Need help with weight loss.. again

I switched my cats to an all canned diet April 20th. 

Simba started at 20lbs

Pumpkin started at 16lbs

On June 12th:

Simba weighed in at 17.2lbs

Pumpkin at 15.8lbs

Today:

Simba 17.4lbs

Pumpkin 16lbs

Their canned food is ~180 cals and they are each getting 1 can each split between 4 meals.

I don't understand what's happening here. Can someone give me some direction?

What brand/type of food is it? Perhaps it is high in carbs. Although wet food is lower carb than dry, some of them do have quite a bit of carbs. In general gravy type foods will have more carbs.

Friskies pate.

According to catinfo.org:

Mixed Grill: P-45, F-23, C- 12

Turkey and Giblets: P-45, F-23, C-9

 (dry matter)

The 12th was only a few days ago and with that kind of increase I'd be more likely to chalk it up to more food in the stomach when weighted, full bowels or bladder, ect as the reason for the increase, rather than "they're gaining weight". Maybe throw in an extra play session for good measure though?

That's an excellent point! At the time I weighed them, they had already had two feedings. I will weigh them in the morning.

Got better readings today.

Simba 17.2

Pumpkin 15.8

If Pumpkin has only lost .2lbs in 2 months, does that mean her calories need to be cut, or am I expecting too much?

Also, it may help to take pictures along the way to help you measure progress.  Muscle weigh more than fat, and a better diet may make them more active and pack on some muscle. 

They aren't losing as quickly anymore. Pumpkin still hasn't even lost a lb yet after 3 months. What can I do to get them out of an apparent rut? They are still at 180cals, doesn't seem like I should go any lower at their sizes.. 

A couple of suggestions: 1) increase play time to get them to exercise more 2) feast or famine - feed the same number of calories over a length of time but vary the calories to be either less or more than the usual. The second is supposed to help metabolism changes.

vball91 said:

A couple of suggestions: 1) increase play time to get them to exercise more 2) feast or famine - feed the same number of calories over a length of time but vary the calories to be either less or more than the usual. The second is supposed to help metabolism changes.

Click to expand...

I was just going to mention this. With humans if you dont eat enough. It slows your metabolism. Wasnt sure if it works with cats too.

vball91 said:

A couple of suggestions: 1) increase play time to get them to exercise more 2) feast or famine - feed the same number of calories over a length of time but vary the calories to be either less or more than the usual. The second is supposed to help metabolism changes.

Click to expand...

Does this mean feed a different number of calories each day?

At their size, 180 calories may be too low. It could be slowing down their metabolism and preventing weight loss. Maybe try feeding a little more and see if it makes a difference either way. They might initially gain, but then lose more as their metabolism gets back to normal.

Agreed - Mo is 10lbs and he gets 300 calories a day, but Dr. Pierson's general weight loss formula is 13.6 * ideal weight in lbs + 70. Even if your cats' ideal weight was 10lbs, that's still around 206 calories so 180 is a bit low, especially if they're as big as 15lbs right now. You can keep their calorie count the same or higher and make them more active. If you can get them to chase something, this is something that works really well here. I can get Kismet running the length of the apartment to chase straws, or running all over the apartment chasing me/me chasing her. Some cats love being chased by their people, and others not so much though.

I think I may try 225 calories + Da Bird