How can I get my cat to lose weight

[Rshep]

Hello,
I just got back from a vet visit with my 4 year old male cat, I was advised that he should lose weight, 5 kilos to be exact. We just switched him onto wet food from kibble last month. He is 18.4 lbs and needs to go down to around 10-11 lbs (he is a maine coon mix as well, so he is naturally a bit bigger). The wet food he is on suggests he should eat 2 cans a day per every 7lbs. He doesn't eat treats either and he doesn't really like to play too much. How can I go about helping him lose weight easily?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Feeding only wet food is a good start. Don't go by what the can says though, they usually overstate how much to feed. When trying to get a cat to lose weight, you should go by calories. And you should go be how many calories they need to eat based on their desired weight, not their current weight. However, with needing to lose that much weight, I really think you might want to start with a higher desired weight, then when he gets close to that, recalculate again for the lower weight. Cats should not lose weight too quickly or they can end up with other health issues.

So, lets say your first weight goal is 14 pounds. If he isn't very active, I would say he probably need about 20 calories per pound per day, so that would be 280 calories per day of food. To feel more satisfied, it would be best if you could feed him high protein, low carb food, and perhaps break it up into a three or four meals per day.

As he loses weight, you may find he gets more active, which is good. With activity comes more calories burned, so you might actually need to feed him more calories so he doesn't lose too quickly! Wouldn't that be nice?! It could happen . One trick I used with my pudgy cat was to walk around the house carrying his food dish and have him follow me around. We'd go up and down the stairs and whatnot to give us both a good workout. Then I'd set his dish down and he's get to enjoy his meal.

Hope this all makes sense

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! First thing I would do is compare him to a body condition chart - weight is not the only factor to determining how much a cat may be overweight. I have included one below for you to use.

Secondly, determine how many calories he is eating. This gives you a baseline to start with. How many ounces are there in these 2 cans, btw?

As a very general rule of thumb most cats use somewhere between 20-25 calories per pound of body weight. So, at 18.4 pounds, to maintain that he may be eating between 368-460 calories a day? See if that is even close to what he is eating. It can be a bit more or a bit less depending on his activity level, so what I have stated is just a guideline.

Nonetheless, when trying to get a cat to lose weight, you cut down the amount of calories by no more than 5-10% at a time. This allows your cat - both mentally and physically - to adapt to a lesser amount. Weekly weigh ins are pretty important to see how much he is/is not losing over time. Then, you can slowly adjust the caloric count as time passes, again in very small increments. Losing weight is a marathon, not a sprint. Baby or pet scales are a reliable way to get accurate weights. I have included below the one I have.

Additional playtime with you, or through automated interactive toys, is a plus in the endeavor for a cat to lose weight. Also, included a couple of TCS articles on toys.
17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats - TheCatSite
8 Superb Automated Cat Toys That You're Going To Love! - TheCatSite
Amazon.com: Greater Goods Digital Pet Scale - Accurately Weigh Your Kitten, Rabbit, or Puppy | with a Wiggle-Proof Algorithm, a Great Option as a Scale for Small Animals | Designed in St. Louis : Baby

Good luck!!! Keep us posted!

 

[Rshep]

Feeding only wet food is a good start. Don't go by what the can says though, they usually overstate how much to feed. When trying to get a cat to lose weight, you should go by calories. And you should go be how many calories they need to eat based on their desired weight, not their current weight. However, with needing to lose that much weight, I really think you might want to start with a higher desired weight, then when he gets close to that, recalculate again for the lower weight. Cats should not lose weight too quickly or they can end up with other health issues.

So, lets say your first weight goal is 14 pounds. If he isn't very active, I would say he probably need about 20 calories per pound per day, so that would be 280 calories per day of food. To feel more satisfied, it would be best if you could feed him high protein, low carb food, and perhaps break it up into a three or four meals per day.

As he loses weight, you may find he gets more active, which is good. With activity comes more calories burned, so you might actually need to feed him more calories so he doesn't lose too quickly! Wouldn't that be nice?! It could happen . One trick I used with my pudgy cat was to walk around the house carrying his food dish and have him follow me around. We'd go up and down the stairs and whatnot to give us both a good workout. Then I'd set his dish down and he's get to enjoy his meal.

Hope this all makes sense

Thanks for the info, my vet told me to go by his desired weight on the cans of the wet food, I will try going by calories instead

 

[Rshep]

Hi! First thing I would do is compare him to a body condition chart - weight is not the only factor to determining how much a cat may be overweight. I have included one below for you to use.

