Help us with our weight problem! Please.

Duke is about 4-5 yrs., NOT a kitten. He is wonderful, but very overweight. Last month the vet did not seem distressed, but suggested feeding less or 'lite' food, and said he needed to lose about 5 lbs.

I had been feeding him: 1/4 cup of dry Innova Evo in the mornings and evenings; 1/4 can Innova wet in the evenings (the Innova wet is a total can of 5.5 oz, so he was getting 1/4 that per day). And then he always wanted more, so I usually gave him another (extra, usually in the evenings) 1/4 cup of the dry. If I fed him less than the total of 1/4 can wet and 1/2-3/4 cups of dry, he complained A LOT.

I recently read, I think, that wet food can help with weight loss and might be all around better due to lack of grains. So, I have started him exclusively on wet. But, I don't know how much to feed him.

He's now up to 1/2 can of Innova in the morning and 1/2 in the evening (total of 5.5 oz. per day). Is this enough, too much, not enough????? (He doesn't seem to be missing the dry, but sometimes wants a little more wet.)

He actually weighed 23.75 lbs. at the vet! He is pretty active and lively and jumps and runs and plays, as well as sleeps, of course . But clearly he is very overweight, so I'm concerned. I've had him for 6 mos., and he came to me this way! (He had been eating Friskies and some other kind of dry)

We definitely need some help and will appreciate anyone's input/ideas. Thank you.

I have two overweight males. One has lost weight on a wet food only diet, the other one pinches food, and is less active so being on Senior food (less calories) hasn't made that much difference to him, but he has finally started losing weight. I am in the UK though, and our tins are in grams - if it helps, my vet has suggested putting him on 1/2 a tin (200g) a day - however, he scavenges a lot when he is given that amount, so he is now getting 20g of Senior dry food in the evening to try and help that, and I also try and split his intake into more meals so he thinks he is getting more than he is. Maybe ask your vet how much he thinks he should have?

I think that you've done the right thing to take him off the dry food. If you read the side of the can, what does it say? The 5.5 oz can I have (different brand) says to feed 1 can per 8 lbs of body weight. I would say that you should decide what his ideal weight is 18 lbs? (That still seems kind of heavy...) And then feed according to ideal body weight, not actual weight. So with the brand I checked, you would feed about 2 cans a day. (Obviously your brand would be different). Alot of senior or lite formulas just have more grains and such in them, and just like humans it really should be a matter of eating less of a food he really likes. Don't get discouraged, especially with cats, weight loss takes time!

I amvery interested in this. Both of my cats are males. Borh are big cats, according to the vet. They weigh 13-14 pounds each.
Shenandoah only likes wet food but will nibble a little dry if he is hungry enough. He really only likes Fancy Feast. I know, I know, but it's all he likes! He gets 1 1/2 cans a day. (the little wee cans)
Humble gets 2/3 cup of dry food a day. He eats Hill's Science Feline c/d dry food.

Did the vet say how long it would take your cat to lose weight?
Good luck; please keep us posted.

Thanks! Duke like wet and/or dry. He has no problem eating.

The vet said: If he were to lose 5 lbs in 2 years, it would be lucky.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

I think that you've done the right thing to take him off the dry food. If you read the side of the can, what does it say? The 5.5 oz can I have (different brand) says to feed 1 can per 8 lbs of body weight. I would say that you should decide what his ideal weight is 18 lbs? (That still seems kind of heavy...) And then feed according to ideal body weight, not actual weight. So with the brand I checked, you would feed about 2 cans a day. (Obviously your brand would be different). Alot of senior or lite formulas just have more grains and such in them, and just like humans it really should be a matter of eating less of a food he really likes. Don't get discouraged, especially with cats, weight loss takes time!

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Well, the Innova suggests 1 can per 7-11 lb. cat, if feeding canned exclusively. So, I guess I'm underfeeding him a bit thus far. He seems a little gripey, but not too bad. So, I'm just kind of feeling my way with it.

Thanks for your help!

Originally Posted by booktigger

I have two overweight males. One has lost weight on a wet food only diet, the other one pinches food, and is less active so being on Senior food (less calories) hasn't made that much difference to him, but he has finally started losing weight. I am in the UK though, and our tins are in grams - if it helps, my vet has suggested putting him on 1/2 a tin (200g) a day - however, he scavenges a lot when he is given that amount, so he is now getting 20g of Senior dry food in the evening to try and help that, and I also try and split his intake into more meals so he thinks he is getting more than he is. Maybe ask your vet how much he thinks he should have?

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Well, the Innova tin is 156 grams; and I've just been feeding him 1 can only for the past 2 days. Perhaps I should give him another half, as he seems a bit gripey and I don't want him to be uncomfortable and unhappy.

It's hard for me to tell because he loves to eat! I do split it into 2 and sometimes 3 meals. But, I need to get him to 2 meals only, morning and evening.

Thanks for your help!

Ok, so that is 2 1/2 pounds a year.

1 1/4 pounds in 6 months......

Thanks!
Kiss Duke for me. I bet he's a sweetie!

Originally Posted by Bunnyboy

Thanks! Duke like wet and/or dry. He has no problem eating.

The vet said: If he were to lose 5 lbs in 2 years, it would be lucky.

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You may want to try 1 1/2 cans, as if you try to get an obese cat to lose weight too fast it can be very damaging to their health. While people use fat storage when they don't eat enough, cats do not as much and use muscle mass, etc to make up for the difference. What you want to achieve is an effect where the cat has just enough food, so that they don't gain any more weight and slowly start to lose fat stores. Otherwise they can overload their kidneys and liver, since they aren't meant to metabolise extra fat.

