Can't break the bad food behavior

I agree with you there, but I am finding that the evidence is substantial regarding the benefits of a wet food diet, so i'd probably try to incorporate it into my other 2 cats diets too...and they eat ridiculously slowly. I like the idea of the can covers, great suggestion. i'll look for those.

I have a vet appt set for this cat tomorrow, but I did weigh her myself...she weighs 17 pounds. When i took her in 8 months ago she weighed 11 and last time i weighed her it was 13. I feel so discouraged at this point. I truly can't stop her weight gain. I'm hoping all this helps. I cleared out an entire bedroom for her to have to herself, with toys and her litter box and places to sleep. I'll let her roam the house during the day but at night she's going to have to stay in there. while i rehabbed her i had her every night in our bedroom, but i just can't deal with being woken up anymore, and nighttime is pretty much the only time my other two cats get to eat at their own pace.

OH WOW, you are right, that is alot of weight to put on. She really needs a weight management/low calorie diet. I DO understand about the sleeping with the cats problem . Some nights I let them all in and other nights I try to leave my door shut so I can get a good nights sleep. But then I miss them . I like them in bed with me, sleep deprived or not . Best of luck at the vet appt.

As soon as I switched to wet, my cat started to shed the weight like water. He can eat as much as he wants and still loses 1/2oz per day.

So at the vet she weighed 15.6, but still thats pretty high. the vet agreed with wellness healthy weight, the food ball for exercise and 4 times a day feedings, with 1/3 c being her max amt for the day. She said to try the petsafe 5 meal because its cheaper and i loooove that idea. I can return it if she can get into it right?

Its strange though, she was completely against wet food. I've heard so many good things about wet food.

She also asked that i bring her in once a month to weigh on their scale and I love that idea. Overall I'm feeling pretty good. As long as I have a plan I'm happy!

Do you mean 1/3 cup of the diet dry food for the whole day? I'm feeding 5 cats Wellness Healthy Weight, and 1/3 of a cup a day wouldn't satisfy any of them, even the two 8 pounders. I'd hate to see you continue to be frustrated with this poor cat because she isn't getting enough.

What's her name?

Robin

I agree with Robin here, that is not enough food and she will be begging constantly. You have to look at the calories as well. If she is about fifteen pounds and you want her to lose weight, then she should be getting about fifteen to twenty calories per pound per day. So to start I would feed her about 250 calories per day. Of course, you would adjust this as you start to see results. It should say on the bag somewhere how many calories are in a cup. That is how I figure out what my cats should be getting. A cat in healthy normal weight should get about 25 or more calories per pound per day. But this also depends on the quality of the food too and each cat's metabolism has to be taken into account as well.

Are you saying your cat gained all that weight on only 1/2 cup of dry food a day? I know you said you took her to the vet recently, but did the vet run any tests? Is your cat physically ok? That's alot of weight to gain in a short amount of time (and to lose also). When you talk about a cats weight increasing or decreasing by 4 or 5 lbs, that is 1/3 of their body weight. I would wonder if someting is physically wrong. Begging for food may not be a behavior issue.

Hm...interesting. Well first of all, she did gain all the weight on 1/2 c...um kind of. For the most part we kept her on the diet, but if we were really getting frustrated with her in the middle of the night or when she gets belligerent in early evening and around bedtime, we sometimes gave her more. We have childproof locks on our cabinets now because she can get into them, but she still scratches at the door to get in, and scratches on our couch for attention. And i know, i can trim her nails but...easier said than done for the most part. i would say no more than a cup on the worst days but for the most part we REALLY tried to stick to 1/4 c twice a day.

But yes, this is the third different vet i've spoken to about it. the first said the behavior is just stray cat behavior. the second tested her for a bunch of things, all came back negative except a bladder infection which she was treated for, but at the follow up for that the vet said that 1/2 c/day should be fine and the problem is probably that shes getting into my other cats food (shes not).

I have the bag in front of me...are we talking kcals? it says it contains 450 per cup. So 250 would be about a half cup a day? i could try that instead. it would be easier to do 1/8 c 4 times a day

i havent even put her on this new food yet, im not sure how to switch her over. how long should i mix the food before i switch over completely? do i do like a 50/50 thing?

Her name is Cira

That's a very pretty name.

I cured all my cats of clawing my furniture by putting Sticky Paws double sided tape on the preferred spots for scratching on the furniture. For one cat I had to use the tape for several months. The rest of them learned to avoid it after several weeks, and never did it again. I do provide them with several scratching posts (though not all are "posts") with various surfaces. I don't clip my cats' claws.

Is it a Wellness Healthy Weight bag you are looking at? If so, there is a chart giving guidelines as to how much to feed for weight reduction, depending on the cat's current weight.

More, smaller meals would probably help Cira cope better, and help you deal with her.

I already gave my advice above on how to gradually change dry food.

Best of luck to you and Cira!

