Amount To Feed For Weight Loss (+ Good Grain Free Food?)

[ellewolfe]

Hello! So I have three cats and the oldest two are overweight; since we got a new kitten they're both guilty of grazing on kitten food when we aren't looking. The oldest is 11 and a whopping 18lbs but he is a much larger built cat according the vet and should be about 14-16lbs. The middle child is 5 and 16lbs, but should be between 10-12 lbs.

When I asked for an exact amount to feed for weight loss the vet didn't exactly explain it well. According to the bag at their current weight they should each get a cup a day. But should I feed to what their weight should be instead, which would be about 3/4th cup for the biggest and 2/3 for the other or is there an amount that is safe weight loss? I don't even really know how much a normal cat eats except my kitten, my fiance has always just filled up the bowls and called it good, but the oldest cat is a gorge and puke type so I have to split meals.

I also am looking for recommendations for a good grain free or at least corn free cat food. The middle child is developing bad skin allergies and the vet wanted us to try something more natural and corn free. They currently eat Science Diet Indoor 7+ Senior, even the 5 year old middle child, because he has a sensitive stomach and has the worlds smelliest bowel movements on regular adult food and used to yowl when he dis his business as if in distress. So if anyone has a good brand for corn free that comes in a senior mix, it would be super appreciated, and any clarification on how much my little fatties should be eating would be awesome.

(My oldest boy, showing off his floof)

 

[KarenKat]

I’ve heard you want to feed 15-25 kcal per pound depending on activity level and then for weight loss take their current weight and subtract about 10% of the calories.

As for good grain-free kibble, the ideal balance is high protein, medium fat and low carb. I know a lot of people like Orijen or Dr Elsey’s Pure Protein. Expensive but high calorie. Hopefully someone else can chime in with other options.

Also go by the calorie guide and not the recommended serving. The bags of kibble usually overestimate how much to feed.

 

[ellewolfe]

Thanks for the help. I'm so lost on good cat foods, my fiance used to feed our oldest cat the cheapest fast food version of cat food before I came along and we got more cats, it did a real number to his teeth. I was looking at potentially trying out Canidae's "Grain Free Under the Sun" because it has one of the best scores from the clean label project yet is still moderately priced, but I've seen a few reviews of people saying their cats won't touch it. Mine aren't picky eaters overall but every few years they get sick of their food and I have to change it, and with the delicious kitten food nearby they only want that and seem insulted by the Science Diet.

 

[KarenKat]

Yeah pet food is confusing for sure. We fed our guys Purina Cat Chow (first ingredient was corn) and our tabby ballooned into a fat pillow. We changed to Natural Balance Green Pea and Chicken dry and he slowly dropped the weight. The natural balance is pretty high in carbs so I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s better than the crap we were feeding.

As for cats not eating it, that is very specific to the individual cats. As long as you very slowly transition them to the new food and if necessary entice them with toppers it has a good chance I think.

Catfooddb.com is a great resource for looking at ingredients and the protein/carb/fat breakdown.

 

[maggiedemi]

Are you feeding any canned food? That would help with weight loss.

 

[2BSH]

the Problem with MOST dry food is that it’s so high in carbohydrates. Cats are not made to process such high levels of carbs. There are a couple of dry foods that are low in carbohydrates such as dr.elsleys ( from what I hear as I do not feed my cats any dry food). If your cats will eAt it I would look to add at least some wet food into their diets. Maybe do 50%/50%. Wet food is GENERALLY much much lower in carbohydrates and a much more species appropriate diet for an obligate carnivore (your cats). Most cats like fancy feast. I’d go with the classic pate kind. It won’t break the bank and it’s very low carb. Also. Are you free feeding? If possible you should do timed feedings. Morning afternoon and night and split their allowed calories into 3 meals.

 

[lisahe]

Are you feeding any canned food? That would help with weight loss.

I agree! Particularly if it's low-carb canned food without grains, potato, peas, and the like. And particularly if it's fed in regular meals to the cats, so the adult cats can't snag the kitten's food. This can also help prevent the oldest cat's "scarf and barf" problem. (We have a cat who does that, too!)

And I see that 2BSH beat me to this on all points!

 

[2BSH]

I agree! Particularly if it's low-carb canned food without grains, potato, peas, and the like. And particularly if it's fed in regular meals to the cats, so the adult cats can't snag the kitten's food. This also can also help prevent the oldest cat's "scarf and barf" problem. (We have a cat who does that, too!)

And I see that 2BSH beat me to this on all points!

Lol. I agree I agree! .

 

[ChaoticEva]

Like the others have said, canned food will be a great help for weight loss in kitties!! My Banjo (he's a tripod) was at 16lbs. We tried all the weight loss dry food out there, but nothing was helping. If anything, it just caused him other issues. So we switched him to a mix of wet and dry food (3/4 of a can a day, plus 1/8th to 1/4th of a cup of dry food). With this combo, he lost 3 pounds!! But what really made a difference, is when I switched him to raw food. He's now down to 11.5lbs and he only has one more pound to go! When he was at 13lbs, he hit a "plateau" and wasn't losing weight, so the raw food really helped.
Your vet should be able to give you the amount of calories your cat should be eating. For Banjo, it was 185kcals to 190kcals a day.
Getting a weight loss "program" in place is a lot of work in the beginning, but it is SO worth it!! And it gets super easy afterwards.

 

[duckpond]

I agree that wet food is often the easiest choice for cats that need to loose weight. It really does not matter, in my opinion if the food is grain free or not. We need to stay away from carbs no matter where they come from, grains, potatoes, veggies, fruits . High protein moderate fat, and low carbs.

I feed several wet foods, Right now mainly Tiki cat and fancy feast classics for one girl, its all they are wanting right now. then i round out their calorie needs with Dr. Elseys dry, its about the lowest carb dry food i can find. They get wet 2x daily and the dry left out during the day, i have started putting the dry up at night, no food at night. We had well checks this month, vet said all are a good weight, but he wants them to stay where they are, not gain any. they are getting older, so hopefully taking it up at night will help that happen.

We did talk about weight loss, and he said what he recommends to people is figure out how many calories the cat is eating now, then reduce it by 20% Food needs to be high protein, moderate fat, and low carb. If i had to guess how many calories mine need per day i would say my smaller girls need from 180 to 200, and the bigger boys around 250. this is just a rough estimate.

I have a few places i like to look up foods.

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

your oldest is a very good looking boy!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Try out some brands, either from local stores or Only Natural Pet, they're a website that allows small quantity orders.