I took Bickford for his annual checkup yesterday and he tipped the scale at 20 lbs. He's a Maine Coon cross, so he should be large but not that large. He's also quite the little piglet when it come to food to the point where he sometimes tries to scare Bob off when I feed them their wet food. I free feed dry (Royal Canin 27 Indoor) and wet 2x per day (Meow Mix Market Selects). The vet suggested going to the lite version of the dry and cutting back the amount (or not free feeding at all). What has been anyone else's experience with changing feeding patterns and fat cats? The last thing I want is a grouchy cat!
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Bickford needs to lose weight
- Thread starter bob'smom
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Stop the free feeding and actually find a higher protein and fat dry if you have to feed dry
Personally i would get a dry with higher protein and fat plus increase the wet to 3x if possible and decrease the dry accordingly... i think the beauty fit RC looks good
Personally i would get a dry with higher protein and fat plus increase the wet to 3x if possible and decrease the dry accordingly... i think the beauty fit RC looks good
Do not feed the lite version of the food, most cats do not lose weight on it.
Find a high protein dry if you are feeding dry, and measure the amount daily.
Speak to your vet, work out how many cals per day he should be getting, work out how much is in the wet (is that 2 pouches for him or 1 pouch over two feedings?) and then work out how much dry you can feed for the remaining cals
Also set some time each day to play with Bickford so he gets some extra exercise.
Find a high protein dry if you are feeding dry, and measure the amount daily.
Speak to your vet, work out how many cals per day he should be getting, work out how much is in the wet (is that 2 pouches for him or 1 pouch over two feedings?) and then work out how much dry you can feed for the remaining cals
Also set some time each day to play with Bickford so he gets some extra exercise.
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- #4
It's two pouches of wet per day for each cat (one in the morning and one at night). Bob can stand to lose some weight as well. Bickford doesn't seem to be interested when I pull out the toys but I keep trying to play with him.
Good luck with the weight loss, I agree with feeding mainly wet and cutting back on the dry, plus not free feeding. You could also try making him work for his dry food.
With two pouches you may be over feeding with the dry, work out how much he should be allowed (calorie wise) and just feed that and he should lose some.
Any activity is better than none. When we first got Scully I used to chase him with the 'vacuum monster' to get him moving
Any activity is better than none. When we first got Scully I used to chase him with the 'vacuum monster' to get him moving
I agree with the suggestions re. the increased wet, decreased dry, and eliminating free feeding.
I recently did away with free feeding, and have almost all my cats on a kibble-free diet now. They are noticeably more active...although my chubby cat's new "activity" is pacing in the kitchen. He'll get used to it...at least it burns some calories.
He's lost 1/4lb in the 2 weeks with the new diet...it's not much, but it's not safe for a cat to lose lbs quickly anyway.
They use to snack when they were bored...now they have more reason to do something *else*...anything else.
Good luck with Bickford!
I recently did away with free feeding, and have almost all my cats on a kibble-free diet now. They are noticeably more active...although my chubby cat's new "activity" is pacing in the kitchen. He'll get used to it...at least it burns some calories.
They use to snack when they were bored...now they have more reason to do something *else*...anything else.
Good luck with Bickford!
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- #8
I took up the dry food overnight and measured it out this morning. Bickford shot me a dirty look
! Both cats were also mad because the wet food I fed this morning was not their favorite flavor. (I buy the 12 pack boxes of Meow Mix Market Select, and there's a flavor or 2 they dislike in either set.) I think they'll get over it but it should be interesting for the next few weeks.
Bailey tipped the scales at 30 pounds 14 ounces earlier this year, but in the past had been closer to 31 pounds! He had surgery in February and was diagnosed with IBD and obesity.
When he was younger, I free fed dry which got his weight problem started. He's not a Maine Coon, but he is a huge cat . . . the biggest I've ever seen. I quit free feeding several years ago but continued to feed both canned and dry lite food but could never get him to lose any weight.
After his diagnosis of IBD, he was put on Royal Canin/Waltham canned rabbit and green pea and I was told to feed him 1 1/3 cans a day. When he came home after his surgery, he weighed right around 28 pounds 5 ounces and as of this morning, he's down to 27 pounds 8 ounces.
The rabbit isn't a low-calorie food, but now he's not getting any dry at all and only a measured amount a day and this time it's working!
Bailey was never getting very much dry, maybe only 1/2 cup a day, but the carbs made such a huge difference!
If I were you, I'd talk to your vet or the cat food manufacturer to get an amount Bickford needs to eat in a day and feed him only that amount, and I'm learning (slowly) that it's much easier to get them to lose weight on wet rather than dry food.
When he was younger, I free fed dry which got his weight problem started. He's not a Maine Coon, but he is a huge cat . . . the biggest I've ever seen. I quit free feeding several years ago but continued to feed both canned and dry lite food but could never get him to lose any weight.
After his diagnosis of IBD, he was put on Royal Canin/Waltham canned rabbit and green pea and I was told to feed him 1 1/3 cans a day. When he came home after his surgery, he weighed right around 28 pounds 5 ounces and as of this morning, he's down to 27 pounds 8 ounces.
The rabbit isn't a low-calorie food, but now he's not getting any dry at all and only a measured amount a day and this time it's working!
If I were you, I'd talk to your vet or the cat food manufacturer to get an amount Bickford needs to eat in a day and feed him only that amount, and I'm learning (slowly) that it's much easier to get them to lose weight on wet rather than dry food.