Robin

Well, if it is 450 calories/cup. Then 1/2 cup is 225 calories. So I would just still stick to the four feedings of 1/8 cup per day then. She will be happier with the small meals. You could also add extra kibble in that treat ball for her. When mixing new food, I usually start about 1/4 of the new food and 3/4 of the old food for a few days, then 1/2 to 1/2 for a few more days then 3/4 of the new and 1/4 of the old food for a few more days.

Originally Posted by klane925

So at the vet she weighed 15.6, but still thats pretty high. the vet agreed with wellness healthy weight, the food ball for exercise and 4 times a day feedings, with 1/3 c being her max amt for the day. She said to try the petsafe 5 meal because its cheaper and i loooove that idea. I can return it if she can get into it right?

Its strange though, she was completely against wet food. I've heard so many good things about wet food.

She also asked that i bring her in once a month to weigh on their scale and I love that idea. Overall I'm feeling pretty good. As long as I have a plan I'm happy!

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I'm not sure if 1/3 cup would be enough calories, even for a small female cat; problem is, no where can I find how many calories per cup are in that food..

Wet food is needed to keep a cat properly hydrated, whether your vet knows it or not. Here's a video that talks about wet food and hydration (in cats & dogs).
I would suggest investing in a baby scale to monitor her weight at home, because loosing too much in a short amount of time can lead to fatty liver disease which can be fatal. :[
From catinfo.org - "Hepatic lipidosis (HL) is a life-threatening condition that can occur when a cat is either completely anorexic (not eating anything) for 48 hours or more or is consuming less than 50% of his daily caloric needs over several/many days. It more commonly occurs when overweight cats are not consuming enough calories but cats that are carrying a proper amount of weight can also end up with HL.

These 'calorie starved' cats end up with fat deposition in their liver which destroys the liver cells.

Because HL can become an issue if weight loss occurs too rapidly in cats, I strongly urge you to invest in a scale - preferably a digital one that weighs to the nearest ounce. It is always a good idea to weigh all cats several times each year regardless of whether they are on a weight loss program or not. Weight loss can be an early sign of disease so it is always helpful to monitor all cats' weight on a regular basis."
I've found it's just way too hard to tell if they are loosing or gaining too fast from sight alone.

Originally Posted by MNJULZ

Are you saying your cat gained all that weight on only 1/2 cup of dry food a day? I know you said you took her to the vet recently, but did the vet run any tests? Is your cat physically ok? That's alot of weight to gain in a short amount of time (and to lose also). When you talk about a cats weight increasing or decreasing by 4 or 5 lbs, that is 1/3 of their body weight. I would wonder if someting is physically wrong. Begging for food may not be a behavior issue.

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I just realised the same thing, but it's no wonder, here are the first three ingredients on the food she was feeding.. "Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat"

Originally Posted by klane925

I have the bag in front of me...are we talking kcals? it says it contains 450 per cup. So 250 would be about a half cup a day? i could try that instead. it would be easier to do 1/8 c 4 times a day

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I thought 1/2c was what you were feeding her already? Counting calories won't help if the result says what you are feeding is fine, but that amount leaves her hungry all the time.

I honestly say trash all the dry you have for three reasons:
Like I showed above, the Science Diet Sensitive stomach doesn't have ANY meat in the first three ingredients, it's basically a giant salad with a bit of pork mixed in, and cats need a carnivore's diet.
Second, I can guarantee you that when you switch to wet, your cat will feel full and be getting twice as much meat in her diet as she is now.
Thirdly, since your cat has had a UTI in the past, it is highly important that she gets plenty of moisture to keep her healthy and hydrated.

It's great that you are looking out for Cira's well being. Continue to keep us updated.

Alright...a bit overwhelming, but I think we got this fairly sorted out. Thank you all for your input, very much appreciated.

So...the scratching behavior is difficult because I have 3 cats and what works with one doesnt work with the other. One cat scratches on a scratching tree, one cat scratches on a scratching board with catnip in it, Cira scratches on the couch, one cat EATS the sticky paws that I have used on the couch and none of my cats will sit still to get their nails trimmed.

I agree that 1/3 c is too little. I just set up the 5 meal auto feeder with 5 feedings of 1/8 cup, (75% old food 25% new) to the best of my ability. The timings are 9pm, 2am, 6am, 1130am, 430pm. Thats over 1/2c a day, but for now it needs to be that way, to get her through the night, to get her through late morning and to get her through the afternoon...i'm telling you, this thing will pretty much change our lives if it works. i can't walk anywhere in my house without tripping over the cat meowing at me in desperation. Because the timings cover problem areas, i dont mind the extra food for now. Its hard because its such a small amount, so right now i'm filling up a 1/4 measuring cup halfway with food.

I do understand the issue with losing weight too fast. My vet said something like..1/2 pound a month or every few weeks or something. She suggested i bring Cira to be weighed on their pet scale once a month. I can just bring the carrier in and weigh her in the carrier (and then subtract the carrier) since they weighed it during her visit.

