1 obese cat out of 5

Hi everybody, it's a long time I don't post but I always keep an eye on you ;-)
Now I'd like to get your advice on my obese cat.
I have 5 female cats and I give them dry food. I leave it there so they can eat small amounts whenever they want, which is also great for me. The 3 older ones (3,5 years) have always been able to self-administer their food without getting fat, while Ginevra, one of the 2 younger cats (1,5 years) simply never has enough. Her sister is long and skinny, while she is resembling more and more a sphere.
I tried giving all of them a smaller total amount of food per day and changing their usual food with the same brand's "light" version: only result was that the normal weight cats got skinnier, and Ginevra kept putting up weight (6,5 kg now and she is no big cat).
If she was simply a fat cat who enjoys food I wouldn't worry too much, but in the last few months she gained 100 grams each week!! And she feeds on so-called light food!! I don't think she has any metabolic disease... though I will certainly need to take her to the vet sooner or later.
The real problem is how to feed her separately. Now I'm putting her alone in a closed room and give free food to the others at night, and during the day I keep them all together and basically don't give them anything. The others complain, but I don't want to close her up for too long - when she is alone she is also less active, while usually she plays a lot with the other cats.
Last but not least, after two weeks at 60 grams of light dry food per day, she is exactly the same weight as before. I don't want her to lose weight too fast, but I wonder if the amounts written on food boxes are reliable or should be further reduced. At least she stopped putting up weight!
How do owners of several cats feed each of them the right food? Each cat has their own needs, but I don't want to feed them only twice a day, having to set fixed feeding hours and close them in separate rooms so that each of them eats their own special food. It's quite depressing... :-( Ginevra is becoming a real problem in my little cat community - though I love her a lot I must say.
Any advice will be welcome!
Thank you for reading such a long message.

:bump:

Oh boy, the dilemna of a single fat cat of many. I was able to get my Pinky to drop weight but only after a lot of struggle. I now have an 18 month old that is getting very portly and am struggling with him also.

What worked for me with Pinky and I've got Spanky started on the same routine: Get as much exercise time as possible - I play with him with cat wands, play chase with him throughout the house, reinforce the attraction to the cat condos (climbing up and down all day is a form of exercise). I have a 2 story house and put the food upstairs so he has to climb up and down all day. To his benefit, Spanky plays a lot with the other cats in the house so I am hoping that will help him also.

For feeding, I have such a mixed age range in my household (15 months to 17 years) that I can't free feed them with light food. I do free feed them dry food, and use a general adult cat formula. But once a day, when I do give them their added canned food, I give the big boys less food (a teaspoon each), and if they show signs of eating out of other's bowls, I separate them into closed door rooms. The big boys do not get extra treats ever.

It's a long slow process but I was able to get Pinky to lose 2 pounds (16 pounds to 14 pounds) over the course of a year. Spanky just hit 16 pounds and is too young to be that large so we are working him right now.

You are definately not alone in this one! I also have 1 fatty, 1 overweight and 2 skinny kitties. I used to free feed but since Katy has come along this is totally out of the question as she would just sit and eat until it had all gone. My other probem is that Tulip and Dirt are snack and go feeders, a little bit now, a little bit later that sort of thing. They NEVER eat their dinners at one sitting. Mischa will just bully everyone into giving up their food. My solution has been 'time'. I have to take 1/2 hour out at feeding time and sit a watch them all. Since Mischa was diagnosed with diabetes it has been easier to do this as I have to watch that she eats (hah!). Mischa and Katy are on Hills m/d little tins. they have 1/2 a little tin each for breakfast and the other half in the evening. This has DEFINATELY made some headway into Katys weight - she is 19lb and steadily getting less. Tulip and Dirt get fed Hills dried upstairs - I can leave them alone with this but have to watch the other two. They know this and when the bowls come out the rush upstairs which is good. If they have not finished by the time the fat pair have i take it up and feed them when they want it. (I have pockets of dried kibble - a nightmare in the washing machine) Locking them in seperate rooms never works for us. Having to get up earlier is a pain but i have learnt that for me/us it is the only way to regulate what each one eats. Exercise is next on the agenda but I think one thing at a time.
Good luck

I'd like to add that you should talk to your vet about a weight reduction plan before you start on one. The vet may not be able to give too much advice about the setup of your house and where you feed them, but can give you ideas on the best nutricianal approach to take.

