on a diet.

After taking Kitteh BooBoo to the vet last week, I realized that no matter how much she hates it, she has to go on a diet so she can slim down a bit. She weighs a little over 15 lbs. and she should weigh 10-11. They say 9, but we will worry about that if I can get her down to 10-11.

After a bit of reading, I finally found the calorie content of her wet and dry food, and a site that told me a formula to determine how many calories she should have per day, to achieve her ideal weight. She needs to keep it at about 200 calories a day. I also read that it seems that canned food is better for cats than dry, so I changed up the amount she was getting of each. Before she was eating more dry than canned, now it is the opposite. I am also dividing up her food and feeding her at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a snack before we go to bed, so that she doesn't eat it all at once and then get hungry, and whiny the rest of the day.

She now gets a half can of Fancy Feast classic turkey for breakfast, 1/8 cup of her dry food at lunch, the other half of the can of turkey for dinner, and another 1/8 cup of the dry before we go to bed. Since both my husband and I work from home, one of us is usually here to feed her all these times. If not, I can adjust as needed.

She seems to be getting used to the new routine, but slowly. She is finally seeming to learn that squeaking every time I go in the kitchen isn't going to get her more food. Let's hope she starts to slowly lose some of that pudge she has developed. More exercise is pretty much out of the question.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Canned is not better than dry categorically. It simply has fewer calories per serving.

...Have you been giving your cat wet food for awhile? I started bribing my cat to take her pills using wet food and now my whole apartment stinks from the stuff. Blech!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2012 07:44PM by Chakravartin.

They want what they want when they want it. I'm sure there were many times when you've chosen to not go to the kitchen to avoid the kitty shadowing. My cat could afford to lose a couple of pounds. He likes wet and crunchy. Not to mention snacks such as Whiska Lickin's.

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Chakravartin
Canned is not better than dry categorically. It simply has fewer calories per serving.

...Have you been giving your cat wet food for awhile? I started bribing my cat to take her pills using wet food and now my whole apartment stinks from the stuff. Blech!

Yeah, she has been eating both wet and dry her whole life. The turkey doesn't smell bad at all. Now the tuna or some of the fish ones, they might smell worse.

The Fancy Feast classic is supposed to have fewer carbs, than some other canned foods and than the dry. Since I am worried about kitteh developing diabetes because of her obesity, I read that the lower carb canned food would be better for her system.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

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vision63
They want what they want when they want it. I'm sure there were many times when you've chosen to not go to the kitchen to avoid the kitty shadowing. My cat could afford to lose a couple of pounds. He likes wet and crunchy. Not to mention snacks such as Whiska Lickin's.

I have indeed started not going to the kitchen as often, just to avoid the squawking, so maybe I will lose a few pounds as well.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

My two are on a diet. There is an empty bowl and two pairs of eyes boring holes in me but they won't get any more till 11pm.

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-Average mouse = 30 calories. Cats should eat the equivalent of 7-10 mice per day. If your cat food is more than 300 calories per cup you may wish to check with your veterinarian for a better food!
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rgG
The Fancy Feast classic is supposed to have fewer carbs, than some other canned foods and than the dry. Since I am worried about kitteh developing diabetes because of her obesity, I read that the lower carb canned food would be better for her system.

Perhaps, but I don't trust that brand.

I'm fairly certain that Purina food and the chemicals in tap water were responsible for the early demise of two of my cats.

Nothing cheaper than Science diet. No dry food with less than 34% protein, excepting oral-care. No food that doesn't have meat as its first ingredient. Only filtered or bottled water... So far, so good.

Catkins - the feline equivalent is the way to go - Eliminate the carbs and she will slim down to a healthy weight.

This is NOT as easy as just feeding canned food - you have to really look at what is in the canned - no gravy, no wheat gluten, no rice. Even easier is a good raw diet, but most people with one or two cats don't want to take that on.

The Fancy Feast classic is supposed to have fewer carbs, than some other canned foods and than the dry. Since I am worried about kitteh developing diabetes because of her obesity, I read that the lower carb canned food would be better for her system.

Fancy Feast is a fairly high-protein food, and some vets, including my own, recommend feeding it to diabetic cats because of the high protein content. It doesn't seem to be especially fattening.

If you can get away with less than a quarter cup of kibble per day, that would probably help. Maybe you can taper it off. Or try rolling the kibble across the floor for her to chase a bit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2012 08:47PM by ka jowct.

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ka jowct
The Fancy Feast classic is supposed to have fewer carbs, than some other canned foods and than the dry. Since I am worried about kitteh developing diabetes because of her obesity, I read that the lower carb canned food would be better for her system.

Fancy Feast is a fairly high-protein food, and some vets, including my own, recommend feeding it to diabetic cats. It doesn't seem to be especially fattening.

If you can get away with less than a quarter cup of kibble per day, that would probably help. Maybe you can taper it off. Or try rolling the kibble across the floor for her to chase a bit.

If I have to reduce her calories any further, I figured I could cut back on the dry food. She really does like her dry food, so I don't want to eliminate it completely, at least not yet. I mean, if I go on a diet I don't cut out everything I like.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2012 08:51PM by rgG.

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Spock
My two are on a diet. There is an empty bowl and two pairs of eyes boring holes in me but they won't get any more till 11pm.