Secondly, determine how many calories he is eating. This gives you a baseline to start with. How many ounces are there in these 2 cans, btw?

As a very general rule of thumb most cats use somewhere between 20-25 calories per pound of body weight. So, at 18.4 pounds, to maintain that he may be eating between 368-460 calories a day? See if that is even close to what he is eating. It can be a bit more or a bit less depending on his activity level, so what I have stated is just a guideline.

Nonetheless, when trying to get a cat to lose weight, you cut down the amount of calories by no more than 5-10% at a time. This allows your cat - both mentally and physically - to adapt to a lesser amount. Weekly weigh ins are pretty important to see how much he is/is not losing over time. Then, you can slowly adjust the caloric count as time passes, again in very small increments. Losing weight is a marathon, not a sprint. Baby or pet scales are a reliable way to get accurate weights. I have included below the one I have.

Additional playtime with you, or through automated interactive toys, is a plus in the endeavor for a cat to lose weight. Also, included a couple of TCS articles on toys.
17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats - TheCatSite
8 Superb Automated Cat Toys That You're Going To Love! - TheCatSite
Amazon.com: Greater Goods Digital Pet Scale - Accurately Weigh Your Kitten, Rabbit, or Puppy | with a Wiggle-Proof Algorithm, a Great Option as a Scale for Small Animals | Designed in St. Louis : Baby

Good luck!!! Keep us posted!

View attachment 447750

The cans he is eating are 5.5oz cans.
Thank you for the info!

 

[Rshep]

Hello,
I just got back from a vet visit with my 4 year old male cat, I was advised that he should lose weight, 5 kilos to be exact. We just switched him onto wet food from kibble last month. He is 18.4 lbs and needs to go down to around 10-11 lbs (he is a maine coon mix as well, so he is naturally a bit bigger). The wet food he is on suggests he should eat 2 cans a day per every 7lbs. He doesn't eat treats either and he doesn't really like to play too much. How can I go about helping him lose weight easily?

Edit: the wet food we are feeding him are in 5.5 oz cans

 

[Rshep]

Hello,
I just got back from a vet visit with my 4 year old male cat, I was advised that he should lose weight, 5 kilos to be exact. We just switched him onto wet food from kibble last month. He is 18.4 lbs and needs to go down to around 10-11 lbs (he is a maine coon mix as well, so he is naturally a bit bigger). The wet food he is on suggests he should eat 2 cans a day per every 7lbs. He doesn't eat treats either and he doesn't really like to play too much. How can I go about helping him lose weight easily?

Edit: the cans say to feed 1 can per 5 lbs per day, not 2 per every 7 lbs.

 

[arr]

Does he actually look overweight? How does he compare to the body condition chart? 7-8 pounds to lose is a lot, isn’t it around 2/3 of his body weight? If he is a male Maine Coon mix, I would think he should weigh more than 10-11 pounds. To me that would be small for just a regular male cat. My girls are 13 and 14 pounds. My boy is just a regular cat and he weighs almost 18 pounds and is not overweight, just a big cat.

 

[Kflowers]

When you are looking at him to judge if he is fat or thin you'll need to consider how much is fluff. Once you've had him on a diet for a few months, you might want to get him wet to see how much was just fur. It's really easy for a fluffy cat to end up being too thin, where you can actually see his ribs if the fur is shaved/ wet down.

Please note almost all cats have the primordial pouch this is an extra amount of skin which hangs down in front of their abdomens. It is to protect their internal organs when fighting with other cats. You may notice that it is slightly cooler than the rest of his skin/flesh. You shouldn't try to diet the pouch away, it's not fat.

Our cat, who is a small cat got rather heavy for various reasons and now that she's lost weight, her pouch remains a little bigger than usual and swings noticeably when she runs. I suppose you could have a 'tummy tuck' done, but we aren't going to.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

The cans he is eating are 5.5oz cans.
Thank you for the info!

Remember, it's not the size of the can, but the amount of calories in those cans. And, IMHO, the type of food in the cans. High protein, low carb is best for losing weight, NOT a weight loss food! Again, that is my opinion. That's what worked for us when our one year old male needed to lose four pounds

 

[Kflowers]

The above absolutely. My cats gained weight on Hill's w/d, they maintained on the r/d. What's inside the can/bag is much more important than what's written on the outside.