25lb! Will Not Lose Weight!

[kpc1024]

My boy Rascal will NOT lose weight. We tried several prescription foods, OTC weight loss food, everything! In general, he doesn’t eat a lot at all. Maybe one to one and a half cans a day. Over night we leave out a 1/4 cup dry in a timed feeder otherwise he wakes us.
Now, recently we had to stop experimenting with food because everything starting giving him diarrhea, EXCEPT the worst food you want to give them, Friskies.
What do I do with this fat boy?

 

[abyeb]

Do you exercise him daily? With the weather getting nicer, you could take him out on a leash and harness. Here’s a helpful article about training cats to go for walks:

Harness And Leash Training For Cats

Here are some great tips about playtime in general: Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

 

[LTS3]

Another TCS members once had a very overweight cat, too, and was able to get the weight off. The thread is Mickey, my 27 lbs foster and his journey back to a healthy weight

Weight loss in cats needs to be slowly so having patience is a must. It may take several months or more to shed the extra pounds.

Feline Obesity: An Epidemic of Fat Cats

Do you know how many calories you are feeding your cat currently? Is Friskies the canned or dry food?

 

[mservant]

K kpc1024 Thank you for taking care of Rascal, and for persisting in trying to get him back in to good health. From experience I know how hard cat weight loss is to achieve but I do believe you and Rascal can succeed.

Mouse was not as large as Rascal but he could easily have achieved this (and still could if he had his own way).

Mouse was born a chubby guy right at the top of the healthy kitten scale and kept himself on that level throughout his kitten hood. After that he was slowly but surely putting on weight no matter how hard I tried to watch what he was eating. From age 3 year his activity levels dropped considerably and it just seemed to get harder: he was far too keen on the watch and wait style of hunting. No matter what I tried he only ran about as much as he thought he should. By the time he was 6 he was up to 14 lb and I found myself too embarrassed about taking him to the vet for his booster vaccinations and annual health check. I knew the weight was creeping up no matter what I tried, and Mouse was starting to find it harder to run and jump when the notion took him. I could see him gaining weight faster and faster and how easy it would be to double his size.

Last summer I decided action had to happen and a faced up to the much feared vet visit. Mouse had gained nearly 2lb in the two years since our last vet trip. The vet was nice but firm, and politely asked me if I would consider going along to their 'Cat weight loss group' - which was actually a one to one meeting with one of their vet nurses for me and Mouse. It was amazing - within minutes she was able to pinpoint where I might be going wrong and we were able to come up with a plan.

One thing we chose to do was not to alter Mouse's regular food because he has a prescription dental diet. Dry / kibble. I had always used a measuring cup but was told this was not accurate enough. Accurate scale measuring was needed, and strict adherence to the agreed quantity for each day.

It was amazing - in theory the amount I thought Mouse had been getting was in the tin but with more strict rules about no extra biscuits for play or snacks. I think the measuring cup probably gave him around an extra 5 to 10% every day! At least, because I rent out a room in my apartment and Mouse is very skilled at conning my lodgers in to thinking he's been starved for weeks.

It wasn't easy in any way but the result for holding out despite pleading, wailing, desperate cat? A steady weight loss over an 8 month period getting Mouse from over 14lb to just over 11lb, pretty much his ideal weight. He is back to bouncing of the walls and 'Tigger jumping' me (leaping from behind, up on to the back of my shoulders) to get to higher places - a reward worth all the hard work.

Mouse is completely in door so at least the risk of additional food is limited to what he can con out of lodgers and visitors unless he suddenly finds a liking for live prey (which here would be limited to flies, spiders, and the occasional mouse should be discover cats actually eat such things). You don't say if Rascal has any access to outdoors, or sources of food other than what you might give him?

 

[kpc1024]

Do you exercise him daily? With the weather getting nicer, you could take him out on a leash and harness. Here’s a helpful article about training cats to go for walks:

Harness And Leash Training For Cats

Here are some great tips about playtime in general: Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

Thanks for the link! Good info! I have to remember to stop and play with him a bit each day,

 

[kpc1024]

Another TCS members once had a very overweight cat, too, and was able to get the weight off. The thread is Mickey, my 27 lbs foster and his journey back to a healthy weight

Weight loss in cats needs to be slowly so having patience is a must. It may take several months or more to shed the extra pounds.

