suggestions vs vet's reco.

Hello all,
I've been a member since 2008 I believe and I learn something every time I log on. Glad to see the group still together after all this time.

My vet states my one male cat is 1.5lbs overweight last February
My other cat is on point to where she should be. Both will be 8 years old in February.

Vet suggested feeding each cat about 6oz a day each of wet food and 4 oz of dry food each instead of filling the bowl and calling it a day. And getting a drinking fountain which I had... but I upgraded to the stainless steel drink well 360 last year and love it.

My cats were eating wet food prior to his suggestion but 3oz each a day and 8oz of dry food. So I followed his advice for about 8 months and both cats have remained the same.

My issue lies in what my cats will actually eat. They have been comfortable eating recently 4 oz each at their morning feeding and won't finish it off until late afternoon. Ill then feed them 3oz each of wet food for dinner which they normally devour by then. So after 90days both cats still remain the same!!!! Looking for advice, I'd like to try something else but my vet was sticking with his suggestion. I mean with less food they STILL won't lose weight. They get plenty of exercise too via string toys, kitty kong, cat nip toy, cat trees etc.

I feel like my male cat has more muscle to.his build but my guests are now telling me my cat is fat as well.

Been using purina weight control or indoor cat formulas and typically fancy feast or pro plans weight management for wet food.... haven't been consistent with the actual formulas though.

Suggestions???


Thanks tcs!!!!

I heard from several sources that "weight management" or "indoor" food doesn't work very well. It didn't work for my cat, either. I don't have a suggestion but would like to know what others say. 

I'm just confused more so because even with less food I'm stuck with the same results.... although they still seem happy. And treats are given sporadically. Not starving or overfeeding them that I can see. They do take in a ton of water.

Have you thought about switching brands of food? Some more high protein, and grain free brands? I've also heard that "weight loss" and "indoor" formulas are just for marketing purposes, and don't really work.

Honestly, I'd be counting calories. I think it's 20-30 calories per pound of weight. If you're starting to count, don't cut calories drastically, but slowly over time has to not shock their systems.

Did the vet mention a target caloric intake for each cat? It doesn't really make sense to say "6 ounces of canned and 4 ounces of dry" because there could be way more calories in one kind of food vs another kind. But that's a lot of food anyway. 4 ounces of kibble is usually one cup so that PLUS 6 ounces of canned food would be more food than most cats could eat.

No mention of calorie intake... which as a health enthusiast and obstacle Course racer/runner, I'd be really good at figuring calorie intake. They currently take In 3 oz can of wet and 4 oz of dry each daily.

Maybe a lower calorie mix of each would be good but calorie counting would be a awesome idea. Not sure why I haven't even considered that. Researching now....

Nora1 said:

Have you thought about switching brands of food? Some more high protein, and grain free brands? I've also heard that "weight loss" and "indoor" formulas are just for marketing purposes, and don't really work.

Honestly, I'd be counting calories. I think it's 20-30 calories per pound of weight. If you're starting to count, don't cut calories drastically, but slowly over time has to not shock their systems.

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I agree with Nora1 and @ankitty about the weight loss formulas: they didn't work for our previous cat, either. I wish I knew then what I know now: a lot of those foods are higher in carbs and lower in protein than cats, particularly dieting cats, need, and they often contain lots of non-meat ingredients that their bodies just don't process well. Cats need meat-based proteins. If I'd known then what I know now, I would have put our cat on a diet of just wet foods (canned and raw) without any grains, potato, peas, or carby thickeners like tapioca. You said you're feeding Fancy Feast, @ronnycage, and their Classics, the pates, are a very decent start.

I'm a huge fan of Dr. Lisa Pierson and her site Catinfo.org, which includes pages about cat obesity, calories, and various diet-related health issues. It's tremendously informative. Dr. Pierson also has a chart of hundreds of canned foods that shows calories and carb contents. It's a bit overwhelming at first but it all starts to make sense over time. You can really see the huge differences in calories between various types of cans!

Good luck, ronnycage!

Continue to feed wet food but try one with lower carbohydrates and higher protein.  Purina usually has high carbs. Try Wellness Core or Go!  It would be cool if you could use a body fat scale on cats to see the ratio of muscle to fat to water weight.  If your cat doesn't have a noticeable waist from the top view or her belly doesn't tuck in, then she is likely overweight.  If you run your hands over her sides, can you feel the bones of her ribs?  There should only be a slight layer of fat but you should be able to feel the bones without having to press. Good luck!  I wish I was as disciplined as you with my own weight!