Cat not losing weight?

[Moemah123]

Hi everyone

I need your thoughts on this. I have 2 cats M and F. They are exactly same age 1 year 3 month. The female is 9.6 pound but the male is 12. I am having a hard time getting the M to drop weight from 12 to 11. So I am on completely wet food diet. The can says 89Kcal per can and I feed both cats 3 to 4 cans total per day -400kcal so this means roughly each cat is 200kcal. All the calculation online seems to indicate I am under feeding them yet my M is over ideal size according to vet.

I became more careful as they used to share plate and I make sure to my best they eat evenly by now separating plates. But the M just won't lose weight. I play with him atleast an hour per day. I am not sure where the 2 pound difference between him and his sister is given they eat same types of food.

Any thoughts is appreciated and thanks in advance

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
It doesn't matter even if they're from the same litter, they are two different cats. I personally would accept that he's at the weight he needs to be, and ignore the vet in this case. If either one is acting hungry, you might consider a bit more food.

Veterinarians have an unfortunate habit of panicking over the feline obesity issue and making blanket judgements that aren't always accurate regarding individual cats

 

[maggie101]

Do you have pictures? What it says on the can and by calculation is an estimate. My cats eat less than the suggested amount

 

[Moemah123]

Do you have pictures? What it says on the can and by calculation is an estimate. My cats eat less than the suggested amount

Pictures of the cat or food cans?

 

[platty]

put them on a raw meat diet and get them an excercise wheel too

 

[catlikesbusiness]

It might be worth starting playing with your cat. Even 15 minutes a day might get your cat to burn more calories, maybe it will have some effect

 

[Alldara]

Pictures of the cat or food cans?

Photos of the cat . Rather than weight, body shape is a better judge. If you have one of the cat standing from the side and from the top it will help us to tell.

Vets tend to panic at 12 lbs, but some cats have more muscle, and muscle is heavy. Calcifer was 12 lbs by 10 months, had a waist and you could feel his ribs with light pressure. That means a good body mass. The vet said he was at his "maximum" for age and length. Based on ribs, Calcifer probably naturally falls at a 6, but he has a waist like a 5. I wouldn't fuss over it personally but we just keep an eye on it not getting worse.

Someone mentioned above, but like people some cats will rest slightly heavier or lighter and that's okay as long as they are active and otherwise healthy.


Body Condition Score - CWVC Limited

 

[daftcat75]

Calorie calculations are just guidelines. Every cat is going to have their own individual energy level and metabolism. If you really want M to lose weight, I suggest weighing what goes down and weighing what you pick up. Take the calories per can divided by the grams in a can to know the calories per gram value. Grams eaten (what went down minus what you picked up) times calories per gram equals calories for that meal. Keep a food journal so you know exactly how many calories a day he is getting. Track that over several weeks while slowly reducing his calories to see at what level he does finally start losing weight. My cat is on steroids which makes this even more complicated. But anything over 145 calories/day (she's about 10.5 lbs) and she'll record a weight gain that week.

 

[amethyst]

Although the "average" amount is 20 calories per pound of ideal weight, the individual cat may need more or less (in this case possibly less). If he isn't that active or has a slower metabolism he may need as little as 15 calories per pound, so if his ideal weight is 11lbs then he only need about 165 calories a day not 200. It's a bit more complicated then that though, this article explains a bit more.

How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat? – TheCatSite Articles

 

[mani]

put them on a raw meat diet and get them an excercise wheel too

I hope you are referring to a raw food diet as there is a lot more to it than just meat.
This option requires dedication and knowledge and so we recommend members discuss it in our raw and home-cooked food sub-forum.