Feline Obesity: An Epidemic of Fat Cats

Do you know how many calories you are feeding your cat currently? Is Friskies the canned or dry food?

Thanks, I wonder if I gave up on the diet food too early. I thought he would lose it more quickly being he is so big.

 

[kpc1024]

K kpc1024 Thank you for taking care of Rascal, and for persisting in trying to get him back in to good health. From experience I know how hard cat weight loss is to achieve but I do believe you and Rascal can succeed.

Mouse was not as large as Rascal but he could easily have achieved this (and still could if he had his own way).

Mouse was born a chubby guy right at the top of the healthy kitten scale and kept himself on that level throughout his kitten hood. After that he was slowly but surely putting on weight no matter how hard I tried to watch what he was eating. From age 3 year his activity levels dropped considerably and it just seemed to get harder: he was far too keen on the watch and wait style of hunting. No matter what I tried he only ran about as much as he thought he should. By the time he was 6 he was up to 14 lb and I found myself too embarrassed about taking him to the vet for his booster vaccinations and annual health check. I knew the weight was creeping up no matter what I tried, and Mouse was starting to find it harder to run and jump when the notion took him. I could see him gaining weight faster and faster and how easy it would be to double his size.

Last summer I decided action had to happen and a faced up to the much feared vet visit. Mouse had gained nearly 2lb in the two years since our last vet trip. The vet was nice but firm, and politely asked me if I would consider going along to their 'Cat weight loss group' - which was actually a one to one meeting with one of their vet nurses for me and Mouse. It was amazing - within minutes she was able to pinpoint where I might be going wrong and we were able to come up with a plan.

One thing we chose to do was not to alter Mouse's regular food because he has a prescription dental diet. Dry / kibble. I had always used a measuring cup but was told this was not accurate enough. Accurate scale measuring was needed, and strict adherence to the agreed quantity for each day.

It was amazing - in theory the amount I thought Mouse had been getting was in the tin but with more strict rules about no extra biscuits for play or snacks. I think the measuring cup probably gave him around an extra 5 to 10% every day! At least, because I rent out a room in my apartment and Mouse is very skilled at conning my lodgers in to thinking he's been starved for weeks.

It wasn't easy in any way but the result for holding out despite pleading, wailing, desperate cat? A steady weight loss over an 8 month period getting Mouse from over 14lb to just over 11lb, pretty much his ideal weight. He is back to bouncing of the walls and 'Tigger jumping' me (leaping from behind, up on to the back of my shoulders) to get to higher places - a reward worth all the hard work.

Mouse is completely in door so at least the risk of additional food is limited to what he can con out of lodgers and visitors unless he suddenly finds a liking for live prey (which here would be limited to flies, spiders, and the occasional mouse should be discover cats actually eat such things). You don't say if Rascal has any access to outdoors, or sources of food other than what you might give him?

Nice job! I hope I can be as successful!

 

[lalagimp]

I'll vouch for weighing the food. 5/8 cup often was not the 65 grams as recommended, when using your eyeballs and the shape of the kibble taking up space to the fill line. I starting weighing Tom's food on his diet program after the first few months. He was 21 lbs. In three years he made it to 12 1/2.

 

[kpc1024]

I'll vouch for weighing the food. 5/8 cup often was not the 65 grams as recommended, when using your eyeballs and the shape of the kibble taking up space to the fill line. I starting weighing Tom's food on his diet program after the first few months. He was 21 lbs. In three years he made it to 12 1/2.

I just went on chewy.com and ordered the food!

 

[orange&white]

It took 15 months, but I got Tangent down from 16.5 pound to his healthy weight range between 12.5-13 pounds. I agree with weighing foods and very slowly decreasing calories every couple of weeks if the cat hits a plateau.

At one point, I became extremely concerned about how few calories he was eating to continue slow weight loss. After he hit his desired weight, he is a lot more active, and can eat more calories per day now in "maintenance mode". He's definitely happier and healthier. All the work is worth it.