cat on a diet

I've decided to try & cut down on Mr. Underfoot's food intake because he's 9 years old and has a belly; the vet commented that it increases his health risks.

Keep in mind, this is a cat who's been free-fed all his life.

Soooooooo....day one, and he's already opened all of the cabinet doors and dragged out the chips and bread. I put those away, then he somehow managed to get the refrigerator door open. Now, a few minutes later, he's managed to claw open the dog food container and started to tank up, much to the dogs' dismay (wish I had a digital camera!). He's also perfectly capable of opening most interior doors (he turns the knob then pulls the door open from the bottom) with the exception of the one room where they were originally confined when I moved in.

I'm ready to give up; he's not hugely overweight - just a little, and I think a little too much cat food is better than cabinet & refrigerator findings and dog food. If he's this bad on his first day, I don't think I can take an entire diet! What do you guys think?

omg What a determined cat! I dunno what you should do. Zoey is only 16 months and her fat pad is already growing. So I put her on Lite food. I also want to ask if that's ok for such a young cat.. (I dont want to make a new thread).

Can you put him on Lite food? Or would you rather just restrict his food intake?

He's VERY determined! I might try the lite food - I'll check the store to see if it comes in the Senior formula (you'd never guess he's a senior by the way he acts!). Thanks for the idea. I just don't want the others to lose weight - they're fine the way they are, but this restricted meal thing is a pain.

That's really funny! Especially tanking up on dog food!

I'd say instead of giving up free feeding altogether, do what my vet suggested and leave just a tiny bit out for snacking during the day. Both of my cats seem to be eating less overall, and they don't bother me all day for food. Just most of the day, not all day.

Thanks for the advice. I might try just leaving out a little bit for snacking & see how that goes.

Sicy, is Zoey more than 1 year old? If so, lite food should be fine. I would only worry about it if she was still a kitten under 1 year.

She's 16 months. I just want her to get all of her nutrition.. though I was comparing ingredients and I think the lite just has less fat.

Never get in the way of a cat and his food!

Zoey is only 16 months and her fat pad is already growing.

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Thats funny. Amber is the same age and she weighs ten pounds! The vet told me she could use a little diet. I am going to try and restrict her food intake and also try and play a little more with her.

Zoey was 9 pounds when I got her but I swear she feels at least 10 pounds now. Cant wait for her checkup in April so I can find out

I'm struggling with a chunky tabby myself. He gets 3/4 cup of food /day, nothing more/less (except for his single can every month or so). No table scraps, nothing other than his dry. I don't leave tasty things within paws reach (thankfully he doesn't open doors). He still loves me, and because I'm being strong and sticking to this diet thing, he'll be around longer to love.

Well, I couldn't deal with the craziness, so I ended up following Sammie5's suggestion about leaving a little food out, and that seemed to help. I also started giving him some canned food with his meal as a treat. He's lost some weight and the vet says he looks better.

Thanks!