Rationing food

oscarsmommy

oscarsmommy

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Oscar has been eating a lot lately. He's getting quite heavy for a cat and we thought we might try rationing his food, instead of free-feeding. He eats when he's bored or hungry or sleepy or....let's just say he eats ALL THE TIME! What is the best way to stop free-feeding so he doesn't cry all the time for food?

Everytime we go into the kitchen, he cries and as soon as we put food in his dish, he stops crying. All he does is lay around.....and eat more! Please help!
 
emb_78

emb_78

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Honestly...I think he may cry all the time for awhile...He is used to it always being there!! Don't give in He isn't starving!!!
 
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oscarsmommy

oscarsmommy

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Originally Posted by emb_78

Honestly...I think he may cry all the time for awhile...He is used to it always being there!! Don't give in He isn't starving!!!
Click to expand...
How can we get him to lose weight though?
 
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bigkittendaddy

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Less food + More exercise = weight loss it is a proven formula

You just have to get him to play a bit or put his food up a flight of stairs or something like thet.
 
sharky

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What food is Oscar currently eating??
 
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oscarsmommy

oscarsmommy

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Originally Posted by sharky


What food is Oscar currently eating??
Click to expand...
Purina One Indoor Formula.

We've tried getting him to play and he will for like two seconds and then stops. We live in an apartment so we can't put his food by stairs
Unfortunately but that is a good idea!
 
pat

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Do you have a cat tree? You could place his food bowl up atop the tree so he has to climb up to it. Or up on a bathroom counter? so he has to jump up to get to it.

Try taking the amount of food recommended for the weight he is now, lessen it slightly, and divide the amount into two daily feedings.
Schedule a daily play session..if he's a run and catcher, use a small ball toy and play toss with him, if he loves to chase feathers or other pretty wand toys, use a wand toy to get him chasing and running.
Consider having, if you do not already, toys that he can bat and run after.

Consider building him a busy box (or you can buy a toy such as the Peek-A-Prize box) using cardboard, cutting out circles so he can insert a paw to bat after a catnip soaked mouse, or a ping pong ball.

Buy one of the treat dispensing balls..only put in a few pieces of either a quality simply protein treat, or a few pieces of his food, this way, he has to work to get the treat.

You may also want to consider switching to a lite food - Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Weight Management food is what I use with my guys, it's higher in fiber, lower in fat than the regular formulas. There are other quality lite foods out there as well.

hth,
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Do you have a cat tree? You could place his food bowl up atop the tree so he has to climb up to it. Or up on a bathroom counter? so he has to jump up to get to it.

Try taking the amount of food recommended for the weight he is now, lessen it slightly, and divide the amount into two daily feedings.
Schedule a daily play session..if he's a run and catcher, use a small ball toy and play toss with him, if he loves to chase feathers or other pretty wand toys, use a wand toy to get him chasing and running.
Consider having, if you do not already, toys that he can bat and run after.

Consider building him a busy box (or you can buy a toy such as the Peek-A-Prize box) using cardboard, cutting out circles so he can insert a paw to bat after a catnip soaked mouse, or a ping pong ball.

Buy one of the treat dispensing balls..only put in a few pieces of either a quality simply protein treat, or a few pieces of his food, this way, he has to work to get the treat.

You may also want to consider switching to a lite food - Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Weight Management food is what I use with my guys, it's higher in fiber, lower in fat than the regular formulas. There are other quality lite foods out there as well.

hth,
Click to expand...

try the indoor wt mgmt.. and puhaps make a game of chase with some kibble
 
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oscarsmommy

oscarsmommy

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Ok thanks, guys! At this point we will try anything. I've never heard of a Peek-a-Prize box. What a good idea!
 
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luvmy4cats

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I switched all four of my cats to "Light" food. I wasn't sure if they would go for it or not (all four are very picky eaters). With the light food they can still eat the same amount of food they're used to (it just doesn't have as much fat & calories). My four cats are all indoor only. I think that's the reason they were all getting so fat! They don't run around outside hunting for their food (they just lay around inside waiting to be fed!) I've only been using the light food for a couple of months, but can already see a difference in my cat's weights. One of my cats had to go to the vet last week and she had lost .50# since she was there last. I know .50# doesn't sound like a lot, but she only weighed 10.5# to begin with. She should probably weigh about 9# to be at her ideal weight. Slow, gradual weight loss is better for them too.
 
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