No progress on weight loss... :(

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linaaa

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We switched my 18.8 lb. 12 year old cat to wet food. He switched the food gradually and he currently eats 4 cans of Purina One food daily. He meows for food all the time. Sometimes he eats 5 cans a day. I read and was told that 4 cans are fed to cats who weigh 15 lbs. so I thought we started him off good. After about 1 month on the diet, here's his progress:
10/2718.8
11/819.6
11/1918.8
11/2419.8
How does this happen? He's rarely fed treats and if he is, it's actual ham and it's not much. Why did he gain TWICE already? Is he too old for this switch? Should I just give him his old, dry food again? I mean I'd love to help him feel better and weigh a lot less but goodness this is ridiculous. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance!
 
tulosai

tulosai

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Hi and a big welcome to the forums 


Simply put you are feeding him WAY too much food. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but my cats are at a VERY hearty 12-13 pounds each and maintain that weight on half the amount of food you are feeding. I think you've been misinformed about how much food your cat needs. I'd cut down to 3 cans and see how he does on that amount,

I am glad you are switching your kitty to wet food and taking a role in managing his weight :)
 
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cprcheetah

cprcheetah

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How big are the cans that you are feeding?  3oz, 5.5oz?  How many calories in each can?  This website has great information on weight loss including a formula to tell you how many calories your cat should have per day.   http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity       I know what you are going through I have a big 15.8# boy whom I am battling the bulge with right now :-)
 
raintyger

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According to this page:

http://www.petfinder.com/cats/cat-nutrition/wet-cat-food-calorie-count/

the average calories in Purina One is about 83 (71-95).

To main weight, you need at least 15 calories per pound, minimum. 15*20 pounds=300 calories. 300/83 calories per can= approx. 3.6 cans at minimum to maintain weight. If you cut back, you have to do so slowly, about 10% less calories per month.
 
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Willowy

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Usually, for maintenance you want to feed 20 calories per pound, for weight loss 15 calories per pound. . .and you go by his ideal weight, not current weight. So if he should weigh 14 pounds, that would be 210-280 calories a day. Depending what flavor you're feeding him, the Purina ONE wet foods have about 70-95 calories. So, yeah, 2 1/2-3 cans a day would be more appropriate. Here's a list of calorie counts for canned cat foods: http://www.petfinder.com/cats/cat-nutrition/wet-cat-food-calorie-count/
 
xenot

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Weird!  I just read about this.  If you cat is overweight (which mine currently is, but not quite as big as yours), the vet recommended NO HARD FOOD.  Apparently, it's more fattening.  You definitely don't want to set out a continuous dry food feeder where the big boy can just casually walk up and snack any old time.  I was also told that the diet foods are really just pumped with water.  My vet said that you can get the same results by simply adding a little water to their wet pet food.  Also, how active is your cat?  Do you play with him/her?  You'd be amazed how much exercise a cat can get from chasing a piece of string, a toy, or a feather on a stick.  I'm a personal trainer by trade (and a student) so I know how important activity is in maintaining healthy weight.  My cat, unfortunately, has pretty bad arthritis, but I let him meow and ignore his begging.  Human food is very rich and high in fat compared to cat food (unless it's kitten food which you definitely don't want to feed a fat cat).  I hope that helps.  I know it's hard to say 'no' when you look into those limpid pools as your kitty begs for scraps, but tough love is in order.  Especially when you know things like onion powder can actually cause anemia in cats and can kill them.  We often don't even know how food have been pre-seasoned when we buy them.  Human food is NOT for pet consumption.
 
raintyger

raintyger

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Xenot said:
 
Weird!  I just read about this.  If you cat is overweight (which mine currently is, but not quite as big as yours), the vet recommended NO HARD FOOD.  Apparently, it's more fattening.  You definitely don't want to set out a continuous dry food feeder where the big boy can just casually walk up and snack any old time.  I was also told that the diet foods are really just pumped with water.  My vet said that you can get the same results by simply adding a little water to their wet pet food.  Also, how active is your cat?  Do you play with him/her?  You'd be amazed how much exercise a cat can get from chasing a piece of string, a toy, or a feather on a stick.  I'm a personal trainer by trade (and a student) so I know how important activity is in maintaining healthy weight.  My cat, unfortunately, has pretty bad arthritis, but I let him meow and ignore his begging.  Human food is very rich and high in fat compared to cat food (unless it's kitten food which you definitely don't want to feed a fat cat).  I hope that helps.  I know it's hard to say 'no' when you look into those limpid pools as your kitty begs for scraps, but tough love is in order.  Especially when you know things like onion powder can actually cause anemia in cats and can kill them.  We often don't even know how food have been pre-seasoned when we buy them.  Human food is NOT for pet consumption.
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Dry food is full of carbs, which is why cats will gain weight on it.

I wasn't aware that diet foods have more water in it. They do, however, have more fiber in them. Cats in general aren't built for high amounts of fiber--in fact, on the Yahoo! feline constipation and megacolon boards, most of their members use a low fiber diet. For weight issues it is best to avoid the "weight management" foods, which usually have more carbs, and feed something grain-free and high protein.
 
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linaaa

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Thank you so much everyone! I will try 3 cans per day. 
 
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