Can A Senior Cat Drop Several Lbs?

[Ladyrosee]

Can you get him to be more active?

He runs around daily with the kitten. Up and down the stairs, top of the cat tree. Every night at least he runs around. Sounds like a buffalo. He can jump on nearly anything too I'm surprised for his size he can do all that. When hes feeling better (he had a uti scare and had a pain injection hes still tripping from) I'll play more fetch with him. And he also is food obsessed so I was going to make him go up and down the stairs a few times with him following the food bowl before he eats


Is there a general rule for calories for weight? Ideally I'd like him at 14 and feeding 250 calories or less but I have no idea if that was a lot

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh, I like the stairs idea

Borrowing from LTS3 , here's a post that talks about calorie counting in a weight loss program for kitties;

Two Rescue Kitties Are Extremely Over Weight

 

[LTS3]

Is there a general rule for calories for weight? Ideally I'd like him at 14 and feeding 250 calories or less but I have no idea if that was a lot

Around 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. Figure out how much your cat is eating right now and slowly reduce the calories over a period of weeks. I'd reduce calorie content no more than 50 calories every other week or so. Don't rush the calorie reduction because that will result in fatty liver disease. Weigh your cat weekly and track the weight and calorie intake and exercise to see if the wight is coming off or not.

 

[Ladyrosee]

Around 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. Figure out how much your cat is eating right now and slowly reduce the calories over a period of weeks. I'd reduce calorie content no more than 50 calories every other week or so. Don't rush the calorie reduction because that will result in fatty liver disease. Weigh your cat weekly and track the weight and calorie intake and exercise to see if the wight is coming off or not.

I feel like that is what made him gain weight. His ideal weight is 14 that would be 240 calories and he really only gets 250 a day or less and hes just gaining and gaining

As of NOW I've decided to go into my work tomorrow and ask for permission to buy the prescription royal canin calorie control. I hate ingredients of those brands but maybe a big bag he will lose weight on and I can switch him to something else one of you suggested. I just need to act now because he is just ballooning and getting older I must do something asap lol. It has like 250 calories per cup I think and extra fiber and glucosamine since big kitties' joints can be stressed. It's supposed to keep them fuller

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go with this

 

[LTS3]

The Orijen Fit and Trim has 428 calories per 8 oz. That's still too many calories for a supposed diet food. 8 oz of food daily isn't enough to keep a cat's tummy happy either.

The Royal Canin SO you just started your cat on for urinary issues has 298 calories per cup. Better but junkier ingredients. Most urinary issues do not need prescription food either. Catinfo.org has more info about food and health. Was your cat's urinary issue an actual infection or was it an inflammation or maybe something like cystitis?

I feel like that is what made him gain weight. His ideal weight is 14 that would be 240 calories and he really only gets 250 a day or less and hes just gaining and gaining

If your cat is 17 lbs, I'm surprised he doesn't have fatty liver disease or at least constantly screaming for more food. 250 calories daily for a 17 lb cat is low.

Did the vet do blood work to rule out anything medical that is causing weight gain?

Have you tried a bland-ish canned food without fillers? Many big name foods contain fillers that some cats can't handle. Try a brand like Rawz or Koha. Instead of offering the whole can at once, offer a small spoonful along with the dry food and see if that causes any later vomiting.

 

[Ladyrosee]

The Orijen Fit and Trim has 428 calories per 8 oz. That's still too many calories for a supposed diet food. 8 oz of food daily isn't enough to keep a cat's tummy happy either.

The Royal Canin SO you just started your cat on for urinary issues has 298 calories per cup. Better but junkier ingredients. Most urinary issues do not need prescription food either. Catinfo.org has more info about food and health. Was your cat's urinary issue an actual infection or was it an inflammation or maybe something like cystitis?



If your cat is 17 lbs, I'm surprised he doesn't have fatty liver disease or at least constantly screaming for more food. 250 calories daily for a 17 lb cat is low.

Did the vet do blood work to rule out anything medical that is causing weight gain?

Have you tried a bland-ish canned food without fillers? Many big name foods contain fillers that some cats can't handle. Try a brand like Rawz or Koha. Instead of offering the whole can at once, offer a small spoonful along with the dry food and see if that causes any later vomiting.

This is the issue! I dont know what I'm doing and I feel awful. For years hes been yelling at me for more food all the time I feel so bad. Hes the only cat I've ever had that has been fat I can feed my past ones on schedules and they're fine, were a tint bit chunky but never obese. Hes 18 lbs now what do I do I give him no more than half a cup of any dry a day and half a 5.5 oz can of royal canin digest sensitive in the morning.

No hes perfectly healthy! His liver is fine, thyroid, no diabetes. His bladder just became inflamed from stress its still a little inflamed but no crystals and his urine tested was normal too.

When I gave him canned food it was a bite. Like a teaspoon. He wont vomit royal canin for some reason.