A Chubby Coral

[edenandcoral723]

Hey, guys! So a small issue has been going on in the Casa de Coral.

My calico Coral is 2 years old. Her diet consists of two cans of Fancy Feast and a full bowl of Meow Mix (From what I heard, those are the McDonalds of cat food). Since we adopted her, Coral has put on a few pounds. Now, she's between 9.5-11 pounds.

My mom figures it's because I feed her too much canned food throughout the day, and she thinks she should be fed strictly kibble. However, I know that a diet of nothing but kibble is actually worse for her. 

As far as exercise goes, I play with her for about an hour a day (15 minute playtime sessions four different times, usually with her laser pointer or Cat Dancer toys). I wonder if that's enough exercise for her.

Honestly, as long as my Coral doesn't have any risks of diseases, I don't care if she's a little chubby. But are there any things i should probably look out for, or any action I should take? 

Thanks everyone!

 

[pinkdagger]

A full bowl of Meow Mix? That sounds like a lot, especially with two cans of Fancy Feast. According to this page of calorie counts for popular wet foods, one can of Fancy Feast is between 70 and 105 calories depending on the recipe. If you refer to (which I highly suggest - very interesting read) Dr. Pierson's page on overweight pets you can use the second method to calculate a good caloric intake for your Coral very easily. Let's say completely hypothetically (I don't know how big she is or what her build is like) that you want her to be 8lbs - the calculation Dr. Pierson suggests is 13.6 * optimal body weight in lbs + 70 - so 13.6 * 8 + 70 = 178.8 calories/day. If Coral eats two cans a day, and let's assume they're the in between recipes that are around 80 calories per 3oz can, she'd be getting ~160 calories already.

Now add in the Meow Mix - dry food caloric count per cup can be found here - the original formula is 360 calories per cup. If she gets even half a cup of that, since we don't know the size of her bowl and whether she licks it clean everyday or not, she could be getting 180 calories, which is like 160 calories more than she needs based on the hypothetical calculations above.

Calories aside for a moment, Meow Mix is loaded with corn, corn gluten (first two ingredients), followed shortly by soybean meal. I would sooner scrap the Meow Mix entirely, or find a higher quality kibble to feed less of if you or your mother want to supplement her wet meals. I've found corn-based foods have left cats hungrier, so they return to the bowl more often and poop more often because the "nutrients" in those foods aren't actually being absorbed and used in the cat's body. It's in one end and out the other. Plus, if she's eating a ton, all the play in the world won't combat it, and it gets harder to play as enthusiastically if she ends up getting too heavy. We have straws, balls, and black licorices that we toss and have our cats chase too - that can get them running the apartment end to end.

My cats get two wet meals a day, but they need a snack before bed or they'll be crying at 5am. I have this rolling Kong toy that I put 10-15 kibble in and let the cats roll it around when I go to bed, so they get to play and forage a bit. I've had to reinforce it with some extra obstacles to keep all the kibble from falling out at once, but it gets them active and they get rewarded for their efforts.

I would suggest asking your vet for their opinion too, since weight can vary so much based on the individual cat. It's generally safer to make diet and health changes under their supervision to ensure it's done in a safe and effective way for your specific cat too. Coral may not be at immediate risk, but if she stays overweight and continues to gain weight, such as on a higher kibble diet, it will definitely increase the risk of health issues. Only you can prevent forest fires your vet can tell you what kind of health Coral has and will face in her current state.

Good luck!

 

[Willowy]

Wow, at her size she should only need the 2 cans of Fancy Feast; any dry food would just be extra calories. I would expect her to be pretty fat by now! Yes, if you're going to cut out anything, make it the dry food. If you want to feed any dry food, it would be a good idea to get something higher quality; Meow Mix is one of the lowest-quality kibbles available. Something with meat as the first ingredient would be best .

 

[autumnrose74]

 
Hey, guys! So a small issue has been going on in the Casa de Coral.

My calico Coral is 2 years old. Her diet consists of two cans of Fancy Feast and a full bowl of Meow Mix (From what I heard, those are the McDonalds of cat food). Since we adopted her, Coral has put on a few pounds. Now, she's between 9.5-11 pounds.

My mom figures it's because I feed her too much canned food throughout the day, and she thinks she should be fed strictly kibble. However, I know that a diet of nothing but kibble is actually worse for her. 

As far as exercise goes, I play with her for about an hour a day (15 minute playtime sessions four different times, usually with her laser pointer or Cat Dancer toys). I wonder if that's enough exercise for her.

Honestly, as long as my Coral doesn't have any risks of diseases, I don't care if she's a little chubby. But are there any things i should probably look out for, or any action I should take? 

Thanks everyone!

Ix-nay on the Meow Mix. That food is nothing but junk. Yellow corn is the first ingredient listed on the flavors I have looked at (for another thread where the OP was feeding MM). Cats should not be fed any dry food, as dry food often plays a role in causing ailments like obesity, diabetes, FLUTD, constipation, and IBD. It does not replicate their natural diet whatsoever as far as much-needed moisture content, animal protein, and low-to-zero carb content.

Fancy Feast Classics are actually pretty good foods - low carb, and grain free. I feed my own cat the Classics, NON-FISH flavors, plus I don't give her the Tender Beef Feast either because that has fish listed. Their Chunky, Sliced and Gravy flavors have wheat gluten, which is another ingredient to avoid.

Canned food is generally head and shoulders above kibble, due to higher moisture content, the protein sources are more likely to be animal instead of plant, and (Science Diet being the exception) low in carbs.

And cats are not supposed to be fat, or even chubby. Find out her optimal weight (your vet would be a good person to ask), and then try to get her down to that and then maintain it. Cats carrying too much weight are at risk of arthritis, joint problems, plus they often cannot clean themselves and start butt-scooting in order to compensate.

http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity - This is a section from an excellent site on feline nutrition. This link deals just with weight issues, but the entire site is a must-read if you haven't already read it before.

 

[edenandcoral723]

Wow, thanks guys! 

 Your answers have helped a lot!

I think that it's unanimous that the Meow Mix is out like last season's turtleneck, so I'll cut that out of her diet immediately. I'll schedule a vet visit to see if there's anything else I need to consider. Coral agrees with this too, as she only eats half of the dry food I give to her anyways. :') 

Another thing, do the times I feed her make a difference? I feed Coral her canned food in the morning before I leave to school, and in the afternoon when I come back (or between 12-4 PM on a day off). 

Once again, thanks for everything! 

 

[pinkdagger]

Anytime!

If you're cutting out kibble as a supplement completely, you may want to space her feedings apart more if you can. If she has no kibble to pick at throughout the day when she doesn't have food, it'll be an adjustment for her. I prefer to feed two meals roughly 12 hours apart, but it's not a hard and fast rule because the hour or two extra in between won't kill them.. they might just circle us in the kitchen and whine. I do one in the morning (between 6am and 9am) and one around dinner time, though dinner can range anywhere between 5pm and 10pm. Then a bit of supplementary kibble anywhere between 10pm and 12am. You can check this out if you want some tips to transitioning to just a few wet meals:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

 

[Willowy]

I like to do 3 meals a day, but this may be less convenient because you'll have to split the cans instead of just opening one can per meal :/. But if you want to do that, you can feed her in the morning, when you get home from school, and at bedtime.

If you do just 2 meals a day, try to space them fairly evenly so she doesn't get too hungry.

 

[autumnrose74]

It doesn't kill them, but boy, if I'm late getting home from work I get "yelled" at! ;-) Sweet girl like Shelly... such language she uses!