Fat Cat Can't lose weight

[wcloud]

I hope I am posting to the correct board! One of our 7 cats weighs 23 pounds. We have had him on a diet since 7 Feb. We feed him 1 cup of the IAMS weight control formula. The directions say that a cat from 16-24 pounds should get between 1-1 1/3 cups in order to lose weight.

He has lost no weight. We are sure he is not getting another source of food. Has anyone else had this problem? He is not an active cat, although we try our best to get him to play. He prefers to vegetate.

Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[sandie]

I would talk to the vet about a prescription diet. The commercial foods still have so many added ingredients that the results aren't nearly as noticable.

 

[badhabit]

I think I've posted it before but I'll post it again since it was such a good idea. A woman I know had an obese cat and the doctor ordered the cat to lose some weight. The cat had been on a low cal diet for some time and hadn't lost a pound. It was an older cat who perfered lounging around to playing with toys but the one thing he liked more than sleeping was food so she came up with an idea. She'd measure out his food and sit down on the floor with him. One by one she'd take a piece of kibble and toss it across the floor and he'd run after it. She did this for a while and his next visit to the vet showed that he had lost a couple pounds!!

 

[hissy]

also if you notice she is drinking a lot of water, she could have diabetes, a simple blood test will tell you this or not.

 

[vikki]

I second the idea of a trip to the vet. He/she might have other ideas on how to get kitty to take off the pounds. Keep in mind that the guidelines on the food package are just that - you may have to adjust the amount of food your cat gets until you hit the right formula. And, it may take closer to 3 months after the diet starts to see a big difference .

I'd also ask the vet's opinion as to whether the weight could be due to something other than the amount of food + inactivity. There are some medical conditions that can cause a cat to gain weight.

How old is your cat? Have you had him for a while? My kitty was stray who was always hungry. He started to gain weight in a few months because I was essentially feeding him as much as he wanted in a day. What worked for me was to gradually reduce the food amount until I was feeding the cat an amount toward the end of the range for a cat his weight even though his weight (his good weight) is in the middle of the range. I think he now realizes that he will always be fed, and he is content with the amount that I feed him. Now, I am able to even put down two days worth of food and he paces himself very well.

 

[cooie]

The standard weight control formulas are only designed to keep a cat from gaining weight. If he needs to lose weight, you will need to get a prescription formula from your vet. One reason why is because cats need to be under a vet's care when they are losing weight, as losing too much too quickly can bring on fatty liver disease. Also, are you sure he needs to lose weight? My 21-pounder was advised by his doctor that he didn't need to lose any weight, thank you very much!

 

[angelzoo]

UHh what breed/mix of cat is this? what is his NORMAL weight.

I don't believe in 'lite' diets, throw that out, speak with your vet, get a good high quality food low in fat. Are you feeding dry or canned? Hopefully your vet is a good vet and will be able to guide you in the right direction

Aka, reason why 'lite' diets aren't any good is because it robs these animals of even MORE meat (which they don't get enough of in the first place) and replace it with more undigestable grains. Why is your cat loosing weight? Because it's body can't USE/abosorbe the crap in the food

I'm sorry I really mean this in the nicest way! It just doesn't sound it.

 

[wcloud]

Thanks for all of the great ideas.

I will definitely take him to the vet's. And try the "food exercise". He was adopted from a shelter by a co-worker 3 years ago. When she got a dog - the cat had to go. My uncle took him in but that didn't work (he was a dog person at heart). The cat went to another home and it didn't work out there either because he took over the existing cat's place. He is permanent in our home no matter what because he is a wonderful, sweet, kitty. He's had a weight problem since his first home. He was on a diet there and got down to 15 lbs.

The vet told me he was over-weight during a visit back in February. His tummy hangs down so I know he needs to shed some weight. However, I don't anticipate him going below 17-18 lbs. He has a big structure.

While I have decent vet's (there are 3 in the practice) only one seems really in tune with kitties.

I will take him there and see what they say. If it doesn't seem right, I'll try another place.

Thanks so much for all of your ideas. It's comforting to receive advice from experienced cat owners.

 

[sydney the kid]

the trick with trowing his food really works !!!!
I've tried it with my Sydney , and you should see him running !!!
Another good trick to make your cat running is playing with a laser-light !!! Sydney goes nuts every time he sees that red dot and absolutely wants to catch it !! Try it !!

:clown:

 

[cooie]

Poor little kitty, going from home to home like that. I'm glad he found a forever mommy in you!