Feeding an Overweight Cat

I have two five-year-old cats--sisters from the same litter--and one is 18 pounds, and the other is 14. For the longest time they've been given dry food, which I'm recently finding out is much worse for them than I thought. They're both inside cats, and they aren't very active on their own (meaning I usually have to play with them to get them to move around, which I don't mind doing).

They love wet food, but I'm curious as to which brand of wet food (or what kind of food in general) is best for them. Also, how many times a day should they be fed? I'm assuming that that would depend on what kind of food they're given, how much, etc. and I've read that adult cats should be fed 1-2 times a day, but my small cat will sit by her bowl and cry all day until she's fed.

TJ119 said:

 
They love wet food, but I'm curious as to which brand of wet food (or what kind of food in general) is best for them. Also, how many times a day should they be fed? I'm assuming that that would depend on what kind of food they're given, how much, etc. and I've read that adult cats should be fed 1-2 times a day, but my small cat will sit by her bowl and cry all day until she's fed.

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Here's a good place to start reading: http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity

Brand doesn't really matter. Whatever brand your cats like to eat and you can afford is good Most poeple here recommend a grain-free brand. Some popular brands include Nature's Variety Instinct, Wellness, Fancy Feast Gourmet, and Blue Buffalo.

First determine how much your cats should ideally weigh. Then calculate out how many calories they would each need for that ideal body weight. It's generally recommended to feed approximately 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight per day. Once you know how many calories your cat should be eating, you can figure out how much food they should eat. Calorie content isn't listed on pet food labels but you can find out calorie content for many popular brands of food from this chart: http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf Most canned foods run under 100 calories per 5 oz can, less for 3 oz can and pouches.

How often to feed depends on the cat. Most cats do fine on 2 meals a day. Others may need a few small meals spread throughout the day.

If yoru cats need to lose a lot of weight, say the 18 pound cat needs to weight closer to 10 pounds, you need to slowly reduce the current calorie intake to avoid fatty liver disease.

I agree with @LTS3 about reading catinfo.org for great information about cat diet and obesity.

Beyond grain-free, I'd probably also suggest feeding foods with low carbohydrate levels: although lots of grain-free brands are low-carb, too, sometimes you have to watch out for starchy ingredients like potatoes, peas, and tapioca that add carb calories cats don't need. They need meat protein!

The food chart on catinfo.org has carbohydrate information along with calories and phosphorous. I follow Dr. Pierson's recommendation of feeding no more than 10% carbohydrates. Her charts aren't always completely up-to-date but they're still very helpful.

Good luck, @TJ119, and welcome to The Cat Site!