Need help with Tig being overweight

My 1 year old cat Tiger is overweight. He is about 20 lbs. and is so fat he can't even keep his behind clean. With him being white, you can see every time he goes to the bathroom.

When I first got him, he was limping. I didn't know why, I thought it was from one of the kids he was around before he came to live with me. He only limped for a few days and then quit. I found out a few months later that the girl's boyfriend who had him before me, threw him against a wall. He's healed and goes about his life as normal but he can't jump very far/high.

I fear that because of his hip (you can still feel where it was broken, it sticks out), it affects his activities. He runs around and chases you but he's really lazy. He won't chase things but for a few minutes and then he decides to just roll around. He follows me and everyone in my house everywhere, every time we go to a different room. I've tried buying him tons of toys and playing with him to keep him active to lose weight, but he loses interest quickly and starts rolling around. He gets dry cat food (Purina Cat Chow Complete), 1 cup a day. He doesn't eat but maybe half a cup, but he has to have his bowl topped off every morning or he'll bug you to death until you do lol. I've been trying to research what to do to help him lose weight but there's nothing I've found of course for a cat with special circumstances... or maybe I'm just making excuses for him lol. If anyone could help me or give me advice, that would be great, THANK YOU! (=

Hi and welcome to TCS! I am really glad that you are invested in getting Tiger's weight down. Being overweight and being fed a carb heavy diet (which the Purine Cat Chow is) puts him at a higher risk for diabetes and osteoarthritis.

This site written by a vet describes what feeding a species-appropriate diet means and how to help cats lose weight SAFELY. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity

This thread describes the process in detail and offers many helpful tips as well: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245236/mickey-my-27-lbs-foster-and-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight

Has Tig seen a vet since you have had him? I'm just curious what the prognosis was on his leg?

His diet really isn't helping him either. Read up a little on cat nutrition, wet vs. dry food, etc. Basically, any wet food is healthier than dry food for your kitty. I would start him off on about 5-6 oz of canned cat food per day and see what happens to his weight in the next month or so. You may have to adjust the amount he gets. Also, I would get him to see your vet and make sure he is healthy. Your vet can also probably explain the benefits of a good cat diet. *But, don't fall into the trap of being sold science diet from your vet. It really isn't the best choice.

We have three cats and I am very budget conscious and we went with Petsmart brand canned cat food, Authority. They all seem to like it and they all look great!

Good luck!

I had a tubby kitty too for a while.  For me, getting him to lose weight was just a matter of reducing his access to food.  He basically got fed less then what we was getting before.  He was on a special urinary diet food (Royal Canin), so I wasn't going to switch brands... I just reduced quantity.

I started him on canned food when I first got him, I mixed it up between dry and canned. But now he wants nothing to do with the canned food
As for the vet, I haven't been able to save up the money to take him to one. He was neutered by our local low cost clinic and he's up to date on his shots too. They only do shots and spay/neutering but said when I picked him up after surgery he was healthy and good to go (I did mention to them about his hip). I plan on taking him to an actual vet as soon as I can, which is why I'm here looking for advice for my sweet little (big haha) guy.

First of all, he needs to see the vet to have bloodwork done to rule out any medical condition.  Also, you want you vet to be on the same page with the weight loss program.  I would work to switch him to a grain-free diet, preferably mostly wet and some dry.  Do not free feed.  He needs to have his dry food cut back drastically.  I know it's difficult.  I had a carboholic that weighed 15 lbs at her heaviest.  I never got her off the dry, but by limiting her intake, I did get her down to about 11 pounds.  Thankfully, she was a large cat (long and tall) so 11 pounds looked good on her.  Also, switch to timed feedings.  This is VERY hard to do because the cat will whine, pester, complain, and drive you crazy!  Just tell him "It's not time to eat yet."  or "I know you're ready to eat, but you need to wait."  Instead of feeding him, play with him using a laser pointer or DaBird type toy.  Just like humans, low carbs and more exercise will help him.  You don't want him to lose the weight too quickly or else that will affect his health.  Slow and steady weight loss is best.  If he doesn't like his bowl empty, change to a smaller bowl and add some larger size marbles to take up some of the space.  You'll need to wash the marbles every day as they get gunk built up on them.