[newdamage1]

I'm new to the forum, and have a few questions about how to reduce the weight of my cats. I have tried small portions and diet food (and a combination of the two). Other than putting them on the tread-mill :lol: does anyone have suggestions?

~Kelly

 

[kitkat]

How much does your kitty weigh in at and how old are they? Here's a previous link from a topic similar to yours that may have more information for diet foods. Just make sure you give it a month or two before you see any results, cats dont just drop the weight immediately.

http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=174

 

[tio]

My cat's food is a bit different and I think because of it, my cat is not very fat :lol: I usually grind vegetable and mix it with rice and fish. In these 3 ingredients, rice and vegetable are the dominations. If you don't feel OK with your kitty's weigh, you can try my recipe as a diet suggestion.

 

[AngelZoo]

Tio: So are you saying the majority of your cats diet is rice and vegetables? I certainly hope this is not the case as your cat can form many deficiencies on that food, it's not healthy for him, cats are carnivores.

newdamage1:
As far as going on a diet, pick a good food with a meat meal (aka chicken, turkey, lamb meal) as the first ingredient at least. And a food with 3% fiber or less. Feed this dry food 3x a day split up into small meals, slowly decrease the amount you feed, and then slowly change the meals to only 2 times a day, continue this until your cat has reached a proper weight.
You can follow the same pattern with wet food as well. If you need a separate list for wet food I'd be more then happy to give that to you.
You also must follow up by having your cat exercise, this is very important not only for loosing weight, but for your cats over all health. Most people think of cats as lazy little fur bags, but in actuality a healthy cat should be fairly active every day.

Frist Grade Cat Food:
By Nature - BrightLife
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul - Adult, Kitten
Evolve - Kitten, Maintenance
Felidae
Holistic Blend
Natural Balance
Newman's Own Organics - Cat/Kitten
Pinnacle
Solid Gold
Wellness
Innova
California Natural
TimberWolf Organics - Serengeti Herbal
Blue
BrightLife


Second Grade Cat Food:
Nature's Recipe - Adult
Sensible Choice
Lick Your Chops
Natures Variety


Third Grade Cat Food:
Annamaet
Artemis
Breeders Choice - Avo-Derm
Azmira
Bil - Jac
Diamond
Eagle Pack
Excel
Flint River Ranch
Hi-Tor
Natural Life - Adult, Kitten
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
PetGuard
Precise
Premium Edge
Prism
Pro Pac
Pro Plan
Professional
Purina ONE
Royal Canin
Triumph
VeRUS
Wysong - Uretic, Vitality
Authority
Maxximum Nutrition

 

[tio]

Tio: So are you saying the majority of your cats diet is rice and vegetables? I certainly hope this is not the case as your cat can form many deficiencies on that food, it's not healthy for him, cats are carnivores.

It's OK, AngelZoo. Because I only apply it for xam Nho when she becomes rather fat. And fish is still an important part of the meal. I just try to use less fat in cooking for cats.

 

[Gracie's Mom]

I've had Skylar(my foster cat) on Science Diet light for almost 2 months, and haven't noticed any weight loss, even when I cut the portions to only 3/8 of a cup. I'm going to switch to Natural Balance reduced calorie-just try different foods, and if you notice no change, go just under thier recommended amount.

 

[queen of the nile]

Just don't forget that any weight loss program in cats should be overseen by a veterinarian. It can be very hard to tell when your cat has lost weight and if they lose weight too fast they are at risk of fatty liver disease. Levi lost 4 lbs and I didn't even notice . Luckily, this was spaced over about 8 months, so this is an acceptable amount of weight loss. Cats should be weighed on an accurate scale once a month, and they should not be losing much more than 1/2 lb a month, otherwise they are losing too fast.

 

[Gracie's Mom]

That is a very good point that I forgot to bring up! Most househeld scales aren't very accurate, and really can't give you an accurate measurement of a cat's weight. Cats can get really sick if they loose weight to fast!

 

[Muze]

If you need a separate list for wet food I'd be more then happy to give that to you.

Angelzoo - Could you please post this information as well? thanks. Also is your dry food list in any particular order (best to worst in each category)?

I'm trying your method to get my cat to slowly lose weight. I'm going to use wet food for the first meal and dry food for the 2nd and 3rd.

 

[AngelZoo]

Muze: Sorry it has taken me so long to explain, simply too busy between work and home life.

I'll give you a quick list of some good canned cat food brands, I have a larger list, but it's actually far too large to post on here. I will eventually be setting it up on a website for easier referance.

These are in no particular order

Felidae
Wellness
Natural Balance
Evolve
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul

About my dry food, no it's not in any particular order other then the selected grades, and that purely is based on ingredient content.

I'm never surprised when I hear that the SD Weight loss diet is not working for said animal, I hear it all the time. Couple simple things.

1.) keep track of your pets weight, it's ok to just walk into your vet to use their scale, lots of people do it
2.) Make sure your vet helps you monitor their changing diet and over all health as frequently as the vet feels fit.
3.) Feeding appropriate wet food in the appropriate amounts can really help with weight loss.
4.) Feeding a dry food with small portions of carbohydrates (fiber) will also aid in weight loss.

 

[Muze]

thanks for your help angelzoo. Could someone suggest their favorite place(s) to order these products (and other cat supplies) online?

 

[drjean]

diets and cats

By far the easiest way to get a cat to lose weight is to lose the dry food. Dry food is very high in carbohydrates and is the major contributor to feline body fat. It's been shown without a doubt now in many studies. Cats are carnivores and do not metabolize carbohydrates well. Canned or homemade food (high protein, high fat, LOW carbohydrates such as grains and veggies) are best for cats. Always think "Atkins diet" for weight loss in cats! (Actually, studies are now showing that low fat, high carb diets are not great for people, either, and Atkins was right!)

For more information, please see several articles on nutrition (including Feline Obesity and Why Cats Need Canned Food) at http://www.littlebigcat.com/?action=library

The dry foods on AngelZoo's list are fine as far as it goes, but cats don't need dry food at all, and are far better off without it. Dry food does not clean the teeth! In fact, dry food provides no health benefits at all--rather, dry food causes or contributes to obesity, diabetes, urinary tract infections, kidney disease, and other health problems. Its only attraction is that it's cheap and convenient. Is that worth trading for your cat's health?

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[Bean]

I had already replied something along these lines in another post...

If I plan to add more canned food to Moby's life, how much should be given? I assume a small can a day, but if I was to get larger cans (to save money), how much should I give? I suppose it would say right on the can.

And as for the brands listed (Felidae, Wellness, Natural Balance, Evolve, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul), are they available in only certain places? Some of these brands probably aren't even available in Canada...

 

[drjean]

You can for sure get Nutro and, I believe, Sensible Choice or Royal Canin, in Canada. I'd be surprised if a lot of the others weren't available, but then again you are not just in Canada, but away out there in the Maritimes, so that might be another issue. All the manufacturers have websites and tollfree numbers that you can call to find out the nearest outlet.

According to the labels, the general rule of thumb is one can of food for approximately 8 pounds of cat. However, I have a total of about 60# of cat here, they don't eat anywhere near that much; less than half. In your case, I'd just put out a glop and see how long it takes to get eaten. The nice thing is that you can pretty much feed them however much they will eat of the canned, without worrying about calories and stuff.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean