Hi there. My family has two cats, ages 10(ish) and 8(ish). They are both female and, unfortunately, are both overweight. The older of the two is not much of a concern. Although she has a little extra baggage, she is still very active. The younger cat is the one that worries me. She is significantly larger, very sentient, and is now facing health issues, which I think could be largely due to her weight/diet. Because of all of this, I've been wondering if we could make any changes to their diet.
They currently eat both wet and dry food. My family owns an automatic feeder that refills their dry food (Fancy Feast) a couple times a day. As for the wet food, each cat eats 1/2 of a Fancy Feast Petites serving twice a day (1/2 serving for breakfast and 1/2 serving for dinner). I've seen a couple sources on the internet telling me that dry food should be avoided altogether, as it's pretty much the feline equivalent of junk food. I've mentioned the idea of quitting the dry food to my parents in hopes of helping our cats' health, but they're hesitant because they're unsure about weaning the cats off the food.
I'm in sort of a tough situation because a few months ago, we were told that our younger cat has kidney problems (I don't know what exactly and I am waiting for my parents to find vet visit summary) that most likely will not get better. Her butt/stomach is often covered in urine and we frequently have to clean her with wipes. My heart breaks for her because when we found her, she was a young, agile, healthy cat. Now she is extremely sentient, overweight, and is facing health problems. I want to help her as much as I can because she's the sweetest baby and I don't want her quality of life to continue on a bad route.
Any help or advice is appreciated <3
They currently eat both wet and dry food. My family owns an automatic feeder that refills their dry food (Fancy Feast) a couple times a day. As for the wet food, each cat eats 1/2 of a Fancy Feast Petites serving twice a day (1/2 serving for breakfast and 1/2 serving for dinner). I've seen a couple sources on the internet telling me that dry food should be avoided altogether, as it's pretty much the feline equivalent of junk food. I've mentioned the idea of quitting the dry food to my parents in hopes of helping our cats' health, but they're hesitant because they're unsure about weaning the cats off the food.
I'm in sort of a tough situation because a few months ago, we were told that our younger cat has kidney problems (I don't know what exactly and I am waiting for my parents to find vet visit summary) that most likely will not get better. Her butt/stomach is often covered in urine and we frequently have to clean her with wipes. My heart breaks for her because when we found her, she was a young, agile, healthy cat. Now she is extremely sentient, overweight, and is facing health problems. I want to help her as much as I can because she's the sweetest baby and I don't want her quality of life to continue on a bad route.
Any help or advice is appreciated <3