over weight cat

I adopted Sammy (female) 3yrs ago. She was 7 yrs old then and about 19 lbs. Now she is 10 and around 17 lbs. She's an indoor cat and doesn't get much exercis but i play with her every night and she has lots of toy's. I only give her 1/2 of 5.5oz can a day along with dry food to eat when i'm at work. Any suggestions on how to help slim Sammy down...thanks phyllis

I think the first thing to do is cut out the dry food completely. No matter how good quality a dry food is, it's filled with carbs. If you need to increase the amount of wet food, do so. Wet food is a lot more filling, and it's more appropriate for a cat.

How many calories does the wet food contain? Not all wet food are made equally. Wet food has generally less carbs than dry food, but some have more than others. Foods that are in gravy are higher in carbs than pates. Some foods are higher than fat than others. For example, a 5.5 ounce Wellness cat can have up to 210 calories, while Weruva can be around 135. 

Check out http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity  -has very good information about dieting cats. You're gonna want to calculate how much calories your cat actually needs for her appropriate weight. The link I gave you has that information, and how to go about helping your cat lose weight.

Remember to go slow, rapid weight loss is not only unhealthy but can lead to fatty liver disease.

My two youngest cats are using wet only to reduce their weight. My partner had previously only feed them dry (friskies grillers blend). He didn't know better. Since your cat already likes canned food it should be an easy change.
We have been seeing some success over the last two months. My senior kitties have been eating only wet for 5 years and are at an optimal weight. I originally switched them because Dax didn't chew dry food and would throw it back up. Their excess weight came off as a result. Try not to diet the weight off too quickly and feed the amount of calories for target weight, well maybe a little more at first.

Lily is the youngest cat in our home she weighs 9lbs and the vet said she should be closer to 5-6lbs because of her small frame. You vet should be able to help you determine Sammy's ideal weight.

Good luck and stay strong against her cries for kibble.
ETA: I feed them in the morning at dinner and then before bed. They don't need any kibble left out during the day.

Thanks for the advise. My Boo Boo is 15 and is 9.5 lbs, she was alot heavier but I think with age she's lost a good 3+ pounds. Sammy is my talker, she knows when I'm ready to leave for work and gives me a very authoritive meow to make sure there is food to munch on during the day....that's going to be hard to ignore and walk out the door. But I will try the feeding them before bed thing then maybe they will be some what still full and won't need the dry during the day.  I'm still paying off an $1,800.00 vet bill for Boo for an infected abscedded tooth and an additional 5 teeth pulled.  Once that's paid then it's time for Sammy to get a complete physical..OMG these girls need to get a job!! lol In the mean time I'll try your suggestions.   Thanks a bunch

I really appreciate your advise and the web site. I'll give that a look up and see if my nearest PetSmart carries the Weruva food. I feed them Friskey's canned food and I'm can't imagine how much crap is in it but they like it and I can afford it.   Anyway, thank you agin and I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks, Phyllis

I wanted to let you know that you don't need to feed Weruva. I was just using it as an example of how calorie counts for foods are not equal. If Friskies is the only food your cat will eat and it's what you can afford, do feed Friskies. 

Personally, I think cutting the dry food out completely is what should be focused on. Then we can think calories.

phyllisjones said:

Thanks for the advise. My Boo Boo is 15 and is 9.5 lbs, she was alot heavier but I think with age she's lost a good 3+ pounds. Sammy is my talker, she knows when I'm ready to leave for work and gives me a very authoritive meow to make sure there is food to munch on during the day....that's going to be hard to ignore and walk out the door. But I will try the feeding them before bed thing then maybe they will be some what still full and won't need the dry during the day.  I'm still paying off an $1,800.00 vet bill for Boo for an infected abscedded tooth and an additional 5 teeth pulled.  Once that's paid then it's time for Sammy to get a complete physical..OMG these girls need to get a job!! lol In the mean time I'll try your suggestions.   Thanks a bunch

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I hear you on that my Calvin is going to have to make one heck of a you tube video that ends on a t.v. to throw me a couple bucks towards his $$$ recent bladder stone surgery. haha

