Need to lose weight - need help

xcourtney3

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My cats are overweight (17-18 lbs, 4.5 years old) They were being fed way too much food about 2 years ago, but for the last 2 years have been fed 1/2 cup/day each 161 cals. They have barely lost any weight on this food and act like they are starving in between meals. Need advice on where to go from here. Taking them in to see vet soon but she will recommend RX diet. 

Current food:

Ingredients: 
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, egg product, ground rice, powdered cellulose, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), salmon, potatoes, millet, natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, ocean fish meal, sodium bisulfate, potassium chloride, DL-methionine, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, dried kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberries, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-Carnitine, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Guaranteed Analysis: 
Crude Protein 32.0% (min.), Crude Fat 14.0% (min.), Crude Fiber 8.0% (max.), Moisture 10.0% (max.), Magnesium 0.1% (max.), Zinc 120-mg/kg (min.), Selenium 0.4 mg/kg (min.), Vitamin E 150 IU/kg (min.), Taurine 0.1% (min.), Omega-6 Fatty Acids 2.2% (min.)*, Omega-3 Fatty Acids 0.4% (min.)*

Calorie Content: 
3,450 kcal/kg (323 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy
 

raintyger

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Switch to wet food. Dry food is high in carbs, which our kitties are not built to handle. The high carb content of the dry food is probably also why they act like they are hungry.

Weight loss foods are lower calorie, but they are lower calorie because they are high carb, so it is better to avoid foods marketed for weight loss. I'm not sure about prescription foods for weight loss, but frequently prescription foods are dry foods with high carb content.
 
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xcourtney3

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I have tried switching to wet before and it did not work out because my male is very resistant and I gave in easily to his whines. What are some tricks to switching a dry food addict to canned? Does FortiFlora really work as an attractant?
 

oneandahalfcats

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I have tried switching to wet before and it did not work out because my male is very resistant and I gave in easily to his whines. What are some tricks to switching a dry food addict to canned? Does FortiFlora really work as an attractant?
Hi there,

Are you currently doing timed feedings, or is your cat free-feeding dry food? The 1/2 cup at 161 calories seems very low and certainly should have resulted in some weight loss by now. Are they getting more than this each day?

Some cats are very attached to dry food and it can be challenging (but not impossible) when switching to wet food. Wet food is less dense and not as high in calories as dry food and so initially some cats may not feel as satisfied on it and so may discontinue eating this in favor of dry food. I have not used Fortiflora as a food enhancement but some members here have, and may see this and chime in.

In order to realize success in switching your cat's diet, it is important to get him on scheduled feedings. This accomplishes two things, 1) you control how much and what he gets which is better for digestion and weight control, 2) in eating at certain times of the day he starts to associate food as something he needs for energy and sustenance rather than something to do when he is bored.

It can be frustrating when you see your cat whining and you may think he is starving and give in. However, when you know that your cat has eaten an appropriate amount of food in the day that is based on a targetted weight, you can relax and consider that the whining is just a bad habit. The important thing is that you not give in to this. Cats do learn to stop begging when they find that this behavior no longer gets them results. 

Here is a link to a page written by a vet on transitioning cats from dry food to wet : http://www.catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf. Lots of good insight and tips here.

EDIT : The ingredients of the dry food you have referenced contain a lot of carbs and is too high in fat. This is probably why your cat is still overweight. My male tabby Max, was at 17 pounds when I switched all of my cats to wet food. He has lost weight since this switch, and is now a little over 15 pounds. You need to get your cat on to a high protein, low carb and moderate fat diet, preferably wet canned. If you must continue feeding dry food, I would go with one such as Orijen which features higher protein and will be more concentrated than what you are feeding now. As the result, your cat will feel more satisfied on a lesser amount.

As your cat is overweight, your controlled feedings will need to be based on an amount that will result in gradual weight loss. So, in other words you start reducing the amount of food bit by bit. Too much, too soon can have serious consequences in the form of hepatic acidosis (fatty liver). For tips and inspiration on a healthy weight loss plan for your cat, also have a read of this thread : http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245236/mickey-my-27-lbs-foster-and-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight
 
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xcourtney3

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They are semi scheduled. They get fed 3x per day = 1/2c total each day per cat. But I put the measured amount and leave the bowl down and they nibble over the next ~7hrs, so I guess it's more like "free feeding" vs "timed meals". My female appears to have lost more weight than my male, but she's still too big. I think maybe my male eats some of her food too so I'm probably going to have to start timed meals and separate feeding. For the timed meals, do I sit the food down for x amount of time then pick it back up? 
 

oneandahalfcats

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They are semi scheduled. They get fed 3x per day = 1/2c total each day per cat. But I put the measured amount and leave the bowl down and they nibble over the next ~7hrs, so I guess it's more like "free feeding" vs "timed meals". My female appears to have lost more weight than my male, but she's still too big. I think maybe my male eats some of her food too so I'm probably going to have to start timed meals and separate feeding. For the timed meals, do I sit the food down for x amount of time then pick it back up? 
Yes, serving a specific amount 2-3 times through the day and separating them if necessary will be key. This way each cat gets a portioned amount and hopefully will eat this amount when they are supposed to. As cat's are creatures of habit, they will do well when there is consistency in their daily routine.

