Fat Cat! Two important questions.

[chibicricket]

I rescued my cat when he was already 7 yrs old about 3 years ago. He was gigantic. He literally weighed more than my 1 1/2 year old daughter. His original owner would cut the tops of the bags of cat food and leave him to eat as much as he wanted. He was also very neglected and now he meows all the time. I believe he may have been hit or kicked too, because when I first got him, you could walk past him without him freezing in one stop and looking petrified. But over the past few years, he's become very friendly, and I have gotten some of the weight off of him, but he's still very fat. I feed him half a cup of purina senior cat chow in the morning, and like 1/4 a cup at night, just to keep him from meowing all night and keeping everyone up. He's very active early in the morning, but usually is lounging around the house.
I'm wondering if there's anything else I can do to get him to either be more active, or help him lose more weight?

The other thing is that I'm going to be moving out of my cramped apt into a new house in a month. I'll be renting the home off of a family friend whom just bought it, and put new carpeting in all the rooms. The problem is with my cat, anytime I have ever moved, or when my bf moved in with me, my cat seemed to go into this like territorial peeing frenzy. It usually lasts about 2 months, then he stops. I've already been warned that if my cat pees anywhere in the house, I'm going to have to get rid of him or move out, so I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to curb this behavior. He's been neutered a majority of his life, and I've tried sprays and medication before. The sprays make the entire house smell horrible, and the medication makes my cat almost lifeless. And I also keep his litter box very clean, so that's not the issue. This only happens when there is some sort of change.

[Gudewife]

For the weight, you can try switching him over to a high-quality canned food. It's lower in carbohydrates, and a lot of people here have had luck with it in helping obese and diabetic cats. My cat was on Hill's R/D (prescription food) for a while, and though she lost weight, her skin and coat were terrible and there was WAY too much fiber in it, which made her constipated. Since switching to canned, she is still losing weight, but her bowels and coat are great.

As for the urinating, you could try confining him to one room at first, then gradually allowing him access to the rest of the house to minimize the overwhelming change in personal space. Some people have had good luck with Feliway, which is a plug-in scenter that is supposed to help stressed and territorial cats (though if you've already tried the spray with no luck, that may not help, either). Dr. Jean might have an idea on flower essences for your cat that might help, too. Make sure to invest in a good enzyme cleaner (specifically made for pet stains) to clean up any accidents.

[chibicricket]

Thanks for the advice. I forgot about another thing, his nails. I'm very opposed to getting my cat declawed, and I don't really have any problems with him tearing up anything. His claws are very long though, and he won't use his scratching post. If I try to trim them myself, it takes 3 people to hold him down, and then he does his little cry for help, and I have to worry about trimming too far. It's so much easier with my iguana who doesn't seem to notice I'm even doing anything, but with my cat, it's such a pain. I used to have the vet do it, but that's a twice a month vet trip, plus vet bill, that is even more of a pain. Is there anything I can do?

[Gudewife]

You can try "Soft Paws." They're little plastic caps that glue onto your cat's claws and are supposed to last 6-8 weeks (and they come in clear as well as funky colors). We trim Assumpta's claws (2-person job) just as she's waking up from a nap, so she's less likely to spaz...even if you just do a single paw at a time, it'll be less traumatic. Some people wrap the cat in a towel to make restraint easier, and they also make little snug sacks that fasten with velcro to do the same thing.

[Ducky]

I second canned food. It is comprised of more water, and less carbs. So the cat feels fuller than with dry. The vet had a bit of a concern with watching Belfour's weight. We went from mixed dry/wet diet to 99% wet food and he lost 1 or so pounds between vet visits.
Also If you can take your cat for a walk outside on a harnes or leash...Walking on the pavement or rough surface helps to file down the nails as well. Also this would be good excersize, although he really might not be interested in being leashed at his age.


Question about Soft Paws, how does it affect the cat when they retract their claws? The seam is smooth enough that it is retracted as well?

[queen of the nile]

Between my three cats they lost 13 lbs on the wet food diet. It has worked wonders in my household!

[Ducky]

One other thing is, regardless of wet or dry food, you should only feed your guy what he can eat in 15-30 mins max. Cats are not grazers and they should be able to finish what they need in that amount of time. When he walks away (after 20 or so minutes) take away his food. After awhile he will make sure to eat it all (or enough until he's full) in one sitting.

[BaileyAndSammi]

My advice is to switch to a high quality wet food.
No dry food is going to help your cat lose weight.
If you are tempted to get the "Lite" version of dry foods... DON'T. They're lower in fat, but higher in carbs.
Wet is the way to go to help the cat lose weight.
Also, the daily recommended amount on the cans are usually too much. See what your cat will eat in 20 minutes, then you know how much to feed him per sitting.
Don't let the food sit out more than 30 minutes, as it will attract bacteria and potentially make your cat sick.

When you move to a bigger place, try putting more than one litter box in the house for him to use. Put them in different rooms throughout the house, this way he won't feel tempted to potty anywhere he pleases.

--Roze

[drjean]

Try flower essences to reduce stress (Adjustment formula; www.spiritessence.com), and Feliway diffusers in the new house.

Here are more tips about moving:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... ithyourcat

Cheers,
Dr. Jean