Question about cat on a diet..

My spayed, indoor only, lazybones 3yr old was a bit overweight so on the advice of my vet I've been giving her strictly controlled portions of food (Wellness, half dry/wet).

In the last 8 weeks she's dropped from 12.5 lbs to 11 lbs and has maybe another .75 to 1 lbs to go.

Question is what should I do when she reaches her ideal weight? What's not entirely clear to me is when she reaches 10 lbs should I slightly increase the am't I'm giving her or keep it the same? I assume that the larger the cat the more food it needs but what about a larger cat that's now smaller? Would she reach a weight at which the am't of food I'm giving her would be adequate or would she continue to lose lbs even at her now lower weight?

Hope that's clear LOL.

(She's a real little trouper... she,s hardly complained or begged for extra food at all)

1. No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

that is rule one of the forums...

Weight loss needs to be Closely monitored by a vet ... Please consult your vet as your cat is lossing wt a bit too fast which can cause organ damage...


for your question : what were you feeding and how much ? what are you now feeding and how much ? age of cat ? other health issues cat has?

I would ask the vet, with Scully she told us in calories so if we changed his food for whatever reason we knew what portions to give him at all times. I weighed him at home every 2 weeks and called her with his weight and she would tell me whether to increase/ decrease or keep his food the same for the next two weeks and every month or so he went to the vet for a checkup (he was obese when we got him so this was over 18 months).

1.5lbs is at the higher end of 'safe' weightloss (1-2% of their body weight per week max when under wet guidance) so I would call and check on how much you are feeding now - the health problems that can arise from losing weight too quickly can be worse than those typical to overweight cats

Thanks, I'll call the vet but according to the math 2% of 12.5 lbs is .25 lbs. .25 lbs per week x 8 weeks is 2 lbs. She's lost a hair less than 1.5 lbs so I don't see that as "a bit too fast".

I've been using this site..

http://www.catinfo.org/

as a guideline for calories, portions and how fast to get her slimmed down and I'm well within the safety parameters.

2% is the upper limit when under vet supervision (checking for the issues that can come with a 2% loss), my vet never wanted my cat to lose that much that quickly because of the issues that can arise from it - not everything on the internet is suitable for every cat and it doesnt hurt to call a vet just to make sure its ok with your cat. But it is great news that she is slimming down

One of the major issues with cat weight loss is hepatic lipidosis - which if not noticed quickly has a 90% mortality rate!

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

2% is the upper limit when under vet supervision (checking for the issues that can come with a 2% loss), my vet never wanted my cat to lose that much that quickly because of the issues that can arise from it - not everything on the internet is suitable for every cat and it doesnt hurt to call a vet just to make sure its ok with your cat. But it is great news that she is slimming down

One of the major issues with cat weight loss is hepatic lipidosis - which if not noticed quickly has a 90% mortality rate!

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my vet over the years have kept to the 1% rule ... and like mentioned above some use the 2% if they Closely supervise

She's been getting 110 calories of Wellness dry and 90 calories of Wellness wet for a total of 200 calories per day.

From aforementioned site..

If your cat weighs 18 pounds but really should weigh 12 pounds, please make sure that he is consuming at least ~180 calories per day. (12 pounds lean body mass X 15 calories/pound/day = ~180 calories/day)



If you have a small female cat that should only weigh 9 pounds, please make sure that she is consuming at least 135 calories per day.

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15 calories/lb a day should also only be fed under vet supervision, 20 is the recommended for regular weightloss

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

15 calories/lb a day should also only be fed under vet supervision, 20 is the recommended for regular weightloss

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Agreed but most cats should be at 20 per lb, if they are indoor cats