As for the wet food, I definitely want to try it, I just want to get settled with her first before i change things up again. If she settles down on this diet maybe i'll try replacing her morning and evening feedings with wet or something, then she can still get the diet food 3 times a day.

The rule of thumb for weight loss is 1-2% per week. So if she weighs 15.6 or approx 249oz, then she is safe to lose 2.5-5oz per week. But two weeks later when she is 239oz, 5oz a week will be over her 2%. That's why I recommend the baby scale so that you can monitor her weight on a biweekly basis, because otherwise you may find yourself going in next month, and seeing she has lost too much.

Klane925 - I see that you are new here. Above is a food/nutrition forum with tons and tons of info about this very subject. It is overwelming to say the least. I have 4 rescues and only 1 is overweight. She's 15lbs. The others pretty much have their weight in check. (I free feed) I have found the better the qualtiy food the less they eat. Not all food is the same. 1/2 cup of quality is not the same as 1/2 cup of cheap. It doesn't absorb the same way. I also think our animals are like humans. We all come in different shapes and sizes, why not our cats? Different bone structure, chemestry or whatever. There is no exact science to this. If one needs a little more food than the others so be it. Make everyone happy and give the one a little more. I'm not promoting obesity but we all have to live and be somewhat happy.

Originally Posted by MNJULZ

Klane925 - I see that you are new here. Above is a food/nutrition forum with tons and tons of info about this very subject. It is overwelming to say the least. I have 4 rescues and only 1 is overweight. She's 15lbs. The others pretty much have their weight in check. (I free feed) I have found the better the qualtiy food the less they eat. Not all food is the same. 1/2 cup of quality is not the same as 1/2 cup of cheap. It doesn't absorb the same way. I also think our animals are like humans. We all come in different shapes and sizes, why not our cats? Different bone structure, chemestry or whatever. There is no exact science to this. If one needs a little more food than the others so be it. Make everyone happy and give the one a little more. I'm not promoting obesity but we all have to live and be somewhat happy.

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I understand what you are getting at, but the problem is that even a couple pounds on a cat = 20-30lbs on a human. Thats a lot of stress on the body. Fat takes a much larger toll on a cat than a human, they are not meant to put on fat, they are meant to be lean, muscular animals. If a cat has to pull from fat storages, it can get fatty liver disease and die...
Fat does not equal happy.

Minka - you make a great point. I used to work with a wildlife rehabber, I think she has a bunch of baby scales so i'm going to see if she could advise about where to get one cheap or if she has a spare lying around (sanitized)

MNJUKZ - i do see what you mean and this is exactly the same advice my dad gave me. He thinks its ridiculous that i'm putting my cat on a diet. And i agree, a bit of weight gain in itself for a cat is not necessarily reason for concern. It has been a pretty ridiculous 6 months though...her ravenous behavior plus 5 pound weight gain is VERY concerning to me. I was positive at one point that she had a thyroid issue and actually a bit disappointed when that came back negative, because I don't feel like this is normal.

Part of my anxiety stems from the fact that i grew up with a diabetic cat. I was very young before he became diabetic, so i dont remember if he was overweight but i remember all the stress it caused my mom for the remaining 6 years of his life. She's a nurse, so she took the time to test his blood twice a day and adjust glucose appropriately, but still his sugar crashed maybe half a dozen times over those 6 years, which was awful to witness, and would have more if she wasn't so anal about keeping him under control. In the end he went blind and eventually fell into a coma, all before the age of 10. My mother is pretty much a saint, i dont know if i could devote my life pretty much to making sure my cat stays alive if she became diabetic. I'd do it if i had to but god i hope i dont have to.

btw - update on Cira:

she's fully switched over to wellness and has been on the auto feeder all week. and she can't get into it yet -- wooohooo! She still begs for food, but maybe not as obsessively. Not sure if thats because shes been REALLY hot the last couple days or the schedule is working

with the rising heat, i worry a LOT about her weight and the fact that she's a long hair cat. We have an air conditioner only in the living room. Ive been trying to keep her in the kitchen because of the tile floor - also tons of water in my house, sometimes with ice cubes.

awesome glad the feeder is working - don't get me wrong I was not advocating obesity I just think 5lbs for a cat is a huge swing in weight gain or loss. Hopefully the feeder and Wellness will work out.

Today I was home for the day and around 435 realized that Cira was laying on the couch under the air conditioning and had missed the auto feeder going off in the next room. So i go in to check it and walk in just in time to see the bowl being polished off by another cat.

I should have anticipated this, but thought Cira would be way more anal about getting to the food before they did...they could care less about food and eat so slowly i was sure they would be interrupted before they got too far.

So now i probably will be dealing with diarrhea for the one cat not used to the food and need to figure out how to let the cat roam the house but make sure she's the one eating her food. And also keep her cool, because she's been acting like a huge overheated sloth all weekend.