Important Steps

1. Decide on a schedule of feeding times where you can consistently feed through the day. Try to stick to these times as much as possible.

I feed our cats their first two meals of wet food (1.5 ounces) at 5AM and 8AM, and then again at 3PM. They get less than a 1/4 cup of kibble at the end of the day to bring the total of food to 6 ounces. 

2. Pick a location for each cat to eat, and stick to these locations as much as possible.

If your male is used to eating some of your female's food, then you will want to put them in separate locations, and if she doesn't eat all of her meal, to take this up so he can't eat it. I do this currently with my female, but offer the rest of the food to her sometime later.

3. Determine the amount to feed at each feeding.

As you say you are feeding 1/2 per cat each day, you have the choice to split this into two or three meals. If two meals, 1/2 cup becomes 1/4 cup x 2. If three meals, 1/2 cup becomes 1/6 cup x 3.

4. Weigh your cats every week and keep track of progress, both positive and negative.

As the food you are currently feeding contains a lot of carbs and a high fat content, if your cats are less than active, rather than utilizing the energy that this food generates, it gets stored as fat instead. If your cats are less than active, then you need to feed something that contains less carbs, higher protein and moderate fat. The best way to accomplish this is to consider feeding wet canned food. This is what is working for my cats, along with controlled feedings. Wet canned food will also help to protect your cats from urinary tract infections.

While the goal is for your cats to lose weight, 161 calories for your male in particular, may not be enough to feed him initially according to his current weight, which may be why he is stealing food from your female. The goal is to gradually feed less food over time until your cat reaches the new weight. So, for your male I would feed him a little more (1/4 cup x 3) to start and then gradually reduce this back to 1/2 cup.  Again, the best way to accomplish these weight-loss goals is to switch to feeding wet canned which will give your cats higher protein which they need, but not as much carbs as the dry food. 

As you are going to take your cats into the vet soon, I would suggest getting blood work done to have a look at their thyroid and see if this is functioning properly. Thyroid controls metabolism and when there is a lack of thyroid hormone being produced, the metabolism slows down. Its rare for cats to get hypothyroidism, but it is possible. Its usually hyperthyroidism that is seen, which happens when too much thyroid hormone is created.
 
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xcourtney3

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How much fat is considered moderate?
 

murr7maggiom

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Try to work in some play time with your cats too. There is a good web site called petobesityprevention.com
It is very good that you want to reduce your cat's weight now. It will extend their life considerably.
 

oneandahalfcats

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How much fat is considered moderate?
Moderate meaning a reasonable amount. Not too high but not too low as cats need some fat in their diet. The guaranteed analysis on pet food labels are usually indicated as minimums and maximums meaning that a nutrient can be more or less than what is indicated? Not very accurate but does give you some guideline to work with. The more accurate way to determine nutrient content is in doing some math to calculate dry matter basis which is the amount of food minus the moisture content.

Your current food features 32% protein, 14% fat and 8% fiber. The Ash content is the culmination of the minerals but is not indicated in the guaranteed analysis. Most dry foods on average are 8%. Using the online calculator in the link below, the fat content for your current food in calories is almost as high as the protein per 100 grams (1/2 cup). The carbohydrates content comes up as 28% which is again almost as high as the protein.

For comparison, the fat content for Orijen comes out as being higher than your current food, but, the carb content is much lower at 17%. The source of fat is important to look at as there are healthy fats and not so healthy fats. The dry food that you are feeding is not that bad, and it might be that in going to timed, scheduled feedings may be all that is needed, and seeing if you can introduce some play time activities to encourage your cats to be more active, as Murr7Maggiom suggested.

http://fnae.org/carbcalorie.html
 
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drcat

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Sounds like a dry food. Change (gradually) to wet food. It is 70%+ moisture, compared to dry food 10% moisture. So dry food much more energy dense. Wet food will fill the tummy but has less calories, so cat will not feel so hungry. Try to go for good quality high protein grain free food. Cats have high protein requirements and this will help their metabolism. Don't go for 'lite' or 'weight loss' varieties. They have too much grain in them. And play with your cats! They need exercise as well. Get toys they like and spend time playing with them every day. Good luck!
 

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I have tried switching to wet before and it did not work out because my male is very resistant and I gave in easily to his whines. What are some tricks to switching a dry food addict to canned? Does FortiFlora really work as an attractant?
Try soaking the dog food. In water initially. Not for long to start with, make the water lukewarm. If he takes this, gradually increase water, and then try a bit of chicken water or tuna water. Same process, a small amount to start, warmish. This should be a very slow process, it can take months with some cats. If he takes the tuna water say, then after some time try a couple of pieces of food in with the kibble (on top often) If at any stage you have a setback, start from the beginning. The biggest thing is patience! :-)
 
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