Cal Natural for weight loss?

I currently have two hefty cats, one around 19 lbs (and has been.. for an incredibly long time). I recently switched to Innova Evo, hoping that a sort of 'catkins' approach would make the 19lb one lose weight when all else seemingly failed. I didn't realize how many calories were in it though, so even if I feed her 2/3 cup of food a day, she's still getting a whole lot of calories from it.

Cal natural chicken and rice though has 390kcal/cup (I think) which is almost the same as most lite foods, but still has a high protein/fat content.. Also no veggies that I feel weird feeding my cats. The 19lb cat also outright refuses to eat any sort of wet food (attempted that diet).. the most I can do is soak her dry food :| I also have a very hard time trying to excercize her, since she doesn't play much.

I guess I just need some advice or something

try wet food ... your kitty will fill up faster yet still get all the nutrients... I do like cal natural but think wet food would be better...

before evo what did you use??

How long on the Evo??? Cats should lose wt very gradual ...

It's been a little over a month on the evo, before that it was nutro indoor weightloss. I know I won't notice much in a month, but I also want to make sure she doesn't gain more weight while I'm trying to make her lose it. As I said earlier too, she absolutely refuses any and all wet food that I've tried to give her. I'm not sure she even considers it food. In fact, she won't even eat her dry food if it's even remotely close to the wet food.

Sorry I missed the wet food... Have you talked to your vet?? Have these cats always been heavy???

I would check with your vet, some cats are on the 'larger' side naturally, a vet can tell by their build.

As for the Evo, mine have done well losing weight on 3/4 cup each, and that is how much is recommended for a cat that size, you could feed a little less if she is quite inactive.

How much does the other one weigh?

One of mine doesn't like wet food either and the other one throws up if he eats it, so I am limited that way too.

It really doesn't matter how much per cup the food has because if you feed to little cals, there are health problems associated with it (esp liver problems) so you may just have to feed more of it to make up the right food amount for your cat which is why most people on here will recommend a vet visit.

One of mine (he was a whopping 33+lbs when we got him 2 years ago) has lost 11lbs on Evo and an exercise regime being fed 3/4 cup (which was morew when he was heavier). Try to get them to play for 15-30 mins twice a day. Buy or make some interactive toys, mine will chase me around for 10 mins for a shoelace so it doesn't have to be expensive.

According to my vet (and trust me all vets will tell you differently) a cat needs between 27-30 cals per lb per day for a maintenance diet so about 25 cals per lb for a 'diet'. Again this is just my vets recommedation and I know others say 30-40 cals per lb so check with your vet

Also, 1lb of weightloss is about 3500 cals so weightloss is VERY slow in cats as they shouldn't lose more than about 1/2lb a month if not being monitored by a vet.

My vet runs a 'chubbychub' clinic for pets on diets where he weighs and gives them a quick check over quickly every 2-4 weeks, its really cheap (and in some vets free) why don't you check to see if there is something like this in your area.

I would take her to a cat only vet we have in the area, but I definitely couldn't do it every 2-4 weeks. She does horribly in carriers, and has since she was a kitten. She's a long haired cat, and she ends up pissing/pooping all over herself everytime, then I have to bathe her.. and she's not too fond of that either. Ace doesn't even help :|

Her favorite toy is the laser I have, but she doesn't always feel like playing. She is 10 years old though, and had to have her entire uterus removed when I had her spayed (it was infected).

My other cat is 12-13 lbs, but she's active.

I would call your vet and discuss the wt loss ... At ten your kitty is a senior , has the senior blood panel been done in the last six months>?? I ask cause some senior issues can cause the "slow" down in activity... Once my girls kidney issues were dealt with ( not in the usual manner) her activity leval went back up she is nearly 18 and you cant tell her from a 5 or 6 yr old..

check around some vets make house calls and you may have better luck with that route