Diet food for the fat cat!

[3catsn1dog]

The vet told me tonight that I should look for a high fiber low fat type food to put the cats on so Fatman can lose some weight. I dont want to rush it and make him lose a ton to fast because Im assuming like humans its bad for them to do that. But currently Im feeding TOTW with wet food in the mornings Fatman gets half a can and the other two get a quarter of a can which is enough for Herc and GiGi because they dont eat as much as Fatman. Anyone have any food reccomendations or is TOTW still ok for him to eat as long as he is getting measured feedings?

 

[carolina]

I would continue with TOTW, and reduce the qty, or change him to a completely wet diet, if you can afford it.

Weight loss cat foods are IMHO full of carb and junk, and I rather stay away from it.

 

[furryfriends50]

Also, how much should he wiegh and how active is he?

The bag is going to over exagerate the amount to feed...you need to figure it out by the calories instead.

 

[xocats]

What ever food you choose, you are wise to go slow with Fatman's weight loss plan.

I have found, it's best to do one change at a time.
That way, if something is not working, you can more easily isolate which thing is causing the problem.

Be strong in your resolve...
don't give in to "the stare" when Fatman wants more food.

Good luck.

 

[3catsn1dog]

Well the vet said that I should only need to feed him 1/3 cup of food twice a day and thats dry with one can of wet split per day until I can get him dropped down to half a can per day. But with him having a UTI I am going to stick with a can per day till I get his urine rechecked. But she flat out told me she didnt know enough about specific foods to recommend one to me but that she approves of the TOTW being good for him. She just said that she would like to see him lose atleast 4 lbs just to get him in a healthier range. As for active...this cat is the definition of LAZY the fastest Ive seen him run is when he hears the can open for food or a plastic bag get moved because he thinks its treats. Other than that he is sleeping he doesnt play with anything no toys except his random spurt to knock around an Auntie Em catnip buddy. He doesnt even like da bird he just glares at it to get out of his way. For right now Im going to stick with TOTW because it is good food for all three and I do have three to consider not just the porkchop. If it would ever become necessary I could isolate Fatman in the bathroom during feeding time to get him to eat his own special food. Im going to start looking into urinary tract type foods wet or dry to see if I can get him on something (mixed in taste) to help as a preventative.

 

[3catsn1dog]

Added as an after thought. I measured out into three dishes 1/3 cup of dry food for all three cats that way I knew there was enough for all three there and different dishes so they werent all trying to eat their share out of one dish. I also have started with tonights dinner adding a tablespoon of warm water to their wet food (for all three again) along with adding Fatmans antibiotics to his food. *The vet said it was ok to mix his into his wet food to get him to take it rather than using a syringe*

 

[momofmany]

If he's lazy by nature (and I have a few of those here), make him work for things. Put the water bowl up on something where he has to jump up and down for it. Ditto with food. See if you can entice him to play more with a wand toy. Put a cat condo by his favorite window so he has to climb up and down. And if you have more than one floor at your place, put water upstairs, food downstairs and make him climb those stairs!

For humans, diet and exercise are important. Don't forget the exercise part of his weight loss program.

And I personally find that they maintain a healthier weight on all wet, than with dry foods, which are typically loaded with carbs. Carbs are not part of a natural diet for cats.

 

[3catsn1dog]

We are in a one level trailor. He does have to work to get his wet food (jumping on the kitchen table) and also to get to his litter boxes and dry food by jumping the baby gate to their room. We have tried getting him to play before but he just wants nothing to do with it. Actually if you would look at him its like he is saying "Um hello Im above this playing stuff you try to make me do"...Im wondering if I put a bag of treats on a string and drag it around the house if he would follow me because he does run for treats..lol...What about a kong type toy if I left it in the cats bedroom so Franklin couldnt get it to make him work for his food?? Would that be helpful? Or even getting desperate here getting him a harness and taking him for walks around the yard? I know he needs exercise but Im a spoiler and give in to whatever the cats what most of the time hence the reason I dont eat at my kitchen table anymore its their spot. They even eat off my good china dishes (the saucers)....Tonight just scared the bejeepers out of me and I dont want to lose my fatty fatman over something I could have prevented...Ohh my poor fatman...

