Can weight loss ever happen when feeding dry?

As most of you know Attitude has a weight problem she is between 1.5- 0.5 lbs overweight. So far I am not seeing any results on 1/2 cup a day. The last tim e I saw the vet she told me taken therm down to 1/3 cup a day. I'll have to see if it works.

My main question is: Can I keep them on a dry diet and have Attitude lose weight? or is wet only the only way for her to lose weight.

Right now I feel them Solid Gold Indigo Moon(the grain free)
http://www.petco.com/product/109059/...atFood_DryFood

Is there a better food for them that costs less than $34. I'm stuck with PetSmart and Petco as they are the only stores here. I can also do Amazon if it includes free shipping.

I also need to keep weight on Nuts but I can deal with that if it becomes an issue.

Any ideas or anything, I need Attitude to drop the weight before it becomes a big issue.

Taryn

they can... you need to be working very closely with your vet as this is a ongoing issue

I agree with Sharky - develop a game plan with the vet. My boy lost weight on Nutro dry - vet helped me figure out how much measured to feed and he lost about 2 pounds, slowly. He did gain a bit when he went onto Hills C/D, but that happens with lots of cats. She again helped me figure out the right amount to feed, and his weight is ok - he could still lose a few ounces, but at least we're in the ball park. Believe me, I was shocked at the amount she said to try - it seemed so tiny - but it works - and he doesn't really beg that much for more food.

It's like people - calories in must be less than calories used to lose weight. You do want them to be balanced calories, so he's getting all the nutrients he needs. Vet does encourage (strongly), increased play time with the kitty - lots of laser tag, etc.

Lots of vets are absolutely great re weight loss - having the clients come in for free weighings, etc. I'd definitely ask the vet how she can help you.

Originally Posted by darlili

Believe me, I was shocked at the amount she said to try - it seemed so tiny - but it works - and he doesn't really beg that much for more food.

Click to expand...

Your whole post rocked, but this sentence is SO true. I give one of my cats 1/4 cup in the AM and 1/4 in the PM and it looks so pitiful in the bowl, but Lily is in top shape and looks fantastic so the miniscule amount of food is perfect for her.

My fat (ok, obese) cat Jack is on canned and he is losing but soooooooo slowly. He weighs 16 pounds and eats 1 can (5.5 oz) of food a day. I know that is is good for them to lose slowly, but I'm talking 1 pound a year here. I don't think he'd be as satisfied on dry food so I'm sticking to the slow and steady plan.

If I could get them to eat wet food, I would - but my boy (the struvite crystal boy, yet), just doesn't care for wet food - I have a problem just getting him to eat a tiny bit. I got him as an adult stray - could be as a kitten he had dry food and that's what he thinks food is. But, I did truly appreciate my vet looking at the bag and figuring out amounts, and reassuring me that I wasn't going to starve him on that tiny amount (he gets a little under 1/2 cup dry for the day, and he's a big boy - very long legs, etc.) It's funny - my little 7 pound girl eats about the same amount, yet her weight is absolutely perfect - I tell her she must have runway model genes!

This thread is both a relief and helpful. My 9 y/o is also on the chubby side. He's maine coon big, but fat would be the appropriate word to describe him.

I have him on wet and dry food but it's a very slow progress because I feel so bad feeding him only 1/4 cup of dry and 3 oz can that whenever he comes crying for more, I just give him more.

The thought of him starving is unbearable to me. I will have to be more resilient and stick with the diet.

Attitude is a Maine Coon Mix and looks the part. Nuts is as well but he looks like your average DSH tabby. Nuts is tall and thin and long so he is built like his dad(very tall, very big(body composition size he wasn't fat) and he had very short hair and I mean very short hair) Nuts has a normal coat length for a DSH.

Attitude is built like a Maine Coon so she is beg framed but she is fat, she has a pretty pad under her tummy.

