[imatarb]

Here's my big man, Jack. He's my 8-yr. old sweetie, although I know he needs to shed a few pounds!

http://www.catforum.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=2096

Lisa

 

[Aonir]

A few? 8O He's a big cuddle-bear! Definately makes you want to hug him to pieces!

 

[kitkat]

Hehe I love big cats, oops I mean slightly overweight..... 8)

He's a doll, looks very huggable :lol:

 

[Heather102180]

How much does he weigh? He's huge!!! :lol: What a cutie!

 

[imatarb]

Um, at last check, he was about 23 lbs.

I hope we can get him to slim down...

Lisa

 

[queen of the nile]

He is a beautiful boy either way. My cats used to hold up the wall too when they had some excess pounds. It's something I actually miss from their chubby days. I love his white tummy, looks so rubbable .

 

[Joys]

Oh my, hes huge! He's also adorable! :mrgreen:

 

[ForJazz]

I would ask Queen of the Nile for diet tips -- she has successfully slimmed down all three of her cats quite a bit! He's a cutie -- I hope you get him healthy soon.

 

[imatarb]

Yes, I did get some diet tips, so I'm off to the store in the next day or so to pick out some different foods for Jack and some kitten food for Tom. Obviously, these two cats will be fed in totally different rooms and different floors of the house so that Jack isn't tempted by the fatty kitten food!

Lisa

 

[ForJazz]

Just be aware that a lot of "diet" foods and "weight loss" foods end up making cats gain weight. I'm talking about the dry food variety. Because The fat content is lower than regular dry foods, so it LOOKS good on the label. But what they give up in fat, they gain in carbs. And carbs as we all know from the recent "Atkins craze"...are bad. So...cats end up gaining more weight with the "less fat" foods. Otherwise, they are not as filling, so cats eat more of them to feel full. It sounds like the wet food diet is the most successful. Overweight "dry food" kitties tend to stay overweight.

 

[Bean]

The reason dry food is worse is because it has more fat than the wet food typically. Cats cannot break down fat as well as humans. With wet food they can replace a lot of the fat with moisture, and it's still appealling to cats.

 

[queen of the nile]

From what I've read and heardm it's actually the lower carbs in wet food and the moisture that make it a great weight-loss aid. Apparently, having a higher fat content is not bad for a cat, whereas a high carb content *is*. Since they are obligate carnivores I would think that the carbohydrates would be more difficult for them to digest.

 

[ForJazz]

From what I've read and heardm it's actually the lower carbs in wet food and the moisture that make it a great weight-loss aid. Apparently, having a higher fat content is not bad for a cat, whereas a high carb content *is*. Since they are obligate carnivores I would think that the carbohydrates would be more difficult for them to digest.

Exactly. But people see the words "low fat food" and they think their cat is going to lose weight from it. I mean right on the label you can see that it has half as much fat as other dry foods. But...if you take something away you have to put something back in. What they put in, is carbs. So usually cats actually GAIN weight on the low fat dry foods. Best way to help your cat lose weight is definitely a wet food diet.

 

[imatarb]

I just couldn't resist posting this pic of Jack...

My big fella, deep in thought:

http://www.catforum.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=2202

Lisa

 

[Superkitties]

Whoa, that's one hefty kitty, hehe. What a handsome boy, and that's such a nice pensive pic.

 

[malcolmsmom]

Jack is a VERY HANDSOME boy!!