My cat is sooo big! I don't know what to do anymore!

Hi everyone,

I'm new here. I'm so sorry for the long post but I'm sure you all can help me here.

A little bit about us:

I have a 12 yr. old cat that weighs 18.8 pounds! All of his life he has been free fed. He has always been super spoiled and now we understand that wasn't a great idea - go figure. He was always the only animal in the house so he knows who's boss. A few meows when we're eating dinner and he gets some table food. (How can he not?) I know I'm going to get slammed here - he hasn't been to the vet since he was 3 yrs. old. He hates it! He's bitten the vet and bitten his tongue and bled everywhere. It takes 6 people to tame him for 1 shot. He ate dry food his whole life as well. He has gotten kitty treats once in a while and cat nip almost daily in the summer when he went outside.

We gradually switched him from dry food to dry food AND wet food (half and half). I'm not sure if we're feeding him too much but he is just not losing the weight. Here's the "progress":
He also throws up about every 3 days and I'm not exaggerating. It's been really stressful and overwhelming. We're trying to help him. I don't think it's too late and I would love for him to feel well and skinny. I've researched that he should weigh about 11 lbs. MAX. 12 lbs. is considered overweight. (He is a long hair domestic cat if that makes any difference.) As I've said before, he hasn't been to the vet in almost 10 yrs. and that is not the first place I want to take him. I'm sure you all can help me.

In short, my 2 concerns:

1. How to get him to lose weight

2. How to get him to stop throwing up EVERYWHERE!!!

I love my cat dearly and we've had him since he was 2 mos. old! I would love to help him.

Thank you guys all so much!!!

Can you switch him to all canned food? It's better for weight loss because of the water content and higher animal protein levels. It may also help with the vomiting, although of course it depends why he's barfing. But my cats throw up a lot less now that I cut out the kibble! Start at 20 calories per pound (what he should weigh, not current weight), although if he's eating considerably more than that now you'd want to cut back gradually. If you give him any table food, give him only lean meat, and cut his cat food back a little to compensate for the calories.

What brands/formulas/flavors is he currently eating? Is he picky or does he eat anything you give him?

I have no problem switching him to all canned food. Can I do that now? He's been eating half and half for a couple of months now.

I'll feed him what you said. We have also NOT been feeding him any table food since we started his "diet".

He's eating Purina canned food. We tried Science Diet and he threw up after every meal. He will definitely eat anything you give him but will throw it up later. :/

Your best bet is to feed him a good grain free canned food.  The more meat (protein), the more full he should feel.  And it might be the grains that are causing him to throw up.  Hard to say for sure. 

When you say Purina, canned food, which one?  Pro Plan, or what?  Here is a food chart of lots of common canned cat food, and it lists the amount of protein, fat, carbs, and calories. http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf    You want to look for something high in protein, I would say medium to low fat, low in carbs (under 10), and then, depending on which one you choose, figure out how much to feed him based on the 20 calories per lbs.  But, how exactly are you figuring he should weigh 11 lbs?  Every cat is different, just like every person is different, depending on their build.  I have two cats that are approximately the same height.  One weighs 9 lbs, the other 13.  Granted, the one that weighs 13 is a tiny bit overweight, but not too much anymore.  (he used to weigh 15!) 

Whatever you do, don't let him lose too fast.  Maybe 1/2 lb per month, maximum, I'm thinking.  If he loses too fast, it could cause with his liver, so best to go slower than fast.  And if he seems to be hungry, then play with him and get him to exercise to take his mind off his hunger.

AND, just for giggles, and also for educational purposes, you  might want to read this thread about Mickey, a favorite of ours around here, and his weight loss journey:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245236/mickey-my-27-lbs-foster-and-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight

Feel free to ask questions any time

Any cat I've ever had throws up a lot of dried food - I think they eat too much, then it swells in their tummies.. not a fan of dried because of it.   

You don't say how much you are feeding him.. have a look at the packet or the tin and see the recommended daily guide and at least stick to that if you can. I find that strict meal times can help too - pussycat will hopefully learn that theirs no point in asking outside those times. And as Mrs GreenJeans says, do some playtime. Not too much to begin with as the your cat is quite big, but slowly increase some exercise too.

Good luck!!

Thank you so much!!! I truly appreciate it. I'll keep you all updated!