overly concerned?

Right now I feed her wellness canned 90% of the time and nutro max indoor 10% (approx). Is there any better food that I can give her to promote weight loss? I only feed one regular size can (5.5oz) day which doesn't seem like it's a lot and then I give her 1/4 a cup or less of dry food...sometimes none. I also feed her maybe 3-4 small greenie treats a day.

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I would cut out the dry food and treats. One (5.5oz) can should be sufficent enough for your cat. Unless she is a very big big cat. Why don't you start out at this amount and see how she does on this - you may have to lower the amount or up the amount. It all depends on your cat.

Any advice...my vet says just feed her less, but it seems like I don't feed her much already.

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I know the feeling but it's for the best....both my cats are on a diet and when I first started feeding them less I felt really bad. So instead of feeding them 3x's a day I try to spread their feedings out to 4-5x's a day to fool them into thinking they are getting more food. I also add some water to their canned meals to help fill them up. When I started my female on the diet she was 15lbs and I feed her just under 5oz's of food a day. Anything more and she will not lose weight - only gain. In 3 months she is down to 13.4lbs. My male cat was 19.6lbs when we started 3 months ago and now he is 18lbs. And I feed him about 5.6oz's of food thruout the day. I have had to play with their amounts and now have found the right amounts for them. If they were losing weight too quick then I would up their food a bit. But if they gaining then I would down the amounts a bit. One thing that is very very important is you DO NOT want your cat to lose weight too quickly. She can become very ill from this. Losing a pound in a week is not healthy or 3 pounds in one month. Cats must lose weight gradually...aim for about .2-.4lbs every 2 weeks...

Originally Posted by venusgirltrap

I feed her the dry food late at night or else she'll wake me up several times during the night for food...so I can't really totally eliminate that

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Could you not put the wet food down for her as you are going to bed instead of the dry?

My (not so little) one year old was two pounds overweight last vet visit. I was kind of embarrassed, as I am obviously the one who controls the food around here!

He told me that for an overweight cat, 1/8 cup of dry and one half of a 5.5 oz can per day would be a proper amount of food to promote weight loss. He said the feeding suggestions on most cans and bags are well above what a cat needs to thrive.

Turns out, he was right. My little guy lost those two pounds in just a few months, and he has more energy than he did. I feed the dry in the morning and the wet at night, as I think that if I did the wet in the morning my boy and his sister would wake me up for the wet food well before I was ready to get up! I feed the wet at night, and they both seem to do well with this plan.

Best wishes to you and your little one!

thank you for the advice. I still have a ton of dry food so I'm going to try and cut her down to 1/8 cup dry food and half a can of wet and see if she loses any. I'm also playing with the laser a few times a day, but unfortunately I live in a studio so she doesn't have room to run.

Anyone know how long dry food will keep if left in the original bag with a clip? I'm afraid of it getting stale if she goes through it so slowly...even right now I only buy a bag ever 2-3 months.

thanks again!

I would try and increase the exercise as well - like humans, food alone wont be enough, and will cause her belly to be very saggy, as it will need some toning. I am sure there will be some exercise tips on here from people who have cats in apartments.

Originally Posted by booktigger

I would try and increase the exercise as well - like humans, food alone wont be enough, and will cause her belly to be very saggy, as it will need some toning. I am sure there will be some exercise tips on here from people who have cats in apartments.

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yes...I've been playing with her with the laser pointer about 3-4 times a day (up for no times a day ). I do it until she lays down and refuses to play. I try to get her to play with da bird too...but the laser pointer seems to get her heart rate up more so I do it more often.

Her belly is super saggy already and has been since she was around a year old...I didn't think that was dangerous or there was anything I could do about it.

A lot of cats have the saggy belly known as "spay sway". It's not really dangerous, just loose skin.

I get my dry food in 15# bags and put it in large glass jars with screw-on lids as soon as I open the bag. It seems to keep it fresh for as long as I need it.

Do you have room to put in a cat tree or shelves to give your cat more vertical space? I think the cat tree is the best investment I've ever made in cat-related purchases.

Originally Posted by venusgirltrap

Anyone know how long dry food will keep if left in the original bag with a clip? I'm afraid of it getting stale if she goes through it so slowly...even right now I only buy a bag ever 2-3 months.

thanks again!

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You can put some of the dry in a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer. Should be OK for months that way.