Don't let your cat get fat

politino

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All five of my cats are fat so now I'm working on getting them skinner because I read on a web site the your cat can have a heart attack from being so fat now that my cats lost weight the have more energy and will live longer to
 

stephanietx

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My first cat weighed at most 15 lbs.  Working with the vet, she got down to 11 lbs and was great.  She was addicted to the carbs in dry food and really packed on the pounds.  We started feeding her more wet food and that really helped take the weight off.  When I adopted my 2nd kitty (& subsequent kitties), I've fed them mostly canned and just a bit of dry.  It really keeps them trim and at a more healthy weight.
 

violet

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To  Politino

I really don't think so. First of all, cats don't get heart attacks like people do. Factors, underlying causes that is, that lead to heart attacks in people don't apply to cats. The diseases we see in overweight cats all come from a diet that is totally inappropriate for carnivores. But even such an inappropriate diet will not cause a heart attack in a cat.

Cats really don't get what we call heart attacks. Sudden and totally unexpected death in cats have these underlying causes:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1476412/?pageindex=1

And here is some very basic info on heart disease in cats

http://drbarchas.com/feline_heart_disease

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/heart/cardiomyopathy.html

Actually. a wrong diet, meaning a diet totally inappropriate for carnivores that can cause overweight, can lead to two life-threatening conditions: diabetes and hepatic lipidosis. And problems with high cholesterol in cats usually come from underlying liver problems.

Good information for a starting point to more research in this article

http://holisticpetfood.wordpress.com/2007/12/22/why-your-cat-needs-canned-cat-food-the-catkins-diet/
 
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stephanietx

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The number one health issue for overweight kitties is chronic renal failure.
 
 

Willowy

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The number one health issue for overweight kitties is chronic renal failure.
I don't think so. CRF affects many cats; it's not related to overweight. In fact, my mom's cat who had CRF was skinny her entire life. Chronic dehydration caused by an all-kibble diet can contribute, but cats fed all-canned or raw can get CRF, too.

I think the biggest problem related to overweight is diabetes. Secondary issues can be: infections caused by poor hygiene (too fat to clean himself!), arthritis (which can lead to litterbox problems, a major killer (by euthanasia) of cats), fatty liver disease, and just general stress on the body caused by hauling too much weight around.

But yes! Being fat is bad for kitties. And it's much easier to feed cats properly from the start than to help them lose weight later. Much much easier.
 

rad65

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I don't think so. CRF affects many cats; it's not related to overweight.
You may want to read how stephanietx worded her statement, because you think you were arguing against it when you really weren't. 

She said renal failure is the number one health issue in overweight cats, not that overweight cats are the only ones to experience renal failure. She didn't said anything about renal failure not being a factor in skinny cats.

Basically, it's like saying heart attacks are the number one killer of overweight humans. Even though many skinny humans have heart attacks as well, that's not part of the conversation since the focus is overweight people.
 

finnlacey

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Wow! What's going on here today! Sheesh!

Please consider hepatic lipidosis when you have a fat cat. I don't know what the number one issue is with overweight cats but mine became lethargic and quit eating, developed fatty liver disease and had to be hospitalized. Obesity can precede pancreatitis, fatty liver, diabetes, food allergies, etc. Make sure to get your cats on a good grain free wet food, that will help them to lose the weight more slowly while building muscle and cleaning out their system. Even better, put them on a raw food diet. Then you'll really see some lean muscle!!!
 

Willowy

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You may want to read how stephanietx worded her statement, because you think you were arguing against it when you really weren't. 

She said renal failure is the number one health issue in overweight cats, not that overweight cats are the only ones to experience renal failure. She didn't said anything about renal failure not being a factor in skinny cats.

Basically, it's like saying heart attacks are the number one killer of overweight humans. Even though many skinny humans have heart attacks as well, that's not part of the conversation since the focus is overweight people.
Since the conversation was about the health effects of overweight, I kinda figured that she meant that CRF was caused by being fat :dk:. I think we could say that CRF is probably the #1 health issue in all cats, not just fat ones.
 

just mike

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All five of my cats are fat so now I'm working on getting them skinner because I read on a web site the your cat can have a heart attack from being so fat now that my cats lost weight the have more energy and will live longer to
Hi Politino
Welcome to TCS!  It is always nice to see new faces.  If you are worried about any health issues regarding overweight cats, I would probably consult with my veterinarian.  There is a lot of advice on this thread, all of it good advice too.  You did not indicate what your cats are eating and how you are going about dealing with their weight loss.  Personally, I would be most concerned with diabetes myself.  There is a big correlation between diabetes and obesity in both humans and animals.

So Politino, what kind of diet are your kitties on?  Do you free feed them or feed them scheduled meals?  Are they on an all kibble diet?... I would love to talk to you about this on an open thread where everyone has input so you can take a course of action that is best for you, your budget and your kitties. 

If the kitties are on an all kibble diet, I would  get them off of it and put them on an all wet or raw diet. If this is not possible, put their kibble diet on a schedule and measure the amounts each kitty is getting.  Scheduled feedings 2 to 3 times daily will help as will a weight management formula.   Kibble is calorie and carb dense and can cause obesity in cats if they are prone to overeating.   

I would also buy the best premium wet food I could afford.  There are many out there that will suit your needs.  My cats have all done wonderfully on Nutro Max dry and Nutro Natural Choice wet.  I also buy other premium wet food brands to give them different texture and taste.  They love their wet food
 

If any of my cats were obese, the first thing I would do would be to try to get them on an all wet diet. Let us know how it goes with you and your babies.
 

feralvr

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Welcome, Politino!!!! I am going to ask the same thing as Mike. What were you or are you feeding your cats? I would assume it was dry and free-feeding. :dk: I am glad to hear that they have lost some weight as you say. How did you do that? Yes, an obese/fat cat is an unhealthy one and is at a great risk for many, many complicating health issues. Hope you enjoy your time here on TCS!! :clap::clap:
 
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politino

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Ok so yes I was wrong but I was also right
 

pushylady

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I think we can all agree that being overweight is dangerous to a cat's health. :)
 
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