Feeling bad

As some of you know I have been switching Hobo over to an all canned diet from an all dry diet. He finally finished the last of his dry food Earthborn Holistic: Wild Sea Catch this past weekend. I can not seem to keep up with wet food meaning that he eats through it so fast I feel like I am constantly needing to buy more. If he was not so picky this wouldn't be so bad, but since he is picky I have to make sure and get the food he likes. We are moving next week 3+ hours away and I will be so much closer to stores to get food.

My problem is that my last day at my job is tomorrow. No income is going to be tough on us until I get a new job which I am praying will be soon.

I feel like I am failing my cat.

Don't feel bad because you aren't doing the same as someone else. Never compare yourself with others. For you are you and same is for Hobo. I would go with what he wants. If raw was the answer to all conditions then they wouldn't be rejecting it so hard. Mine aren't going raw either. They say oh ick.

We still have purina ONE dry and Royal Canin for kittens.

They had Natural Instincts. Good, but they like Friskies better.

I go with them. Even if they are junk food junkies. So am I!

Have you thought about buying online?  When I fed canned there was nowhere to buy local so I watched sales and stocked up whenever stuff was cheap or free shipping, etc.  The prices were better than the stores out of town anyways. 
 

Actually, I was thinking the same thing as GoingPostal !!! I just started ordering online and cannot believe how much I am saving overall. No tax either. And Mr. Chewey's offers free shipping with orders over $49.00. I know that is a lot to spend, but you could stock up on stuff.

Also, don't feel bad about anything and you are not failing Hobo. Hey - if Friskies or Fancy Feast (which is really not that cheap anymore ) is what will make Hobo happy and it is a wet food - then that is the best for the time being. :nod: Really, any cheap wet food is better than an all dry diet IMO. Good luck with your upcoming move :hug:

Thanks all! I have not even tried giving him "grocery store" brands. I do not want him to like them to much and then not eat the healhty expensive wet food. LOL He loves his TOTW and Earthborn. I also gave him some Wellness last night and this morning and even though it is pate he actually ate it. I have tried Evo and still have at least 6 13oz cans, but he is not a fan of it every time I feed it only sometimes.

I did order my TOTW last time from MrChewy and you are right I think it is cheaper having it brought to your door than driving out to a store with gas prices the way they are.

I have just been searching on Wag to see what I could get for decent price. Have any of you fed Halo Spot's stew and do you know what style they come in? Pate, chunks, slices?

Thanks!

I tried Halo's Spot's Stew. I bought one can of each flavor they had at the pet store. I tried feeding the salmon, I think it was. I don't remember which cat I gave it to. Whoever ate it threw it up - projectile vomiting. I didn't try any of the others, just exchanged them for something else. :nod: I think Lauren (feralvr) had the same problem.

It's not pate, but it's not chunks in gravy. Well - kind of. Chunks of veggies in a thick... stew! :lol3:

Feralvr said:

Actually, I was thinking the same thing as GoingPostal !!! I just started ordering online and cannot believe how much I am saving overall. No tax either. And Mr. Chewey's offers free shipping with orders over $49.00. I know that is a lot to spend, but you could stock up on stuff.
Also, don't feel bad about anything and you are not failing Hobo. Hey - if Friskies or Fancy Feast (which is really not that cheap anymore

) is what will make Hobo happy and it is a wet food - then that is the best for the time being.

Really, any cheap wet food is better than an all dry diet IMO. Good luck with your upcoming move :hug:

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LOL... Naturally I agree with "most" of what you said But you're right.  If Hobo is healthy and happy and the budget isn't destroyed all is well.  I'm still clinging to my 20% dry routine to 80% wet I don't feel bad about it either.   The online ordering is really excellent advice.  I don't buy food online but I DO save a heckuva lot of loot ordering other things online like Feliway, fountain filters etc. Lots cheaper and as you said, not tax.  I use Amazon a lot and shipping is free for $25+ orders but you have to watch where you are ordering from.  Amazon has to be the supplier to get the shipping discount,  not one of the other vendors advertising on Amazon.

