Calculating Calorie Needs For An Overweight Cat

[misterwhiskers]

Hi! Haven’t been here in ages! How is everyone?

My cat Robin is now a whopping 17 pounds and the vet wants to get him down to about 13 or 14 pounds. He’s a low energy cat with a naturally larger frame (Ragdoll mix). He inhales a certain wet food that has 42 calories per small 1.3 ounce packet. He got fat on a dry kibble addiction.

I’ve been thinking of restricting him to 1/3 cup of Purina One hairball formula (dry) with two potions of the smaller portion food a day, for a total of 135 calories a day. It doesn’t sound like much, but my cat has become far too sedentary and doesn’t really move anymore unless he’s hungry, and I’m getting desperate for him to lose that weight. And it’s doable. But is this enough food? Sigh...I thought I knew a lot about cats, but I sometimes feel like a failure when I go to the vet and get yelled at for him being heavy.

Anyway, thank you. I hope everyone is having a great new year so far! I’m looking forward to being on these forums again.

 

[MissMolly08]

No, I don't think 135 calories/day is enough. Every cat is different and there are a few cats here that require very little calories to maintain weight but you cannot just jump down from current calories to 135. Cats have to lose weight VERY SLOWLY or they are at risk for something called fatty liver disease.
You will want to figure out how many calories you were feeding your cat before to lead to being overweight and then SLOWLY decrease that. If you were feeding 350, decrease to something like 320 for a while and weigh your kitty weekly. You want to see slow and steady loss. If you aren't seeing any result in a couple weeks, then you can decrease again.
You do not want him losing more than 1/2lb a month so you are looking at at least 6 months to reach the weight your vet would like to see him at.

 

[misterwhiskers]

No, I don't think 135 calories/day is enough. Every cat is different and there are a few cats here that require very little calories to maintain weight but you cannot just jump down from current calories to 135. Cats have to lose weight VERY SLOWLY or they are at risk for something called fatty liver disease.
You will want to figure out how many calories you were feeding your cat before to lead to being overweight and then SLOWLY decrease that. If you were feeding 350, decrease to something like 320 for a while and weigh your kitty weekly. You want to see slow and steady loss. If you aren't seeing any result in a couple weeks, then you can decrease again.
You do not want him losing more than 1/2lb a month so you are looking at at least 6 months to reach the weight your vet would like to see him at.

Thank you. I’m not sure why he’s so heavy, then. I don’t think he eats more than 200 calories a day right now.

 

[MissMolly08]

Thank you. I’m not sure why he’s so heavy, then. I don’t think he eats more than 200 calories a day right now.

What dry food was he eating and how much? Dry foods are extremely calorie dense! It is easy to underestimate how many calories they are getting. Some dry foods have as much as 500 calories/cup! Were you using an actual measuring cup to serve his kibble? It's also easy to underestimate how much you are giving a day if you don't actually measure it. My cat is on a weight loss journey right now too and I never realized how much I was feeding her until she too, hit about 17lbs! Once I started actually reading the bags and measuring her food, it was a huge eye opener!

 

[Columbine]

I'd call the vet, and ask them how many calories Robin needs for weight loss. It's far better to ask a professional who's seen him in person. We can make guesstimate for you, but there's no substitute for physically seeing the cat

For small amounts of weight loss, I work out how much the cat would need to maintain their ideal/target weight, and start out with that. For bigger losses this isn't a good idea, though, as it risks creating too big of a deficit.

@mschauer has a lot of experience with helping kitties slim down, so she may be able to help more.

 

[misterwhiskers]

What dry food was he eating and how much? Dry foods are extremely calorie dense! It is easy to underestimate how many calories they are getting. Some dry foods have as much as 500 calories/cup! Were you using an actual measuring cup to serve his kibble? It's also easy to underestimate how much you are giving a day if you don't actually measure it. My cat is on a weight loss journey right now too and I never realized how much I was feeding her until she too, hit about 17lbs! Once I started actually reading the bags and measuring her food, it was a huge eye opener!

The dry is Purina One hairball—400 kcals a cup! And yea, I’ve been feeding him more than a 1/2 cup a day. My bad. I thought it had less calories than that.

 

[MissMolly08]

The dry is Purina One hairball—400 kcals a cup! And yea, I’ve been feeding him more than a 1/2 cup a day. My bad. I thought it had less calories than that.

