Cat needs a diet

[rfleming3719]

Hi everyone!

So I just took my one cat (Vinny) to the vet for his annual visit. He’s a bit of a shorter cat and he tipped the scales at 15 lbs. His brother (Artie) is a bit taller than he is and he’s only 11.5 lbs. The vet said Artie is the perfect weight but Vinny needs to lose some weight. Well how do I put Vinny on a diet without Artie being put on a diet as well? I currently give them each 1/4 of a 5.5 oz can of Wellness wet food in the morning and they each get 1/4 of the 5.5 oz can in the evening, so basically they split a 5.5 oz can of wet food per day. I also leave Weight Control dry food out for them all the time. How much food should an adult cat eat per day? It’s so difficult to separate them for feedings because neither one of them eat everything at one time, they are both grazers. I’m so confused on how to cut Vinny back but still make sure Artie is getting enough. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I’m attaching a picture of Vinny for reference. He’s still quite upset with me for taking him to the vet...silly boy!

Thank you!
Rhonda and Vinny

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Can you help Vinny to get more exercise?

One other thing that might help would be an auto feeder with a microchip setting that opens for Artie so he can get his kibble as normal, but you'd want to decrease Vinny's kibble I think. I've read a number of times that member's cats have lost weight gradually (which is the only safe way for a cat to lose) by eating canned food only/mostly.

How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat? – TheCatSite Articles

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Yes, in his case, exercise might be the key. If he's a couch potato, you might get him to follow you around by carrying his food dish all around the house (with food in it) . If you have stairs, all the better. AND, you might try tossing him pieces of kibble so he has to run for them, or get him a puzzle feeder (you can even make them) so he has to work for his dry food. My pudgy guy became an excellent outfielder when I started tossing his treats. And he seemed to really enjoy it. BUT, truly,the way I got him to lose weight was to put all four cats on scheduled wet only meals (from being free fed kibble) and then counted his calories. I still have to do that for him all these years later. It's my personal opinion that once a cat is overweight, they have a tendancy to return to that state if not kept "in line". Now that we're down to only two cats, I have to feed them in separate room, and I feed the skinny cat wherever I am, so I can keep an eye on his bowl. Otherwise the pudge will wander in and try to sneak some out of it

 

[catnpet]

It is very important to keep a cat at a healthy weight. For adult cats, fed them twice a day. Try wet and dry food both. Wet food in the morning and dry food in the evening. A healthy adult cat requires about 240 calories per day.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

It is very important to keep a cat at a healthy weight. For adult cats, fed them twice a day. Try wet and dry food both. Wet food in the morning and dry food in the evening. A healthy adult cat requires about 240 calories per day.

I don't mean to be argumentative, but you really should not make a blanket statement that "a healthy adult cat requires about 240 calories per day" as it depends on their breed, activity level, bone structure, etc. For instance, I have two male cats, both the same age, both healthy weights. One weighs 9 pounds, the other weighs 15 pounds. One is very long legged and the other is just very petite. So their caloric requirements are quite different.

AND, many people feed either dry or wet, or both. Not sure there is a right or wrong, but pretty much everyone thinks what they do is the right way Same with the number of meals fed. Some people just keep a bowl full of kibble out all the time, others feed scheduled meals ranging from two to four or five (or more). Nothing says any of them are right or wrong, it's all personal preference.

You are absolutely correct though, that is is very important to keep a cat t a healthy weight!

 

[catnpet]

I don't mean to be argumentative, but you really should not make a blanket statement that "a healthy adult cat requires about 240 calories per day" as it depends on their breed, activity level, bone structure, etc. For instance, I have two male cats, both the same age, both healthy weights. One weighs 9 pounds, the other weighs 15 pounds. One is very long legged and the other is just very petite. So their caloric requirements are quite different.

AND, many people feed either dry or wet, or both. Not sure there is a right or wrong, but pretty much everyone thinks what they do is the right way Same with the number of meals fed. Some people just keep a bowl full of kibble out all the time, others feed scheduled meals ranging from two to four or five (or more). Nothing says any of them are right or wrong, it's all personal preference.

You are absolutely correct though, that is is very important to keep a cat t a healthy weight!

Yes, I agree, the number of calories required varies according to breed and activity level. And yes, there is no right or wrong but there are advantages of both wet food and dry food.