 

[denali]

Here is a great group you may want to check out. They deal strictly with UTI's, FLUTD, etc. And they discuss diet for UTI cats. Maybe they can help shed some light on this for you a bit more
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FLUTD/


The recommendations on these bags and cans of food are usually too much for inactive cats. So you have to figure out what your cat should actually be getting a day. Do you know what your kitties ideal weight is? The guideline is 20-30 calories per pound of IDEAL body weight per day - adjusted for individuals needs. So if Fatman's ideal body weight is 10lbs then 200-300 kcal/day would suffice for his intake a day.

I went on TOTW website and it looks like only one flavour of dry and one flavour of canned

dry = 390 kcal/cup

canned (a 3oz. can) = 135 kcal/can

 

[carolina]

IMHO 2/3 of dry food and 1 can of wet is WAY too much for a cat who wants to lose weight.
I would feed at THE MOST 1/2 cup + 1 can of food, or even better 1/3 cup + 1 can of food.

 

[3catsn1dog]

She would like to get him down to 14 lbs right now..Hes a hefty hefty hippo at 18lbs as of today and she wasnt positive on that because he was shifting alot and said she would guess that he weighs possibly 19-20lbs if he was knocked out so he couldnt move around as much!

How much would 2/3 cups of TOTW for a whole day equal out with 2 oz of wet food for breakfast and dinner (I switch right now between 9lives and Friskies till they are gone and then Im getting better quality stuff)

 

[denali]

Okay - so his ideal weight is 14lbs. This means he should be getting anywhere between 280 to 420 k/calories a day (I would start at the higher end at first so he doesn't lose weight too fast - not a good thing - and then you can tweak his portions from there). In my other post I gave you how much of kcal are in a cup of the dry TOTW. Now you have to go on the website for the canned food you are feeding and find out how much k/cal's are in the size of can you are feeding.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog

She would like to get him down to 14 lbs right now..Hes a hefty hefty hippo at 18lbs as of today and she wasnt positive on that because he was shifting alot and said she would guess that he weighs possibly 19-20lbs if he was knocked out so he couldnt move around as much!

How much would 2/3 cups of TOTW for a whole day equal out with 2 oz of wet food for breakfast and dinner (I switch right now between 9lives and Friskies till they are gone and then Im getting better quality stuff)

Don't cut on the wet, both because of the calories, and also because of his UTI.
Can you afford feeding him wet only? One can in the am, and another at night? That would be the best thing for him...
2/3 of a cup only if no wet is given. I would feed 1/3 total, plus one can of food to start... Then you can go from there...

 

[snake_lady]

Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog

Im wondering if I put a bag of treats on a string and drag it around the house if he would follow me because he does run for treats..lol...What about a kong type toy if I left it in the cats bedroom so Franklin couldnt get it to make him work for his food?? Would that be helpful? Or even getting desperate here getting him a harness and taking him for walks around the yard?

Here's some ideas for games that would help give Fatman some more exercise and I think you'd have fun with them.... They are from a different post..

Originally Posted by otto

Sometimes a cat that is not used to a lot of vigorous play will be slow to get motivated. Don't give up though, because as he loses, he'll feel more energetic and want to move more.

The more a cat plays, the more he'll want to play.

I advise getting down on the floor with him every night at about the same time. He may not seem interested at first, but after a week or two he'll come to realize that this is a very special time for him and you, and he'll look forward to Game Time with you.

Offer a variety of games, don't become discouraged if he isn't lively right away. For instance, try to play Chase the Crumpled Paper for two or thee days in a row. If he's still not interested, the next night try a wand toy Game. (aka String On A Stick). A few days later bring out the Crumpled Paper again. And so on.

As he becomes more lively, watch him carefully because his behavior and postures will give you clues as to what kind of Game he wants to play. (examples to follow)

I know you are trying to get him to eat canned food, but you can use some of his daily quota of kibble for Games, too. Play Chase the Kibble Game. Toss a kibble for him and let him chase it down. Repeat. This is a very popular Game in my house!

You can also sneak more exercise in by feeding him on something that involves a jump or two, to get to the dish, and a jump or two to get back down. Don't make the jumps difficult of course, but a low table for meals, or a higher table, with a box (for two jumps).

Some examples of my cats Games to follow

Originally Posted by otto

These are only a few examples. Each cat has their own favorites that they play alone with, and different things they like to play with during interactive Game time every night.

And often they invent new Games or variations on old Games.

I use the envelopes with cellophane windows for Crumpled Paper Balls, they are wonderfully crinkly, and there is an endless supply from junk mail.

We also have several different versions of string on a stick, from homemade ones to the hartz "gone fishin" (has an elastic string, never leave it out when you are not using it, keep it put away, elastic string is very dangerous) to these ones with long wands and even longer strings, with special things tied to the end.