Thankfully Hobo is happy and healthy. Well he might be mad at me right now because he is staying at my mom and dad's for the week until we get finished moving on the fifth. I am praying out landlord has our place ready to move in. Last I knew from Saturday night he had just gotten the electric hooked up and just needs the company to come out and turn us on. Also the water is hooked up, but he has to get the septic tank underground.

I decided to get sick this past weekend so I am really feeling like crap. We got back up to our current place late last night and I tried to get good sleep and was hoping the sore throat would go away. Wishful thinking I guess.

Today I am working on cleaning this place and getting a few things packed.

ETA: I thought about going to get a bag of Evo Turkey & Chicken. Even though it is expensive it would last him a long time and then if I ever find myself not able to get him wet food at least he will have dry. Is that OK to feed along with the wet food? The calculator on Natura site says to feed him 1/2 cup. I could do half that since he will be getting wet food though.

May I ask how much you are feeding Hobo? I looked back at your other posts and saw he was on a diet. At 14lbs he should only need about 1 can a day, so if you were feeding more than that, it would save you money. *shrug*

Minka said:

May I ask how much you are feeding Hobo? I looked back at your other posts and saw he was on a diet. At 14lbs he should only need about 1 can a day, so if you were feeding more than that, it would save you money. *shrug*

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One can a day of what food?

He is on a diet but if he only got one 5.5 oz can a day I fear her would lose weight to fast and go into Hepatic Lipidosis.

Please let me know which food you are talking about and how you figured his kcal per weight.

Thanks!

ETA: This is the food he is eating now and he gets a 5.5 oz can in the am and a 5.5 oz can in the evening.

Earthborn Holistic_{[emoji]174[/emoji]} Chicken Catcciatori_{[emoji]8482[/emoji]} Natural Cat Food: Guaranteed Analysis

635 M.E. kcal/kg
55 M.E. kcal/3 oz. can, 100 M.E. kcal/5.5 oz. can

Carbohydrates 2.5%

So he is getting 200 kcal a day and should be getting 180 which means I need to find a food that has only about 80kcal and feed that once per day and the 5.5 once per day. Correct?

Update: I am moved and living at the parents right now until our place is finished. I dropped a resume off today and was called 15 minutes later for an interview on this coming Friday. Please wish me luck I appreciate it.

It is at Theisen's the farm store that carries really good pet foods. They have Earthborn so I bought 18 cans of the chicken for Hobs. He loves that flavor.

Here is to hoping I get the job! It will be in the garden section, but I hope to transfer to pets after season is over or if they could move me to it sooner I wouldn't complain. Bonus 20% discount.

Honestly calculating calories is such a huge mess, I wouldn't even bother. Calories in cats aren't calculated the same as in humans, and you would have to also factor in how much exercise he is (or isn't) getting. If he runs more today than yesterday, you'd have to give him more calories that day, but tomorrow he's going to be lazy so you'll have to give him less calories that day... It's just too complicated imho.

From what I have seen from hundreds of cats on this forum, as well as hundreds on other forums, the average 9-12lb active cat needs only one can per day. My cat has been on a diet for the past year and when he got to around 16-17lbs, he was eating one can per day. At 14lbs, he is now getting close to under one can per day. But it varies from cat to cat.
The only way to effectively measure how much food your cat needs is to get a baby scale and experiment. Feed one can per day, weigh him in three days, and if he's lost more than 4.5 oz, up his food intake.

But yes, if he is a 14lb slightly active to semi active cat, he only needs one can per day.

Hobo08 said:

One can a day of what food?
He is on a diet but if he only got one 5.5 oz can a day I fear her would lose weight to fast and go into Hepatic Lipidosis.
Please let me know which food you are talking about and how you figured his kcal per weight.
Thanks!
ETA: This is the food he is eating now and he gets a 5.5 oz can in the am and a 5.5 oz can in the evening.