Definitely an easy mistake to make!
So if he was getting something closer to 5/8 cup of the dry + you have to add those packets of wet you mentioned... How many of those a day?
5/8 cup of that dry would be about 250 calories a day + at least 1 of the wet food packets @ 42 calories = 292
If he was having 2 wet packets a day + another 42 = 334.

More wet is usually best for weight loss so I would personally leave the wet packets and decrease the dry to an even 1/2 cup to start.

 

[orange&white]

Hi misterwhiskers!

You're doing a good thing to get Robin down to a healthy weight. MissMolly's advice is spot on. Figure out how many calories he's eating, and cut back 20-25 calories for a week or two with weekly weigh-ins. If he isn't losing weight after 2 weeks, then cut back another 20 for the next 2 weeks. Once you're under 200 kcals, only drop 10 kcals if needed, because it becomes a larger percentage drop in calories.

I just got Tangent from 16.5 pounds in Sept 2016 to 12.5 pounds a few months ago. It took a year, but slower weight loss is healthier than a crash diet. I started his diet by completely taking away the kibble and feeding 200 kcals/day of canned only. At one point, I did drop his calories to 135 kcals/week of extremely lean meat cuts on a homemade balanced raw diet to finally get his metabolism to kick in. He's on maintenance now, and back to eating 240 calories a day without weight gain. He's brighter-eyed and a lot more active now even though he's a senior cat.

It's well worth the effort, and sometimes, the aggravation.

 

[misterwhiskers]

Definitely an easy mistake to make!
So if he was getting something closer to 5/8 cup of the dry + you have to add those packets of wet you mentioned... How many of those a day?
5/8 cup of that dry would be about 250 calories a day + at least 1 of the wet food packets @ 42 calories = 292
If he was having 2 wet packets a day + another 42 = 334.

More wet is usually best for weight loss so I would personally leave the wet packets and decrease the dry to an even 1/2 cup to start.

Sound advice! I’ll do that, thank you.

 

[misterwhiskers]

Hi misterwhiskers!

You're doing a good thing to get Robin down to a healthy weight. MissMolly's advice is spot on. Figure out how many calories he's eating, and cut back 20-25 calories for a week or two with weekly weigh-ins. If he isn't losing weight after 2 weeks, then cut back another 20 for the next 2 weeks. Once you're under 200 kcals, only drop 10 kcals if needed, because it becomes a larger percentage drop in calories.

I just got Tangent from 16.5 pounds in Sept 2016 to 12.5 pounds a few months ago. It took a year, but slower weight loss is healthier than a crash diet. I started his diet by completely taking away the kibble and feeding 200 kcals/day of canned only. At one point, I did drop his calories to 135 kcals/week of extremely lean meat cuts on a homemade balanced raw diet to finally get his metabolism to kick in. He's on maintenance now, and back to eating 240 calories a day without weight gain. He's brighter-eyed and a lot more active now even though he's a senior cat.

It's well worth the effort, and sometimes, the aggravation.

Hi! Thank you! That’s almost exactly how much weight Robin needs to lose. I wish I could afford to feed him canned only right now. He HAD been loving Whole Earth Farms cans, and I’d have fed him only one can a day, but he stopped liking it as much, which threw a kink in my plans. The Sheba is actually more expensive calorie for calorie, plus the hairball formula keeps his barfies at bay (no matter how much I brush him). It’s good to know it’ll take awhile; the vet sounded like I should do it in six months, and insisted dry was good. It’s mixing canned in that throws me off, since I found the Sheba, bc he inhales it. Licks the plate clean. Then whines for dry lol. I’ll figure it out, with help. Thank you!

 

[leeannintx]

Hi, misterwhiskers! Congratulations on deciding to enhance Robin's quality of life by working on his food intake. I know from experience that this can be an emotional step -- we love our cats, and one way we show love is by feeding them. I second Columbine's suggestion to consult your vet on the right dietary approach.

When my vet suggested that Ferdinand, at 13 lbs, was getting a little heavy, she suggested reducing food to the equivalent recommended amount for a 10-11-lb cat. Ferdinand is a DSH, and while active is a primarily indoor cat. I estimate that Ferdinand and Isabel (7mo) get a combined 500 calories per day now, about half wet, half dry. They eat through all the food provided, but no one has thrown a fit. I also have the luxury of working from home so I am providing 3 smaller meals instead of 2 larger meals. Everyone is happy.

Ferdinand is down to just under 10.8 pounds after three months of calorie reduction, and Isabel continues to grow.