They are getting 1/3 cup SG a day per cat, added to the dry food is 1 tsp with Dr Foster & Smith Premium Plus Skin and Coat http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...1&pcatid=20201, 2 rounded scoops of Viralys(helps with Attitude's herpes) 1 scoop of Plaque-off, per bowl

I'm also currently giving them a 3 oz can of wet food at night after I give Attitude her antibiotic(Most Fancy Feast.) They share the can.

I hope this works 1/3 cup seems like such a small amount of food, but if it works it is worth it. I know 1/2 cup will be the maintenance amount since Attitude stays steady at 1/2 cup.

I just want for this to work and have Nuts not drop wet.

Taryn

That's why I was so grateful for the vet's guidance - it was just such a teeny amount and he begged so sadly. I started feeling guilty eating my own dinner.

It is very possible and I did it with my older cat. I'd been to 3 different vets and finally the 3rd one really helped me and gave me some good pointers. At the time, I was feeding her dry pretty much exclusively. After talking to your vet and following the feeding guidelines, this is what helped me:

1. No free feeding. Go to scheduled feedings of a specified amount and put away any leftovers after a reasonable amount of time to eat. Basically, when the kitty walks away, take the food up and put in a cabinet or place where kitty can't get to it.

2. When your cat starts crying or begging for food, and it's not time to eat, redirect with playtime. Just like humans, less intake and more exercise will help kitty lose weight.

3. Discipline yourself to not give in when your kitty is begging for food. It's okay to say, "It's not time right now" or "You have 30 more minutes until dinner time." or "We're not going to feed you." or "Let's go play!" I found that many times when my girl was asking for food she really wasn't hungry, but she really wanted interaction and attention.

4. If you have multiple cats who eat different foods, you might have to monitor feeding time to be sure that no one is mooching or eating foods they shouldn't. I used to have to sit on the floor near the feeding station and read while my girls ate so I could keep my younger kitty from eating her food and then my older cat's food. Now, I can just watch them from across the room and they do okay.

Mine don't do scheduled feeding, the last time I tried that they both dropped weight and bad. I was worried that they were losing so fast I was going to end up with 2 cats in liver failure(Attitude dropped 0.5 lbs in a week and Nuts dropped 0.2 lbs in the same week)) because they were not eating much(or anywhere close to enough) when I fed them. They were fine once I resumed free feeding with a measured amount. Attitude gained a little weight so I'm trying to cut out the wet food to not daily, but the vet's scale I weighed her on could have been off, she doesn't seem bigger.

I know they are hungry, they attack the wet food(one 3.5 oz can) and finish it in one sitting instead of eating some and then leaving the rest for later.

They don't beg for food, they realized early on that it doesn't work. Not to mention they lived outside with their family and were here from 4 weeks on(when 3 mommy kitties moved their 12 kittens under our shed) so they learned that the food goes up at night(raccoons) and it reappears when the human comes out and gives it to you. They didn't even beg when I was doing scheduled feedings.

Taryn

My cat is 16 lbs and needs to lose a lot. She wont eat canned food, or at least I have not found one she will eat It is promising to hear you can do it with dry food.

Is there a better choice for dry food? It seems to be just like people diets - a highfiber-lowfat camp and a high protein camp. I figure since they are carnivores, the high protein might be better? She currently eats TOTW but probably eats too much. I was looking at trying a different grain free.

FYI, I was just at the vet. Unless you feed Science Diet, they arent familiar with the foods

Mine aren't familiar with what I feed but still gave me the amount I should try which was 1/3 cup. She's lost 0.1 lb since her last vet appointment which was in the last 3 weeks so she is slowly dropping the weight, which is good, I want healthy weight loss not liver failure.

Exercise has never been a problem she runs and plays all the time. I think having her brother here helps in keeping her active since they love to play chase.

If she didn't have the fat pad on her stomach she wouldn't be fat. I don't think being fluffy from her long hair helps much since it makes her look larger than she is. She is still built like a tank which she has always been, like I said the only issue she has is the fat pad.

Nuts has also gained weight(which he needs to do he's having a growth spurt) he's finally outweighing Attitude again he's 10.5 to her 10.4 so it seems to all be working out.

Taryn