Weight loss diet- canned food suggestions please

Matt weighed in at 15.6lbs

 that's a gain of a pound over the last month. I don't know if some of this weight gain is from the fluid in his lungs from his infection, but certainly some of it is from poaching the kitten's food. I'm going to lock the kitten and his food in the bathroom, while shutting Matt and his food in another room. I need suggestions for canned food to help him lose the weight, and how much to give him. At this point he's to go kibble-free. I don't want anything that will allow him to gain any more weight.

Matt's ideal weight is 12-13lbs

also, because it may be significant:

Matt's currently on antibiotics for an infection in his blood(wet didn't tell me what the infection was) he's on l-Lysene, and eye drops as well and has allergies(to what I don't know but we suspect the damp basement)

I think any of the grain free wet foods that don't have a lot of other fillers in them.  Foods like the Wellness grain free or nature's variety.  The rule of thumb to avoid liver problems is 15 calories per pound of ideal weight.  Usually a 5.5 ounce can split across meals is a good amount.  You can usually find calorie counts on the food's website.

Look for flavors with lots of gravy - those are higher in water and thus lower in calories.  Lots of the Weruva & Cats in the Kitchen fit into this category.  Read the labels - you'd be surprised at the range of calories; unfortunately, you can't get this info for all brands.

Stay away from the thicker pates - or add more water to them to drop the calorie count.  Come to think of it, just adding water to any food will dilute the calories, providing you have a cat that likes gravy.  The downside to buying lower calorie flavors is that you get less for your money - you can add extra water or a simple broth to any canned food to increase the volume but drop the calories.

ETA: just dropping the kibble could go a long way with the weight loss.

Actually, the gravy is very high in carbohydrates, and contribute to weight gain, not loss. The pate types are lower in carbs if the grains are kept down.

catspaw66 said:

 
Actually, the gravy is very high in carbohydrates, and contribute to weight gain, not loss. The pate types are lower in carbs if the grains are kept down.

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Maybe "brothy" is a better word? Per ingredients list/nutritional profile, carbs are low; the liquid in the brands I referred to come from meat broths (fish, chicken broth) - not really gravy in the thick, carb-laden sense - more like au jus! (hey look at me, I was even kicked out of French class way back...)

My objections to such foods is not so much carbs, but the fact I'm paying for something easy to add myself: water or broth.

But I get what you mean - 'gravy' does imply thickness and you have to use something starchy to get it that way.

I agree that broth is a better name for it. Unfortunately, most cats love the carb-laden thick gravy that comes in a lot of gooshyfoods. Well, I love gravy, too. That is why I look like I do. My ladies eat healthier than I do.

Kicked out of French class, huh? What did you do, say you hated sauces?

catspaw66 said:

 
Kicked out of French class, huh? What did you do, say you hated sauces?

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LOL!  Naw, just unmotivated with lousy grades.  I wanted to take German, but my dad told me HE struggled with it when he was in college.  Since, like most girls, I thought my dad was The Smartest Man In The World....if HE couldn't hack German, I sure could not.  Thus my terrible experience with French.

Ach, what a dummes huhn I was back then.

Low calorie, non-gravy wet foods:

Tiki Cat

By Nature stew line

Halo

Weruva

Fussie Cat

Be sure to check those calories! Some of these have half the amount of your typical pate.

The Merrick Purrfect Bistro paté style canned foods are a bit lower in calories than some other premium foods,  while still being probably pretty low carb.   The Cowboy Cookout is just around 162 calories per 5.5 ounce can  http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consu...s=Cat-Classic-Recipes-Wet&age=All_Life_Stages

and the Grammys Pot Pie is even a bit less -- 152calories per5.5 oz.   http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consu...s=Cat-Classic-Recipes-Wet&age=All_Life_Stages

Weruva is still more low calorie. 

Thanks everyone! This is a great help, and I'm sure Matt will appreciate it too

Now for a strategy to stop them from trading bowls lol......I locked kitten in a different room with his food this morning, and Matt finished his-thinking that's the best method. If I'm going to cut back his food intake, I want to make sure he gets to eat it all

maewkaew said:

 
The Merrick Purrfect Bistro paté style canned foods are a bit lower in calories than some other premium foods,  while still being probably pretty low carb.   The Cowboy Cookout is just around 162 calories per 5.5 ounce can  http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consu...s=Cat-Classic-Recipes-Wet&age=All_Life_Stages

and the Grammys Pot Pie is even a bit less -- 152calories per5.5 oz.   http://www.merrickpetcare.com/consu...s=Cat-Classic-Recipes-Wet&age=All_Life_Stages

Weruva is still more low calorie. 

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I have to second the Weruva as a good low cal choice.  This was the canned food that got my kibble addict OFF kibble - but then her weight loss was concerning, so we started looking at calorie counts and switched to a higher calorie pate type.  WOW, what a huge difference once you start to look at it.  As much as 25% - and that's significant.  BUT, like I said previously, the lower calories come from the higher broth and thus water content.  You can do the same thing at home, IMHO....if I had a Fat Cat, I'd probably make a nutritious bone broth and use that to water down higher calorie foods.  But that's just me...very DIY. and we cook constantly anyhow.  It makes the steel plate in my head hurt to pay for canned water shipped from Thailand!!!!!!!

Just remember the minimum safe calories of 15 per pound of ideal weight.  For an ideal weight of 12 - 13 pounds that would be 180 to 195 calories.  I have nursed a cat through fatty liver disease and that is something that you and your kitty don't need to deal with.

This thread is really helpful! Chowder isn't really overweight but he's up to 13.5 instead of 12 and his waistline is less visible from the top.