When I asked my vet about the wet/dry mix, he was more interested in reducing the dry food, even though it is a high-quality, high-protein food.

 

[orange&white]

Hi! Thank you! That’s almost exactly how much weight Robin needs to lose. I wish I could afford to feed him canned only right now. He HAD been loving Whole Earth Farms cans, and I’d have fed him only one can a day, but he stopped liking it as much, which threw a kink in my plans. The Sheba is actually more expensive calorie for calorie, plus the hairball formula keeps his barfies at bay (no matter how much I brush him). It’s good to know it’ll take awhile; the vet sounded like I should do it in six months, and insisted dry was good. It’s mixing canned in that throws me off, since I found the Sheba, bc he inhales it. Licks the plate clean. Then whines for dry lol. I’ll figure it out, with help. Thank you!

Yes, you can get there on canned and dry. The main issue with dry food is that they cannot produce kibble without a lot of carbohydrate powder to bind it into pieces, and carbs are the enemy of overweight cats. Still, very doable though.

I was planning a transition all the pets back to homemade raw when I put Tangent on a diet, so the canned he ate from the end of Sept 2016 until Jan 1st 2017 was Walmart's Special Kitty at $1 for a large 22oz can. It doesn't have any veggies or other carbs (on the downside, the meat is all by-products, not whole meats). It did give him pungent poop emissions at the cat box, but it got his diet going until the next transition.

 

[Columbine]

When mixing wet and dry, I work out how the ration is going to be split in caloric terms (e.g. 50/50, 60/40 etc). Then I divide the calorie target accordingly, and that tells me exactly how much of each to give. For me, at least, starting out with the ratios makes it all so much easier

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm still providing dry kibble along with wet as well. My big guy lost weight when I introduced some store bought frozen raw and I don't want him underweight. When you can lightly feel his ribs but not see them, you're know you're there.

 

[leeannintx]

Yes, you can get there on canned and dry. The main issue with dry food is that they cannot produce kibble without a lot of carbohydrate powder to bind it into pieces, and carbs are the enemy of overweight cats. Still, very doable though.

I was planning a transition all the pets back to homemade raw when I put Tangent on a diet, so the canned he ate from the end of Sept 2016 until Jan 1st 2017 was Walmart's Special Kitty at $1 for a large 22oz can. It doesn't have any veggies or other carbs (on the downside, the meat is all by-products, not whole meats). It did give him pungent poop emissions at the cat box, but it got his diet going until the next transition.

That's a great tip about Walmart's Special Kitty. For whatever it's worth, I recently had to look hard at the cat budget, and I started tracking by spreadsheet some foods I had fed (Royal Canin and Hill's) alongside some other foods. Ferdinand and Isabel had gotten tired of the Royal Canin anyway, so it was a good time to re-evaluate. Interestingly they did not care for some of the more expensive brands (Merrick, certain Purina Beyond flavors), and they really like Fancy Feast ocean whitefish and tuna (inexpensive).

I am updating that information here though not as frequently now.

 

[misterwhiskers]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share some happy news!! As of last week, Robin has lost almost 2 pounds. 15.3 pounds. It’s pretty obvious he feels better! I did this by drastically cutting back on the Purina One dry to about 1/4 c a day, at most. Some days he got no dry. The big “winner winner chicken dinner”was the Sheba perfect portions! 2 or 3 a day, (of the 1.7 ounce portions), sometimes more if he needed more moisture and less dry food. That’s it! 40 calories per portion, keeping his calories to 220 a day. The weight comes on immediately if I free feed the dry. That’s terrifying! Anyway. Hope this helps someone else! PS the Sheba pates not the slices.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[MissMolly08]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share some happy news!! As of last week, Robin has lost almost 2 pounds. 15.3 pounds. It’s pretty obvious he feels better! I did this by drastically cutting back on the Purina One dry to about 1/4 c a day, at most. Some days he got no dry. The big “winner winner chicken dinner”was the Sheba perfect portions! 2 or 3 a day, (of the 1.7 ounce portions), sometimes more if he needed more moisture and less dry food. That’s it! 40 calories per portion, keeping his calories to 220 a day. The weight comes on immediately if I free feed the dry. That’s terrifying! Anyway. Hope this helps someone else! PS the Sheba pates not the slices.

That is great! Keep up the good work!
We've been at this weight loss thing for about 9 months now and my kitty went from almost 17lbs down to 12.6!

 

[orange&white]

That really is great news!

Slow and steady weight loss is definitely the way to go.