Cardboard Box Forts and Paper Bag Forts and Newspaper Tents can help stimulate his imagination, too. Cats love boxes, give him a tall sided one he has to jump to get in and out of. A Box Fort is a box turned on it's side with the flap acting as a door. A Newspaper Tent is just what it sounds like, a newspaper on the floor set up like a tent.

Tolly loves Newspaper Tents as they are Portable Forts. he can go all over the living room and never come out from under it!

How they tell me what they want to play: if Mazy wants to play String on a Stick (or Red Dot) on the stairs, when I get the toy out, she will go sit by the top of the stairs. I stand midway down the stairs and drag the string on a stick toy up and down the stairs while she chases it. I use the extra long wand toy for this. Again, by body language I can tell how she wants me to do it. This works with the laser pen, Red Dot, also.

If she wants to play a game involving the Box Fort, she will get in the Box Fort. Then I toss a crumpled paper in there and there is much crackling of paper and banging about, and then the paper ball comes flying out the other side, or she chases it out, then she goes back into the Fort for another round.

Jennie prefers to play on my bed. It took me a while to understand her though, and for a while I thought I was never going to get her motivated. But now that I've discovered what she likes, she gets a good 15 minutes of aerobic exercise every night. During these bed Games, she has varied how things go, and as long as I am paying attention I can figure out what she wants me to do.

One night she will want to chase the string making big leaps, and slide across the duvet. (she learned early on that if she keeps her claws in she can slide really well!)

If she wants to stalk and pounce she refuses to chase until I figure that out. Then drag the string around the edges of the bed-bed (a box bed that stays on my bed) so she can stalk it around the corners and pounce on it.

Then she might drop off the side of the bed and wait for me to dangle the string over the edge of the bed. I pull it slowly back and she waits until the tip is just about to disappear over the edge of the bed, then she leaps and grabs it!

Tolly also will tell me with body language what Game he wants to play. If he wants me to toss his mouse up on the Play House for him to leap up and catch it he will go sit by the Play House during Game time.

If he wants me to drag the String on a Stick under something for him to pounce on he will ignore my efforts to get him to play, and instead stare at the rug or newspaper lying on the floor. If he wants the Red Dot he will jump up to my desk where I keep it, and knock it to the floor.

If he wants to play Hide and Peek he will go sit behind the Play House and wait for me to notice and start the Hide and Peek Game.

 

[3catsn1dog]

Im really honestly considering to switching to all wet for all three cats. But the hard thing about is depending on BF to come inside and feed them and sometimes thats just not feasible especially if he is in the middle of painting a car or something that he cant stop in the middle of to run inside and feed everyone. Plus he wont do it my way which just messes up my whole system. Right now I feel like a horrible pet parent because Franklin had the runs and its all because I got him Nutro Max food *he just started it last night and has the runny poos all day now* Ill be taking all that food that I just bought back because its obviously not good for him he did just fine with Purina One wet and dry food!! Im feeling extremely defeated right now that I just didnt manage to do the right things by my babies and now 2 out of 4 are sick! Im going to lovey up the kitties now and maybe see if Fatman will play on the bed with me since thats where he is hiding out!!!

 

[sharky]

Remember the BEST food is the one you can afford and your CATS do well on...

likely the stool issues came from switching too fast

 

[3catsn1dog]

Even if I didnt switch his dry food at all. I just added the wet food and he always did fine before on different we foods varying from Ole Roy to Purina One trying to find stuff he liked. He never had any poo problems before..This whole day just has me worried to death about them....

I would rather go without for myself than give them crappy food. Im going to get my googling butt working at looking for some good wet foods that are in my price range.

 

[sharky]

what is your price range and where can you shop..??

5-6 oz under .75 cents , under 1.00 , over a dollar under 1.25.. or over 1.25

 

[3catsn1dog]

I think for 3 cats and going to wet food completely Id prefer to atleast stay under 1.25. I know currently Im spending 50 cents a can but its crappy food I dont want them to live off Friskies and 9Lives I just got it to try and see if I could get all three to eat wet food and try get some different flavors so I had an idea of what they all liked who was picky and different flavors to try and hunt for in better quality. I got Friskies in 5.5 oz cans in which one can feeds all three cats in a meal I would hate to spend more money to get a can of food the size of a FF can those things look like they are the size of Fatmans paw. lol

 

[sharky]

do you want grain free? by product free ? chemical presrvative and color free? or all of the above?