Diet food?

kittiei

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I have two cats, Tulip is overweight and has been on diet food for a few years. She's losing weight nicely but she's still not at her ideal weight yet so she's still on the diet food. The vet had me feeding both cats Medi-Cal Calorie control (by Royal Canin). I give Tulip both wet and dry food and Pansy will only eat the dry. Recently, I ran out of the dry food and the vet's office was closed early so I had to stop at a pet store to restock, they told me that the Royal Canin - Indoor Light is basically the same thing as the Medi-Cal, just not medicated.

The Indoor Light is much less expensive than the Medi-Cal so I'm thinking of switching to that entirely (wet and dry). The cats seem to like it just as much. Does anyone know if it's true that it's nearly the same thing? And if I can keep feeding them the same amount as before?

Thanks.
 

yosemite

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I don't know about the calorie content but I can tell you that I took Bijou off all dry food and give him only wet food now. He lost 3+ lbs in one year. The vet said that was comparable to a human losing 60 lbs. (Bijou was 24.5 lbs last July and is now just over 20.7 lbs.)

I personally believe that unless a cat is actually sick, it doesn't need a prescription diet but that is just my belief. I chose to switch to wet because I also feel it is a healthier diet for a cat who is a desert animal and often doesn't drink enough so the wet food compensates.
 

ducman69

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I am not a fan at all of the calorie control food (look at the carbs), unless there is no way to get around free-feeding where the cat will eat as much as it can fit in its tummy.

Friend was the first one that turned me on the Blue Wilderness, and while granted it is a very rich food, she combined that switch along with going from mostly free-feeding (she would put out a lot in the morning and a lot at night not really measured) to specifically weighed feeding multiple times a day and her kitty is very trim now save for her floppy belly (it seems empty though so think its just saggy skin). Wesley gets Wilderness dry and rich cat+kitten wet food mostly, and in fact he's a little too skinny... unfortunately, his sister and him split their food almost perfectly 50/50, but she's much smaller than him so I split the difference and give him a few extra treats or "secret meal" on the side heh.

^ Wesley's tummy, not big despite *very* rich food

It is also true that wet food is very filling since its mostly water. Think about it, you could never eat a head of lettuce by yourself, and yet you'd actually burn more calories than you consume since its mostly just water. So throwing in 1-2 wet meals should still be affordable and is great for hydration. Same thing though IMO, forget about "calorie control" or "light" wet food, as just like the dry its just chocked full of cheap filler like rice.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by Ducman69

I am not a fan at all of the calorie control food (look at the carbs), unless there is no way to get around free-feeding where the cat will eat as much as it can fit in its tummy.

Friend was the first one that turned me on the Blue Wilderness, and while granted it is a very rich food, she combined that switch along with going from mostly free-feeding (she would put out a lot in the morning and a lot at night not really measured) to specifically weighed feeding multiple times a day and her kitty is very trim now save for her floppy belly (it seems empty though so think its just saggy skin). Wesley gets Wilderness dry and rich cat+kitten wet food mostly, and in fact he's a little too skinny... unfortunately, his sister and him split their food almost perfectly 50/50, but she's much smaller than him so I split the difference and give him a few extra treats or "secret meal" on the side heh.

^ Wesley's tummy, not big despite *very* rich food

It is also true that wet food is very filling since its mostly water. Think about it, you could never eat a head of lettuce by yourself, and yet you'd actually burn more calories than you consume since its mostly just water. So throwing in 1-2 wet meals should still be affordable and is great for hydration. Same thing though IMO, forget about "calorie control" or "light" wet food, as just like the dry its just chocked full of cheap filler like rice.
This is actually called a "spay sway" and either sex can have it. It is to protect the internal organs if a cat is in a fight.
 

minka

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Originally Posted by Ducman69

I am not a fan at all of the calorie control food (look at the carbs), unless there is no way to get around free-feeding where the cat will eat as much as it can fit in its tummy.

Same thing though IMO, forget about "calorie control" or "light" wet food, as just like the dry its just chocked full of cheap filler like rice.
Yea, 'diet' foods basically are full of carbs to make them have 'less nutrients/calories' but they usually make cats gain weight, so it's actually very strange that your cat has lost weight.
Anywho, switching to a food that has the most amount of protein and the least amount of carbs is best for weight loss.




:O Wesley is so cute!!!
 

just mike

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I don't much like any of the "lite" or "diet" types of dry food. The kibble variety tends to be very carby. If any of my cats became overweight I'd probably switch them to wet only if possible but I don't even know if it's possible in this household
Do you think Pansy would ever switch to an all wet diet?
 

auntie crazy

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Hi, Kittiei!

As pretty much everyone has said, the "lite" versions of kibble are of lower nutritional value to the cat than is regular kibble. Your best bet for both general health and weight-loss, if you can, is to switch to a grain-free canned food.

If you are amenable to feeding entirely wet food, CatInfo.org has a great article on transitioning kibble addicted cats to canned products. Along with those tips, you could also use any of these enticements: Drip a bit of tuna juice over the new wet food, or sprinkle catnip, Parmesan Cheese, Forti Flora flakes, fish food flakes (weird, but it works), or some crumbled up freeze-dried meat treats (Whole Life's chicken works wonderfully on my kitties) over the food.

Good luck!


AC
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

I don't know about the calorie content but I can tell you that I took Bijou off all dry food and give him only wet food now. He lost 3+ lbs in one year. The vet said that was comparable to a human losing 60 lbs. (Bijou was 24.5 lbs last July and is now just over 20.7 lbs.)

I personally believe that unless a cat is actually sick, it doesn't need a prescription diet but that is just my belief. I chose to switch to wet because I also feel it is a healthier diet for a cat who is a desert animal and often doesn't drink enough so the wet food compensates.
I agree

Duckman did a great explanation IMHO

If all wet is not a reality in your house.. look at the no grain foods .. yes higher in calories but lower in carbs ... Cats are built for protein and fat calories not so much carb calories ( like many humans we are finding
)
 
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kittiei

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Thanks! Tulip has no problem eating wet food. In fact, I mix her kibble with wet just to make sure she eats the kibble. I was always under the impression that cats should have some kibble to help keep their teeth healthy. Pansy, on the other hand, doesn't really like wet food but she doesn't really have a weight problem because she only eats when she's hungry. I will definitely look into switching. Do you have any suggestions on brands? Is Blue Buffalo Wilderness a good option?
 

auntie crazy

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Originally Posted by kittiei

Thanks! Tulip has no problem eating wet food. In fact, I mix her kibble with wet just to make sure she eats the kibble. I was always under the impression that cats should have some kibble to help keep their teeth healthy. Pansy, on the other hand, doesn't really like wet food but she doesn't really have a weight problem because she only eats when she's hungry. I will definitely look into switching. Do you have any suggestions on brands? Is Blue Buffalo Wilderness a good option?
Any wet that has a low carb load (i.e. no to low quantities of grains, vegetables and fruits) is a good place to start. Wellness has several options, as does Nature's Variety Instincts and Innova Evo's 95% meat line. You can use petfooddirect.com and search for grain-free canned, and then take a look at the ingredients and analysis info. Review the analysis info closely, not all grain-frees are low in carbs (Natural Balance, for instance, has a couple of grain-free flavors that are close to a whopping 30% carbs. You really don't want any more then 10% if you can help it.)

It's great that your cats are already willing to eat canned; smart kitties!


AC
 

sharky

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Avoid in gravy and normally you will avoid high carb in wet foods for 99% of them...
Mine eat everything from the few no grain not by product fancy feasts to evo to what mom had for dinner minus the spices( mama like garlic
)
 
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