I think starting a second wet meal now is a good way to ease into transition. Calvin and Lily did cry for kibble the first week after I completely took it away. They even went as far as to tag team attack the storage container it was in trying to get it open. That has all stopped even though there is still some of their food left. They never ask for it now. They like their wet food and their meals. Maybe in the morning you could start feeding the wet food right before you are leaving to distract them. Maybe still give them dry like you are at the same time but slowly decrease it until its not there and then the bowl is no longer there. GL 

If you work towards eliminating the dry during the day you could find them wet when you first get home from work, so they don't drive you bonkers its best to feed 3 times at least. lol. Then you could feed them another meal before bed. My cats sometimes ignore one of the meals for a minute but go back in like 20 minutes and eat it up. They know when I put down food its time to eat. They learn faster than you expect most of the time if you don't give in. Since your cats are both food motivated and already enjoy eating wet food they should be fine. 

The Friskies pate's will do just fine if that is your budget and they like it. Also Fancy Feast classics, and Pet Smarts Authority is decent and can be given. Avoid any gravy types. Taking them off dry will probably be all that is needed for them to start to drop off some weight and may also increase their activity level.

Good to know, they both like the Frisky pate. My Boo is at a good weight she could almost put on a few lb's. Sammy on the other hand would eat all day if she could. Sometimes she eats to fast and throws it up so I have to give her a little at a time.

phyllisjones said:

Good to know, they both like the Frisky pate. My Boo is at a good weight she could almost put on a few lb's. Sammy on the other hand would eat all day if she could. Sometimes she eats to fast and throws it up so I have to give her a little at a time.

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Does Sammy throw up the dry food or the wet food?

As I said my kitty Dax would do this with every dry food and the vet could find no allergies, just that he eats too fast and doesn't chew it.   Just curious as I have always found it very strange that he had this problem. I was only feeding dry when I wasn't home during the day as well and a special bowl and putting a golf ball in the dish never stopped his scarf and barf sessions. lol. Maybe because he didn't chew it was harder to digest. Who knows but he doesn't seem to have that problem with any brand of wet food so it works for us. 

Both, I think she just shovels down her food so she can beg for more. Not sure if she's a cat or a fluffy pig lol. They don't get both dry and wet at the same time, I usually give them dry if I'm going to be gone for awhile. How long did it take before your kitty stopped the barfing?

phyllisjones said:

Both, I think she just shovels down her food so she can beg for more. Not sure if she's a cat or a fluffy pig lol. They don't get both dry and wet at the same time, I usually give them dry if I'm going to be gone for awhile. How long did it take before your kitty stopped the barfing?

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Hmm he never has had a problem with throwing up wet food, but then again he isn't as enthusiastic about it as dry food. He is usually the one who checks out what everyone else is doing before he eats and then goes back to his bowl and will eat more a little later. He would start scarfing dry food though as soon as I put it down. I did try a golf ball in his dish and an elevated food bowl (still use) but it didn't help from eating too fast or make him CHEW. Silly cat. I would suggest a golf ball but that might get pretty messy with soft food.

I guess with Sammy you are going to just keep giving her a tablespoon or so and then let her sit for a few before she gets more. 

my best friend's cat went from 19 lbs to 12 lbs the last 6-9 months. All she did was 1) discontinue dry food and 2) put her on raw. (She gave her the choice of wet canned or raw, and kitty girl liked the raw rabbit).  I think she uses Bravo rabbit for her now 12 lb girl, and Hound and Gatos chicken for her second girl.

Dry food has no place in a cat's diet. Its like giving children high sugar cereal for breakfast lunch and dinner. Once they transition off, they will be much healther.

An article I read that originally taught me about the dangers of dry food was at www.catinfo.org. There is a Dr who tells why dry is inappropriate, what health benefits raw or canned will provide. It helped me start my new kittens on the right track, and when I told my friend about it, she transitioned her overweight kitty to the same, and had major success.

Good luck.

ps.  I've also recently learned to completely avoid cargeenen (sp?). It causes IBS and vomiting, and some believe it can damage health long term. Not sure, so I'm stopping it. i returned all EVO and CORE, and now I use only Hound and Gatos canned and Radcat raw. My kits are 18 months and in wonderful health. My last cat lived to 21, and my goal is to get these two to 25! :}