Good luck!!! Duke does sound like a sweety!

Thanks! I'm going for 1.5 cans and see if it's better for him. He hasn't had any tummy problems from it yet...I'll continue to give him a few dry bits during adjustment.

I would go lousely by the can directions and give your vet a jingle...five lbs for a cat is significant I would be getting a second vet opinion as if kitty is 23lb s and should be 18 ... 1.8lbs for 10% body wt 3.6 for 20% so your kitty is close to 25% overwt and some would say obese and that needs a carefully guided wt lose by a qualified vet or other health care practitioner

Do your vets do a weight clinic? Mine do, and it is free, so I go at least twice a month with mine!! Tom has gone from 8.96kg to 7.34kg in7 months, and this has been under the vets supervision - don't know how much he has lost in lb. Although I have had to increase from the vets suggestion, so we will see in 2 weeks if it has been too much for him.

Originally Posted by sharky

I would go lousely by the can directions and give your vet a jingle...five lbs for a cat is significant I would be getting a second vet opinion as if kitty is 23lb s and should be 18 ... 1.8lbs for 10% body wt 3.6 for 20% so your kitty is close to 25% overwt and some would say obese and that needs a carefully guided wt lose by a qualified vet or other health care practitioner

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Thanks!
I am thinking I should seek a second opinion and get it right for him and be careful.

Originally Posted by booktigger

Do your vets do a weight clinic? Mine do, and it is free, so I go at least twice a month with mine!! Tom has gone from 8.96kg to 7.34kg in7 months, and this has been under the vets supervision - don't know how much he has lost in lb. Although I have had to increase from the vets suggestion, so we will see in 2 weeks if it has been too much for him.

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No weight clinic that I've found yet.
Did the vet change the kind of food or just the amount?
Thanks so much.

We have had a few diet issues with him, as the rescues vet put him on r/d, and then he developed crystals, so they put him on c/d - he didn't lose a lot of weight on either. My vet then said to feed him wet food only, and the rescue just provide supermarket brands, and he has lost over a kilo since then. Although the vet nurse, who does the weight clinics, and the vet both have different ideas of how much he should eat and what his target weight is!!

When we got Scully he was 33lbs (he is now down to 21lbs and could do with losing a little more but at his age I am not pushing it)

He was always hungry on wet so we switched him back to dry as it was easier to feed them all together. They get 1/2 cup of EVO each per day and generally have a little left over so they are not going hungry.

The amounts on the side of the cans are meant to be for weight maintenance, but none of us know your cat, I took the foods I was feeding with me to the vet and asked him how much I should feed.

Spend 30 mins a day playing with him to make him more active. Do not feed him light food, it (IMO) does not help and made one of mine gain a lot of weight that we are working hard to help him lose.

Check if any vets nearby run a weight clinic for cats, they are helpful and will give your cat regular checks if he is losing too much/too little and recommend changes tailored to you.

And don't let him lose too much weight too quickly that can also be really bad for cats

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

When we got Scully he was 33lbs (he is now down to 21lbs and could do with losing a little more but at his age I am not pushing it)

He was always hungry on wet so we switched him back to dry as it was easier to feed them all together. They get 1/2 cup of EVO each per day and generally have a little left over so they are not going hungry.

The amounts on the side of the cans are meant to be for weight maintenance, but none of us know your cat, I took the foods I was feeding with me to the vet and asked him how much I should feed.

Spend 30 mins a day playing with him to make him more active. Do not feed him light food, it (IMO) does not help and made one of mine gain a lot of weight that we are working hard to help him lose.

Check if any vets nearby run a weight clinic for cats, they are helpful and will give your cat regular checks if he is losing too much/too little and recommend changes tailored to you.

And don't let him lose too much weight too quickly that can also be really bad for cats

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Thank you so much for your response!
Duke seems much hungrier on the dry, even though he was getting Evo most of the time, and regular Innova part of the time, and Lite Innova part of the time. He always wanted more and more.
So, I am trying the wet, and he seems good with it, so far.....

We do play, and he's fairly active, especially around 4 a.m.! When I take him to the vet, I'll take the foods and see what the vet says. But, I shouldn't be going for a while as he was just there for a checkup.

I have to admit that I am relieved that someone has/had a cat weighing more than Duke. I was beginning to worry that he was almost the biggest cat ever!

I forgot to tell you that I did try to downsize Duke's amount of Innova Dry from 3/4 cup per day to 1/2 cup, but he was always hungry and meowing. I would usually have to give him 3/4 cup over a 24 hr period, and he was not losing any weight.

Now that we've started the Wet only Innova, he seems much more satisfied, and he even leaves some part of the time. It's still day by day, of course. I have hopes!

One thing about the dry food...
If you do feed it as a snack, here is an idea that I am totally plagiarizing from someone else on the board.
You could throw the pieces one at a time, so he has to run after them a little. Zissou is skinny, but she loves this game anyway. I throw them down the hall, and she runs, eats it, and then comes back towards me so I throw another. When she was sick and wouldn't eat, I got her to eat a little bit this way.
Obviously this doesn't work with wet!
Definitely agree with the exercise idea. If you don't want to do it with food, get him to play fetch, He might not do it like a dog, you may have to go over and pick it up and throw the toy each time without him bringing it back, but its fun!