Earthborn Holistic_{[emoji]174[/emoji]} Chicken Catcciatori_{[emoji]8482[/emoji]} Natural Cat Food: Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (min)	10.00%
Crude Fat (min)	2.00%
Crude Fiber (max)	1.50%
Moisture (max)	83.00%
Ash (max)	3.00%
Taurine (min)	0.05%

635 M.E. kcal/kg

55 M.E. kcal/3 oz. can, 100 M.E. kcal/5.5 oz. can
Carbohydrates 2.5%
So he is getting 200 kcal a day and should be getting 180 which means I need to find a food that has only about 80kcal and feed that once per day and the 5.5 once per day. Correct?

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You are right to cut back very slowly. Cutting him back and him losing weight too fast could be very dangerous, expensive, or even fatal.

However calories and cats...very confusing. Mazy was gaining weight on a canned diet that claims to have 150 calories per 6 ounce can. I cut her back to 7/8 can (5.75 ounces, about 130 calories) and then to 3/4 can (4.5 ounces) she still continued to gain weight. She is now getting only 5/8 can ( 3.75 ounces) of this food a day, which, if I can believe the pet food manufacturer is only 94 calories a day. How can that be? She is a very active 8 year old cat. On this, she is gradually (about an ounce a week) going back to her 'normal' weight.

So, as was said, maybe focus less on the calories and more on results. Keep a daily journal of what you feed him, when you feed him, and how much he eats. Learn his patterns. Smaller meals more frequently is better than one big meal twice a day. Example: Instead of feeding a half can all at once, split that half can into fourths and offer a small serving every 15-30 minutes.

If you can afford it, get a baby scale, and weigh Hobo weekly. That will help you figure out how much to feed him to control a very slow weight loss.

I need to get a scale. That is all there is to it. I had a job interview today that went wonderfully, so praying the income starts here in the next couple weeks.

I don't think it will be possible to feed him 3-4 small meals a day when I start work. I could do it on my days off, but then what would I do the days I work?

I am so scared to feed him only 5.5 oz, but on that same note the last time I had weighed him he had still not lost any. That was in March when he got his rabies shot.

Hobo08 said:

I need to get a scale. That is all there is to it. I had a job interview today that went wonderfully, so praying the income starts here in the next couple weeks.
I don't think it will be possible to feed him 3-4 small meals a day when I start work. I could do it on my days off, but then what would I do the days I work?
I am so scared to feed him only 5.5 oz, but on that same note the last time I had weighed him he had still not lost any. That was in March when he got his rabies shot.

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Just take the normal amount you feed him in the morning and split it up into a few smaller portions spread out between 15 or 20 minutes between. this gets him in the habit of "grazing" rather than gobbling. It's a routine that may seem time consuming at first but with practice it will just become part of your morning before you leave for work. Get up a little earlier if you have to. My morning feed (three cats) takes an hour and a half. They get three small meals, in that 90 minutes. (Actually one, Mazy cat, gets four servings, because she needs smaller servings to prevent regurgitation.)

I have a friend who got a great baby scale free on craigslist. So if you aren't one to mind second hand items, look there first.

By the way, I use a human scale to weigh my cats.  I weigh myself first, pick up the cat, and then weigh us both.  I then subtract my weight.  I think I'm getting pretty accurate numbers that way.  The vet scales seem to agree, with some difference between two scales taken into account.  I weigh them all once a month.

otto said:

Just take the normal amount you feed him in the morning and split it up into a few smaller portions spread out between 15 or 20 minutes between. this gets him in the habit of "grazing" rather than gobbling. It's a routine that may seem time consuming at first but with practice it will just become part of your morning before you leave for work. Get up a little earlier if you have to. My morning feed (three cats) takes an hour and a half. They get three small meals, in that 90 minutes. (Actually one, Mazy cat, gets four servings, because she needs smaller servings to prevent regurgitation.)
I have a friend who got a great baby scale free on craigslist. So if you aren't one to mind second hand items, look there first.

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So do you agree that one 5.5oz will be enough for him? I will start this in the morning of feeding him smaller meals with the same can. I don't mind a second hand item like that. I forgot about CL. Thanks!

txcatmom said:

By the way, I use a human scale to weigh my cats.  I weigh myself first, pick up the cat, and then weigh us both.  I then subtract my weight.  I think I'm getting pretty accurate numbers that way.  The vet scales seem to agree, with some difference between two scales taken into account.  I weigh them all once a month.

