I'm hoping someone can give me some helpful advice, as I'm not sure what to do.
I've had Tigger for a few years, she was our only cat, not socialized with other animals, and was spayed. She came to us from a shelter and it was obvious she had been abused and was malnourished... it took us awhile to get her healthy, and then get her to trust us. So finally all was well with Tigger who was now a very happy indoor cat, although she was a little heavier than I would have liked (she had the tummy pouch I've seen frequently with spayed cats)
So last summer we decided to introduce a new kitten, Callie, into our home (female, spayed). Soon after, I noticed Tigger was starting to lose weight. But the two were running around a lot (compared to when Tigger was alone) so I figured that was the reason, and she looked healthier/leaner so I wasn't worried.
Now, months later, Tigger is still losing weight and Callie is gaining like crazy. She's not even a year old and she's got a big belly and she's heavier than Tigger now. I used to 'free feed' but now I feed morning and night and try to make sure that Tigger is eating and Callie's not bullying all the food. We're using an indoor cat Royal Canin dry food which Tigger has always loved (and she's extremely picky so it's very hard to find something she likes). We were feeding kitten food to Callie but stopped early because she was gaining so much weight. She's now eating the same food as Tigger.
Tigger is soooo skinny now! If this keeps up she'll look ill like she did when we got her. Both cats get physically sick and very stressed out when we take them in the car to the vet, so I don't want to do that if I don't have to (although they both have a checkup in a few months).
Has anyone had this type of problem and been able to balance things correctly? Callie needs to lose weight - I'm actually scared/embarrassed to go back to my vet... they saw her last when she was just a kitten, right after her spay. Now she's ballooned! And Tigger needs to gain weight. My husband and I work full time (and then some) and we're not here to watch them all the time, I'm not sure what to do.
Sorry for the long post. I hope someone has some insight.
I've had Tigger for a few years, she was our only cat, not socialized with other animals, and was spayed. She came to us from a shelter and it was obvious she had been abused and was malnourished... it took us awhile to get her healthy, and then get her to trust us. So finally all was well with Tigger who was now a very happy indoor cat, although she was a little heavier than I would have liked (she had the tummy pouch I've seen frequently with spayed cats)
So last summer we decided to introduce a new kitten, Callie, into our home (female, spayed). Soon after, I noticed Tigger was starting to lose weight. But the two were running around a lot (compared to when Tigger was alone) so I figured that was the reason, and she looked healthier/leaner so I wasn't worried.
Now, months later, Tigger is still losing weight and Callie is gaining like crazy. She's not even a year old and she's got a big belly and she's heavier than Tigger now. I used to 'free feed' but now I feed morning and night and try to make sure that Tigger is eating and Callie's not bullying all the food. We're using an indoor cat Royal Canin dry food which Tigger has always loved (and she's extremely picky so it's very hard to find something she likes). We were feeding kitten food to Callie but stopped early because she was gaining so much weight. She's now eating the same food as Tigger.
Tigger is soooo skinny now! If this keeps up she'll look ill like she did when we got her. Both cats get physically sick and very stressed out when we take them in the car to the vet, so I don't want to do that if I don't have to (although they both have a checkup in a few months).
Has anyone had this type of problem and been able to balance things correctly? Callie needs to lose weight - I'm actually scared/embarrassed to go back to my vet... they saw her last when she was just a kitten, right after her spay. Now she's ballooned! And Tigger needs to gain weight. My husband and I work full time (and then some) and we're not here to watch them all the time, I'm not sure what to do.
Sorry for the long post. I hope someone has some insight.