[chris in va]

I have recently put my orange tabby on a diet, as he's getting thick around the middle. I changed from IAMS regular food to weight control formula. Ok, so this was working, but now he has taken to sneaking the dog's food. I spray him with water when I catch him, but when I don't see it happen, I don't know how to prevent it. Is this harmful to his digestive system?...and how can I stop him from being such a sneak?

By the way, I have dropped his food from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup once a day per instructions on the bag. How much should a long haired orange tabby actually weigh?

Thanx Chris

 

[Aonir]

Well I think 11 pounds is around normal.. but that's me
To watch what your kitty is eating, do this. Don't free-feed any of your animals and make sure when they are done eating to put ALL their food away. OR you can keep kitties food out where doggie cant reach it and just monitor your dogs bowl. You may also feed the kitties and dogs in different rooms

 

[Jeanie]

The dog food won't hurt him. It just doesn't have enough protein for a cat. Weight depends on size and body build. Some cats are fine at 9 pounds; others would look very thin.

I have the opposiite problem. My dog thinks cat food is dessert. I keep the cat food in the kitchen and the sliding door shut.

 

[chris in va]

When he first 'found' me, his weight was around 7-8lbs. He's sitting at about 13 now, so this is alarming.

 

[Zalensia]

the only thing you have to be careful of is that he doesnt just eat the dog food, as said above it doesnt have enough protein in it, cats are natural carnivores and so must have high meat emount in their foods (which is why you find very very few cat foods with veg in them) dogs however, like us are herbivores, they can live on a mixture of meat and veg, or just veg (hence you can buy vegitarian dog foods)