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If I do not get a baby scale I probably will get a digital human scale. I have one of those old dial ones and it sucks because you move any tiny bit and that can change your weight number.

Hobo08 said:

So do you agree that one 5.5oz will be enough for him? I will start this in the morning of feeding him smaller meals with the same can. I don't mind a second hand item like that. I forgot about CL. Thanks!

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I don't know. He weighs 14 pounds, you said? What is his healthy weight goal? How much exercise is he getting? How long had he been eating the 5.5 ounces a day, between weighings?

Each cat is so different. Tolly was very slender at 9 pounds. He could have been 11 pounds and still not been too heavy. He was extremely active, right up until about a week before he died. He ate between 3 and 5.5 ounces a day, never more than that.

Jennie, on the other hand, tends to gain weight easily. When she was eating Wellness grain free only, she gained if I fed her more than 3 ounces a day! I rotate her foods now with some higher calories (such as Merrick Before Grain) and super low in calories (such as Weruva) and a few in between. I've managed to find a good regimen for her and she maintains 9.5 pounds.

Queen Eva is a petite cat and rarely even hits 7 pounds. She's not quite two and runs and runs and runs all day long. I try to get at least 180 calories a day into her (going by manufacturer's listings) but I rarely can coax her to eat that much and she stays very slender. Her weight fluctuates week by week by half an ounce or more.

That's why a scale is so useful for reducing or maintaining a cat. Weighing Hobo weekly, you will know if 5.5 ounces of the (is it EarthBorn?) food you are feeding is going to allow him to reduce, stay the same, or gain. If you see no change in a month at 5.5 ounces a day, cut out 1/8 of the 5.5 ounce can a day. Give it a few weeks, and see if he starts to drop. An ounce a week, while it seems slow, is safe. Maybe you could go two ounces lost a week (half a pound a month) but slower is better.

When you find the amount he can eat each day and lose an ounce a week, you keep him on that until he reaches his target weight. Then you can increase it a little, until you find the amount that he maintains that weight at.

Feeding him smaller portions over a period of an hour or so, he will be less likely to notice that he is being cut back. Adding a little water to every serving can also help, it will make him feel fuller.

I know it sounds like a lot of work. But any regimen can become routine in time. And it is so worth it to have a cat at a healthy weight. So much less worry, and fewer vet bills!

Exercise is very important. Overweight cats can be slow to want to move much, but keep at it. The more you play with him the more interested he will get. It can take time to find the things HE wants to play. Jennie was a real challenge to get moving, I don't think anyone ever played with her before I rescued her when she was about 2, and once she was living the good life of an inside cat, she saw no reason to expend any energy. :lol3: I thought I'd never find a way to get her active, but I have found some Games she likes, which motivate her to twist and turn and play and run a little every day.

Jennie's favorite Game is to be patted with a fly swatter on my bed. I do this every night when I get home from work. She runs up and down the bed as I pat her all over with the fly swatter. She drops down and does twists and turns and little flips as I continue to pat her. This gets her so wound up she then runs around the apartment for a few minutes, and will even participate in Queen Eva's or Mazy's Games for a minute or two.

Anything I can help with, don't hesitate to ask.

PS The Salter baby scale I use show pounds and ounces, down to the half ounce. I find that very useful. The weigh yourself, then you and the cat, then subtract method is not a method I ever found very efficient, too much margin for error. Most cats don't like to be held for long and will wiggle, causing fluctuations. When I put the cat on the scale I know the whole cat is on the scale all at once, and the scale give me the weight down to the half ounce. (or can be changed to kilograms) I like that.

It took them a few times to get used to it and to accept it. Now they are pretty much ho-hum about it when they see me get the scale and put it on the kitchen table every Sunday night.

Keep track of litter box habits too. For instance, if Hobo has a full bladder, or hasn't had a bowel movement in over 24 hours, he may weigh a few more ounces than he would have if you had weighed him after he peed or pooped.

Good luck on the job hunt, by the way. I hope today's interview pans out!

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