Oh, yeah. I know that look, so well.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

I recently began to try to get Baby Watson on a diet. Last time he was weighed, he was over 20 lbs., and he should probably weigh about 15. The new regimen has meant parceling out tiny amounts of kibble to the other cats under supervision. Even then, he occasionally manages to sneak some. I try to keep him occupied while the others are eating by letting him lick the residue from the cat food cans before I rinse them out. He gets them surprisingly clean.

I certainly have gotten his attention by reducing his intake. Unfortunately I think it'll be many months before I see any difference. I'm not sure he will lose any significant amount, but he really needs to. He's getting arthritic from it.

Good luck to Baby Watson. It really is hard to practice tough love with the kittehs. I told my daughter I was really glad she didn't have a weight problem, after having to deal with putting the cat on a a diet.

I have tried to get BooBoo to lose weight before, but I just let her whine her way into treats and more food. Also, it was hard to find good information about how many calories she should have and then finding out how many calories were in the food she was eating. I am really trying to not let her talk me into anything more than her allotted amount. I will give it a month or so, and see if I notice any difference. Since she is whining so much, I must have reduced her calories at least some.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

According to my vet, the most important thing that will dictate the long term health of a cat is its diet. The quality and the quantity. I have three cats (one with severe kidney issues) and am very strict on their food. They get regular small portions of a very small mix of dry with a little moist added. They got accustomed to the schedule and amounts.

Any chance BooBoo can get some (more) exercise? I don't remember offhand how old she is, but I think she's an adult to senior? A little playtime suited to her age and any physical limits might help her burn some calories and get her mind off the diet restrictions for at least a little bit.

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TL
Any chance BooBoo can get some (more) exercise? I don't remember offhand how old she is, but I think she's an adult to senior? A little playtime suited to her age and any physical limits might help her burn some calories and get her mind off the diet restrictions for at least a little bit.

BooBoo's idea of exercise is walking into the kitchen from the living room, to meow for food. BooBoo is almost 13. I have threatened to chase her around the house, if she doesn't start losing some weight, but we haven't tried that yet. She could do more, as far as getting exercise, but she has always been more of a lap cat.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

My guy gets dry food pretty much any time he wants it and so far weight is not an issue. On Sundays, I give him some canned food; he licks off the "gravy" part and only later on eats the rest of the stuff.

I have not been particular about the specific dry food; I do make a point of changing brands every time I buy a bag so that over time he will not (I hope) suffer from insufficiencies of any particular brand. I might have to move Science Diet into the rotation.

And, yes, some of the canned stuff does smell pretty bad!

Good luck with kitteh diet ! Ours were enormous.. but never fat.. just huge bad wild black cats. I called them my mini-panthers.

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Manlove
-Average mouse = 30 calories. Cats should eat the equivalent of 7-10 mice per day. If your cat food is more than 300 calories per cup you may wish to check with your veterinarian for a better food!
[www.angelcatcoach.com]

Is that diet mice or regular mice?

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AllGold

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Manlove
-Average mouse = 30 calories. Cats should eat the equivalent of 7-10 mice per day. If your cat food is more than 300 calories per cup you may wish to check with your veterinarian for a better food!
[www.angelcatcoach.com]

Is that diet mice or regular mice?

You might try the caffeinated diet mice -- low calorie with that energizing boost!

They want what they want when they want it.


And they get what they get when they get it.

Some cats are very stubborn and hold out 'till near the end. I've heard stories about cats near death because they are so stubborn, but don't know anybody who's seen that in real life.

Some cats adapt very quickly. My girlfriend was afraid her cat would alert her apartment manager, so whenever the cat meowed, it went outside, immediately. To her surprise, the cat learned *very* quickly to mouth the meow, not making a bit of sound.

It would start by going to the dish and meowing silently, then coming to her. But Kitty's diet was controlled.

I really like the idea of a bit of kibble in one of those dispenser balls. Give that cat a *little* workout. Not as much as chasing mice, but better than nothing.

An exercise laser might help, too.

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Those treat/kibble balls were mentioned before, in another thread. I may have to get one and see if she will "play" with it.

Funny thing is, she did catch and kill two mice recently, but thankfully she didn't eat them. Maybe she isn't as hungry as she thinks.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

my cat has a toy where you place dry food inside of it and he has to knock it out. he takes it very seriously

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mattkime
my cat has a toy where you place dry food inside of it and he has to knock it out. he takes it very seriously

Yeah, that is what was suggested I get for pudgy BooBoo. Looks like I need to order or buy one. Can't hurt to try it, and she might enjoy the exercise without even realizing she is getting exercise.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Why would you feed a cat anyway? It's not like it's useful like a dog. Or even cares if you live or die.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

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Speedy
Why would you feed a cat anyway? It's not like it's useful like a dog. Or even cares if you live or die.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

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rgG

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mattkime
my cat has a toy where you place dry food inside of it and he has to knock it out. he takes it very seriously

Yeah, that is what was suggested I get for pudgy BooBoo. Looks like I need to order or buy one. Can't hurt to try it, and she might enjoy the exercise without even realizing she is getting exercise.

Tried that with my cat.

She sniffed at it, took a test-swing at it and then walked off to take a nap.

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Chakravartin

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rgG

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mattkime
my cat has a toy where you place dry food inside of it and he has to knock it out. he takes it very seriously

Yeah, that is what was suggested I get for pudgy BooBoo. Looks like I need to order or buy one. Can't hurt to try it, and she might enjoy the exercise without even realizing she is getting exercise.

Tried that with my cat.

She sniffed at it, took a test-swing at it and then walked off to take a nap.

Ha, ha. Cats can always get the better of us.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)