Two Cats Ones Fat Help

[AliciaV99]

ok so I have two cats one female and one male both were fixed and both a year old, both are also indoor cats. The female is around 3 weeks older then the male. In the beginning they both had a small fat pooch. Now the female still has a small pooch and the male has a large one. I weighed them about two months ago and the female was 9 pds and the male was 13 since then I’m convinced the male has gotten a bit bigger. I switched them from kitten food to indoor food so I don’t know if that’s why but even before that’s when I weighed him when they turned a year so it can’t be why. Anyways my question is how do I stop him from getting bigger? I feed them at night so they eat while up running around and they eat it throughout the night and day when my kids and I r at work and school. I know they don’t eat like dogs so it’s not like I can separate the food and feed them and they gobble it down so I’m lost. Any advice would be great. Thx in advance.

 

[KarenKat]

What are you feeding them? We had two cats that ate Purina Indoor Cat Chow kibble and one was a perfect weight and the other ballooned. Found out that the first ingredient was corn. Cats are obligate carnivores. So the best food would have a meat as first ingredient. The fat kitty dropped 3 lbs in 3 years with changing his kibble to a Limited ingredient protein rich grain free food. We are feeding natural balance green pea and chicken right now but I am planning on switching to something with a meat protein rather than a plant protein as a first ingredient. Picking the right food is key.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! He looks only slightly over - can you get him to be more active? You want to be able to feel a thin layer of fat over the ribs.
Also, I'm guessing you're feeding kibble? Can you add some wet food at some point during the day?
CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat
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How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

 

[AliciaV99]

They r eating friskier indoor delights the first ingredient is corn then corn gluten meal then meat. Hmm

 

[Furballsmom]

For kibble, dr elsey's clean protein has been suggested by other members.

 

[AliciaV99]

He’s very muscular I know he should be bigger then the girl but this much isn’t right. Here’s a pic of her right now.

 

[AliciaV99]

Forgot the pic lol

 

[Furballsmom]

He's very handsome, but my goodness she's a cutie!!

 

[Azazel]

I would stop feeding kibble and feed all wet food. Kibble is loaded with carbs, cats can’t process them properly. The “indoor” formulas are actually some of the worst.

 

[LTS3]

ok so I have two cats one female and one male both were fixed and both a year old, both are also indoor cats. The female is around 3 weeks older then the male. In the beginning they both had a small fat pooch. Now the female still has a small pooch and the male has a large one.

It's normal for neutered and spayed cats to have a hanging pouch under their tummies It's called a "primordial pouch".

Feeding the cats the appropriate amount of calories daily will help prevent weight gain. it's usually recommended to feed 20 to 25 calories per pound if ideal body weight daily. Feeding the cats in separate bowls will help to control calorie intake.

Friskies dry food is pretty horrible quality stuff. Try to feed a higher quality food that contains real meat as the first ingredient and include canned food in the diet. Pet stores sell good brands these days that aren't too expensive. Chain pet stores often have big food sales and you can really stock up on food then.

 

[orange&white]

I have three kitties: 2 young girls in great shape, and a senior cat who I spent 15 months dieting from 16.5 pounds to his ideal weight range between 12.5 - 13 pounds. (I'd caution not to let your boy's weight get out of control like I did. Dieting a cat is a long hard process.)

Because of Tangent's propensity to gain weight (and eat everyone else's food) there can be no "free-feeding" in my house. The cats get 3 meals a day. The two girls' private dining rooms are in each of the two bathrooms. Senior Tangent gets food service in the kitchen.

At least twice a month I weigh the cats. If anyone's weight is too high or too low, their calories get a slight adjustment until the next weigh in. I weigh their wet meals on a kitchen scale, so I know exactly how much food each cat gets.

I know that's a lot more trouble than just putting food out, but Tangent's weight loss diet was seriously hard on both of us, so the new weight maintenance routine is better. Any like anything else, new routines become "normal" fairly quickly.

 

[abyeb]

In addition to the terrific advice you’ve already been given, if you’re having trouble keeping the boy out of the girl’s food, you could consider getting her a microchip feeder.