Concerned With Cat’s Weight

[Geralizze M.]

After blindly feeding my cats kibble for the entirety of their life, I’m considering switching them to a raw diet. Will a raw diet help them lose weight? I’ve been looking at Hare-today’s selection and I see that they have a supplement mix already prepared (Alnutrin). Is it more expensive to use this mix in the long run? Should I consider mixing in the different supplements myself?I‘m considering starting them on Hare today’s Fine Ground Chicken/Bones/Organs and Alnutrin. Is this a good option or should I try a different recipe?

The cat on the left is a 6 year old female and the one on the right is a 1 year old male. After they both got spayed and neutered they gained weight quite fast and are not as active as they used to be. They get tired very easily,
so I’ve been researching raw diets and homemade diets to give them a better quality of life.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Feeding them canned food, or homemade or raw will help, but also can you try and get them to be more active?

Also, be sure and weigh them every two weeks or so, and keep a log of their progress. It should be very slow - you don't want them to lose weight too quickly.

Here are some articles that may help - they aren't lengthy but have some good information

How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat?

Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food

Transitioning Free-fed Kibble Kitties To Timed Meals

What Makes The Best Canned Cat Food?

Homemade & Raw Food For Cats – A Collection of Guides

7 Proven Ways To Get Your Cat To Be More Active

Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

 

[dhammagirl]

I got my guy Zeke to lose about 5 pounds by switching him to a raw diet and keeping a journal of how much I was feeding him and tracking his weight.
I buy from Hare Today, they’re great. I feed the raw ground rabbit with bones and organs, diluted with ground boneless chicken to reduce the bone content, and use the Alnutrin supplement, but I buy the Alnutrin directly from the manufacturer because it’s cheaper that way. I also feed raw ground boneless turkey, chunks of raw rabbit with bones, and whole mice.
It’s a slow process to get them to lose weight, especially if you can’t get them to be more active, which is the case with Zeke.

You might want to start with a boneless ground raw and use the supplement with added calcium, because if the bone content is too high, constipation will result, though it can take some time to become an issue. I had Zeke’s food at 10% bone, but it was still too high, and he eventually developed constipation; some cats are ok @ 10% bone, some not. I got it down to about 7% and that took care of that.