Would you do surgery?

[ldg]

Yeah, he's already eating just 1.5% of his body weight, so lowering the amount of food isn't really an option. And it sounds like you've adjusted the fat make-up of the food! Other than making sure he doesn't keep gaining weight even on this amount of food.... like my vet says about Billy, there's not much to do. :lol3: Without the carbs, they're not in any particular risk for diabetes as a result of being heavier than ideal. And the only real way to lose weight by burning calories is with sustained exercise, and cats just aren't built for that.

Personally, I wouldn't add fiber to make him feel more full. If he's not acting hungry, I wouldn't want to replace any of the nutrition he's getting with fiber - he's eating an amount of food you don't want to reduce with non-nutritious stuff, because he needs the nutrition! If you do decide to add some psyllium, just make sure you add a lot of water. Psyllium needs a lot of water (I don't know how much, I just know it's a lot) to not cause constipation problems.

 

[peaches08]

I ended up adding some fat back into a batch I made yesterday. I have been concerned about too little of fat. BUT, I seriously upped the water in it to help stretch it a bit. Everyone has acted hungry since lowering the fat that much, so it worried me for the other two cats. Fat does help with satiety. Gadget is always hungry, he's not the one I really go by LOL! I did not add fiber to this batch. I really don't see it as beneficial when a cat's intestinal transit time is what it is.

Also, watering it down will help me do a little of the feast or famine you mentioned. Some days I'll throw down an extra meal. Other days I can't. I can always add food, but it's hard to take it away since it is portioned out into individual meals.

Again I think the scale scared them more than the actual cat did. That's Julie laying on Gadget in my avatar, and he's only a little bigger now than in that pic. I can feel both shoulder blades and hips on him. I swear that some of it is he's just a big cat.

Thanks LDG, I feel like I do have some options like feast or famine without stirring up his IBS!

 

[ldg]

There's no doubt Billy has a bigger fat layer than all the other kitties. But other than the feast or famine style of feeding, the vets and I can come up with nothing to do about it. :lol3: They were all surprised the feast or famine approach worked as well as it did, actually. When he hit that 13 pound mark, I started just feeding him regular meals (that totaled that 4.2 ounces), and his weight went back up to 13 1/2 pounds! So now I just alternate between doing the feast and famine and not doing it, because it's a PIA to keep up all the time LOL. Honestly, the vets aren't concerned about his excess weight. His body score isn't what it "should" be as ideal - but with the diet, he shouldn't be at risk for diabetes, and hopefully it's not enough weight to have arthritis be a problem (other than what would occur naturally with age). I assume these things all hold true for your big boy.

 

[peaches08]

I think Gadget's case will be similar, for sure. He is a little rounded, but not a 7. It's when you physically pick him up that everyone goes, "Holy cow he's heavy!"

 

[ldg]

:lol3: Billy has a waist - did at 15 pounds too! Then and now, he looks like a cartoon superhero - with those little hips widening out to those big shoulders. :lol3: He carried(ies) his weight well. And yep - it was deceiving. We' pick him up and go "oooomph you're a fatty!"