Older overweight kitty

[captainkathryn]

Hi all,

I am new here and just adopted a kitty this past weekend. She is 8 years old and overweight even though she has a small frame. They told me she needs to stop eating so much (it wasn't because of me though, I just got her Saturday!). I am unsure what to buy her. I bought her some organic weight management dry food as well as the same in canned food. She seems to never eat for long periods of time but goes to her bowl very often as though she is bored so she eats? I don't really know why a cat would do this?

She's the most adorable sweetie precious kitty in the whole world and I love her so much so I don't want her to be unhealthy. She doesn't seem to drink enough water either even though I got her one of those fountains. What do you guys do for your pudgy chubby kitties?! My kitty is older so she really shouldn't be too overweight at this point.

One other thing...I was told she has a heart murmur however she does not require medication. However,  they told me it could affect her if she gets stressed. I have been trying to keep her nice and calm and happy, however my upstairs neightbors are very loud and bang things often and I can tell it is scaring her and sometimes she gets stressed and runs and hides under the bed. I want to move and will move in a few months but it's not an options right now. Also my apartment is very small. She has a window and places to explore and jump around, but I am worried it's not enough. Of course it's better than being caged up in a shelter. But still.

I am just worried about her. Anything I can do you think? I am giving her lots of love and attention and she enjoys playing with me and lounging around and exploring and I think she is happy, but I still am worried. Today was the first day I had to leave her alone while I went to work and I am worried.

 

[captainkathryn]

Also is it okay to give her some catnip even though she has the heart murmur? They didn't tell me not to and I gave her some last night without thinking of it. She was fine and had fun, I am just wondering.

 

[riley1]

I would find a quality canned food to feed her.  Look for a canned food that the first ingredient is the name of a meat.  Not meat by products or any grain. If you have the time available I would give her 3 small meals rather than two to keep her busy.  A regular schedule would be good. Change the food out gradually to avoid upset stomachs.   The carbohydrates can cause weight gain.   Also, have a health checkup with a vet & try to determine how much she should be eating or how many calories.  It has been my experience that vets don't know a lot about nutrition, so keep this in mind.  The canned food would help with the water problem.  She may have been eating junk dry food prior.  The best exercise for cats is play, so I would play with her a lot.  Not sure if lasers are a good thing but they keep the cat moving.

Seeing the vet is the most important & if you can afford it get some blood/urine work done.  Have the vet check her heart out.  Not sure where you adopted her. but if it was a shelter they rarely have money for these tests. 

Others will post & give you more ideas.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I agree completely that an all wet diet is much better to help her lose weight.  It is much easier to control her caloric intake, and much more satisfying and filling for cats.  The moisture in wet food is better for cats too, as they aren't prone to drinking much water, EVEN when provided with plenty of fresh running water

I have one cat whose actually been overweight his entire life, poor guy.  When he was a kitten I let him eat all he wanted because I was told kittens need as much as they will eat.  Well, he ate and ate, and ate and ate, and when he was one year old, he was already FOUR pounds overweight

.  Since we free fed all four cats, we decided to buy diet food for them.  Needless to say, that didn't work, because all he did was just eat MORE of the diet stuff since he wasn't satisfied with his usual amount of food.  So finally we said enough is enough, as we certainly didn't want to risk him getting diabetes as he got older, so we put everyone on scheduled feedings and switched over to wet food.  We actually switched over to raw, but that's another story.  My pudgy guy LOVED it, but the others not so much, so now everyone just eats canned food.  But the jist is that with scheduled feeding, I was able to measure out to the calorie the amount of food I was feeding everyone, and then adjust accordingly.  My big guy slowly lost weight

  I STILL have to measure out his food and cannot give him as many treats as the others get though, because he is just prone to weight gain.  When I DO give him treats, I give him only 100% pure freeze dried meats like Wholelife or Purebites (no carbs), and toss them down the hall or across the room so he has to jump up for them or run after them, which he loves.  If I just hand them to him he looks disappointed

Anyway, here are some articles in feeding and nutrition that you may find helpful:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-much-food-should-i-feed-my-cat

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat

If you want MORE reading on this topic, here are many  more articles:  http://www.thecatsite.com/atype/46/Cat_Health

As to her stress levels, there are such things as calming collars, calming sprays, even calming plug-ins.  Check out your local pet supply stores for those type of things.  Also, simply playing harp music on a CD player when you are gone is calming to cats.  (when we are in the car on the way to the Vet, we always try to play harp music to calm them)  They even make CD's specifically for cats!   Do you have any cat scatching posts around your place yet?  Those are helpful, both horizontal and vertical.  Also places where she can get up high, like a cat "tree" or cat "condo"?  Can she look out the window?  Maybe place a piece of furniture or cat tree in front of a window so she can keep entertained while you are at work. 

Here is another article about de-stressing that may or may not be useful: 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/six-surefire-strategies-to-reduce-stress-in-cats

As to catnip being ok with a heart murmur, I've never heard of it NOT being ok, but you could always just call a Vet and ask.  You need to start building a relationship with a Vet anyway, so might as well get a feel for one now, if you don't already have one.