Cats Are Overweight Despite Low Calorie Diet

Thummy

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I used to free feed my 3 cats until one of them became obese. The other 2 are overweight, as well. Then I switched to controlled portions. After a few months, all 3 are still overweight with no noticeable weight loss. I feed them all half a can of 3oz Fancy Feast Medleys twice a day, along with 1/4 cup Blue Wilderness Indoor dry once a day. I looked up recommended calories and realized I have been feeding them less calories than they need (340 is recommended!). How is it possible that they aren’t losing weight? According to the packaging, 1 can of Fancy Feast is 70cal. 1 cup of BW dry is 410. So, 1/4 cup is 102cal. That’s 172 calories a day. How is it possible that they aren’t losing weight? Is it a metabolism thing? Will feeding them 3.5 cans of Fancy Feast a day kickstart their metabolism? I can’t imagine that all three are hypothyroid. I feel terrible that I didn’t look up the calorie calculator sooner. They all seem content with their portions and will even leave some in the dish. I am taking the heaviest one to the vet soon, but I wanted some advice in the meantime.
 

kittyluv387

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Those feeding guidelines are overstated. Most adult cats need something in the 200s. How much do they weigh now?
 

lisahe

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I'm not good at calculating calories and we'd need your cats' weights for that... but no matter what the weights, I'd strongly suggest feeding a diet that's lower in carbs. And any calorie reduction should be done very slowly.

The Fancy Feast medleys may be relatively low calorie but they have wheat and corn ingredients; the dry food has three forms of peas plus tapioca and potato, plus some other vegetables. Cats don't process those very well.

Fancy Feast pates may be more caloric than the medleys but they're more meat-based so would likely be more satisfying. Our vet always recommends feeding only wet foods, particularly to cats who need to lose weight.
 

Azazel

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Its not just about how many calories you feed but rather where the calories come from. Currently your cats are eating primarily carbs, which is an inappropriate calorie source for cats.
 
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Thummy

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Thanks everyone. The largest weighs 20 lbs and the other two weigh 15 & 16 (all males). Everyone is surprised at how long the biggest cat is. He’s long, but he’s definitely too chubby for his frame.

It is a nightmare to change their food. It took me a while to find a wet food that didn’t cause one of them tummy troubles. I’ll see if they can handle the pate and try to find a low carb option that works for them.
 

lisahe

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Thanks everyone. The largest weighs 20 lbs and the other two weigh 15 & 16 (all males). Everyone is surprised at how long the biggest cat is. He’s long, but he’s definitely too chubby for his frame.

It is a nightmare to change their food. It took me a while to find a wet food that didn’t cause one of them tummy troubles. I’ll see if they can handle the pate and try to find a low carb option that works for them.
Of grocery store foods, stuff like Fancy Feast pate or Sheba pates would be a good start. Avoid carby ingredients like wheat, corn, or other grains, plus vegetables like peas, potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, etc. Cats are carnivores so they need meat! And, depending on what you've tried them on, it could even be that some of the veg-based ingredients were causing problems. (One of our cats, for example, can't eat potato.)

Good luck!
 

sweet jane flash

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I used to think all cats were self-regulating at food since I never had weight issues before this last big beautiful lady who is now normal size beautiful lady, but don't be so hard on yourself. Live and learn my friend. Only with meat diet, grain free did we get back to normal weight. And lots of new and different toys to keep active!!! Good luck Thummy, I think you will get this weight issue resolved sooner than you think!
 

jen

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I think your best bet would be to drop the dry food period and just do specific portions per cat. Fancy Feast Classic Pate are very low to no carb which would be ideal for them before they become diabetic. Good luck!
 

sweet jane flash

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Also as you have probably seen there are products you can buy called cat puzzle toys which make Cat work for their food, as they would in the wild. While I have never purchased one, I made my own by putting as many of her "dollies" in with her food and she had to work at getting her food which I believe helped a lot. And since she has lots of dollies it did not cost me a cent. Good Luck, we're keeping our paws crossed!!
 
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Thummy

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Thank you! Off to buy some Fancy Feast pate and see how they do. I didn’t even think about the carbs! My first time with overweight cats, so just a bit lost
 

lisahe

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Thank you! Off to buy some Fancy Feast pate and see how they do. I didn’t even think about the carbs! My first time with overweight cats, so just a bit lost
It's really hard to know what to do! Our last cat was overweight and the vet recommended diet dry food... which of course did absolutely nothing. I'm convinced the only thing that kept her from totally ballooning was that we started feeding her a can of Fancy Feast pates every day. I knew nothing about feline nutrition and the importance of meat, meat, meat over carbs back then!

And if they don't like Fancy Feast pates, do give Sheba a try, though the silly "perfect portions" packs may not be the right size for what you need.

Good luck!
 

CatLover49

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Thanks everyone. The largest weighs 20 lbs and the other two weigh 15 & 16 (all males). Everyone is surprised at how long the biggest cat is. He’s long, but he’s definitely too chubby for his frame.

It is a nightmare to change their food. It took me a while to find a wet food that didn’t cause one of them tummy troubles. I’ll see if they can handle the pate and try to find a low carb option that works for them.
Do u have pictures of the kitties???
 

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They are adorable! My friend is trying to get tiny kittens adopted that have a similar coat. Good you are changing their diet. My cats eat dr elseys canned. More expensive than fancy feast. Online only but companies will give samples
 

mizzely

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My overweight cat lost weight by dropping dry altogether and replacing with Friskies pates. So if budget is a concern, adding some of that to the rotation is an option as well. Wet food almost always contains much lower carbs than dry food, and Friskies pates are still around 10% or less.
 

lisahe

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My overweight cat lost weight by dropping dry altogether and replacing with Friskies pates. So if budget is a concern, adding some of that to the rotation is an option as well. Wet food almost always contains much lower carbs than dry food, and Friskies pates are still around 10% or less.
And lots of cats love Friskies pates!

Here's a chart, by the way, to help you get a sense of carbs in wet foods, Thummy Thummy . (The carbs in Friskies pates are around 5% of calories, which is very good. But the other kinds are much higher; I recall that some of them had wheat gluten in them, which is good to avoid for a lot of reasons!)

Your cats look very sweet, Thummy!
 
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Thummy

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And lots of cats love Friskies pates!

Here's a chart, by the way, to help you get a sense of carbs in wet foods, Thummy Thummy . (The carbs in Friskies pates are around 5% of calories, which is very good. But the other kinds are much higher; I recall that some of them had wheat gluten in them, which is good to avoid for a lot of reasons!)

Your cats look very sweet, Thummy!
Thank you! They are enjoying the Fancy Feast pate, so I may try adding the Friskies for variety. And I just took the long boy to the vet and was surprised that he actually did lose 2 pounds since we weighed him several months ago. A start. So, I’m feeling positive about the switch to Low carb. Fingers crossed!
 
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