I just heard from a family member who had their dog on a strict diet and he lost so much weight so fast that it nearly killed him. (He is finally at the vets for his new problems) Don't let that happen!!

Originally Posted by Momofmany

I'd like to add that you should talk to your vet about a weight reduction plan before you start on one.

I just heard from a family member who had their dog on a strict diet and he lost so much weight so fast that it nearly killed him. (He is finally at the vets for his new problems) Don't let that happen!!

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Thank you, definitely this won't happen, I keep monitoring her weight. Unfortunately the vet I loved just left the surgery...
By now I'm gradually switching Ginevra to wet food to see if it helps her reduce her calory intake without feeling too hungry - of course she adores it, while the others are absolutely indignant about this favouritism.
Anyway, she has such a strong personality that she would eat out all my wooden furniture before starving

Originally Posted by sinophilia

Thank you, definitely this won't happen, I keep monitoring her weight. Unfortunately the vet I loved just left the surgery...
By now I'm gradually switching Ginevra to wet food to see if it helps her reduce her calory intake without feeling too hungry - of course she adores it, while the others are absolutely indignant about this favouritism.
Anyway, she has such a strong personality that she would eat out all my wooden furniture before starving

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DRY FOOD - including the so called "light" food or even the dry food with the least amount of calories "RD" will not get a fat cat to lose weight! THIS is something I know personally! Dry food is full of corn and grains which are simply fillers and hold the dry food together.

Canned food is best for a cat and with a vet's help should reduce your fatty. NOW If I could just get mY fatties on canned!

Originally Posted by MyBabies

Canned food is best for a cat and with a vet's help should reduce your fatty. NOW If I could just get mY fatties on canned!

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You mean they don't like it?!? Sounds weird to me! Mine love it. Only, good quality canned food is so expensive compared to premium dry food, I just can't afford to feed 5 cats on that. For my fatty I try to buy cans that contain mainly fresh fish or meat but are still affordable... In the meanwhile I'm switching the others to a so-called "holistic" dry food made of biological meat and grains - it costs like Royal Canin's but I want to stop that as the company seems to be involved in vivisection...

Originally Posted by MyBabies

DRY FOOD - including the so called "light" food or even the dry food with the least amount of calories "RD" will not get a fat cat to lose weight! THIS is something I know personally! Dry food is full of corn and grains which are simply fillers and hold the dry food together.

Click to expand...

Dont I know it
Katy was r/d for over 12 MONTHS and never lost a lb. When we swapped vets cos of Mischa my new vet recomended m/d for her and fat katy. The dried m/d makes Mischa physically sick which I cant afford as she is on insulin. The canned m/d is going down really well in this household, thank goodness they like it as it is v.expensive. I think it is only wise to consult your vet over any weight loss consideration and have them monitor the cat.

I have a female cat that 2 years ago was 18lbs. Last year she was down to 15lbs - she looks really fat, but feels really light, it's weird. I can't wait to see what she weights in at this year.
Anyway, I talked to my vet about this - a fat cat that needs to lose weight and my new kitten and how to feed them was my dilemma. Her suggestion was to feed the kitten in a box that had a hole only big enough for the kitten to fit in. Worked great for a year, but now my kitten is over a year old and I want to get them on a schedule and eating the same food.
The kitten was on a free feed and my chunky female was on 1/4 cup of food 3 times a day. Now I want to get to feeding them at the same time, varying amounts. My younger kitty isn't overweight.
We make the chunky female jump up on a stand to get her food, that way the younger cat won't bother her while she's eating. My younger one never really refined the jumping skills that all other cats have....
Is it ok to feed both cats on lite food even though 1 isn't overweight?