Decent But Affordable Weight Loss Food For Constipation-prone Cat?

[treeclimber]

I have a 5-year-old neutered male cat who is currently 15 pounds but should be about 12 pounds. He is indoor only, but moderately active. I built him a little jungle gym that he loves to climb/jump on, and we play with toys a lot too.

Our vet had us try the Science Diet weight loss food food, but he went from 14 pounds to 15 pounds on that (and I was measuring the correct amount!). It was also pretty expensive, which isn't great since I'm a broke student.

I have been feeding him Friskies canned food (pates, since there's no gravy/less carbs) but half a can twice a day has only halted the weight gain, he still isn't losing weight. When the Friskies canned is 100% of his diet, he also tends to get constipated.

Within the constraints of "store bought" and "not super expensive" what can I feed him that will help him lose weight (and not make him constipated)?

 

[KarenKat]

Hello, and welcome! I don’t know much about constipation, but I would think moisture would help. Canned food tends to have less carbs and fillers and is very filling for a cat. Kibble is so calorie dense I would think it isn’t very satisfying to eat the right amount of. Especially putting him on a diet I would think more filling is better since he already might get a little grumpy.

Instead of “diet food”, pick a healthy wet food and reduce the calories. A cat should get about 20-25 kcal per pound, so feed him that and reduce the calories by about 10-15%. Keep in mind pretty much all pet food overestimates the amount of calories needed, so feeding him the “right amount” based on the bag is probably still overfeeding.

Our Trin was up to 17.5 lbs free-feeding corn-based Purina Indoor Cat Chow. Just changing the kibble to something more meat based gave him more energy and he naturally lost weight. Ingredients are definitely important, low carb and meat-based protein.

 

[Kieka]

You could try adding a teaspoon of pumpkin plus a teaspoon of water with his Friskies. The combination should help with the stool problem without switching the food.

I think I would wait to make sure his bowel movements were good before reducing calories further. One can of Friskies is usually about 190 calories. It may be that he needs lower calories but it could also be that he is constipated and retaining weight as a result.

I'd agree not to look for a "diet" food. The Friskies pate (classic flavors) is pretty low carb and not bad for weight loss. The only one in the price range that might be better is the Tractor Supply grain free 4Health line.

 

[lisahe]

Pumpkin could definitely help. For the longer term, though, I might suggest trying to feed wet foods that only include muscle meat, without byproducts. Byproducts can include bone, which can cause constipation.

I couldn't agree more with the others about keeping carbs low and avoiding diet food. The more low-carb, high-protein wet food you can feed, the better!

 

[treeclimber]

Thanks everyone!

Regarding avoiding bone to help with constipation - does anyone know if any of the non-premium pates (Friskies, Fancy Feast, 4health) doesn't have bone, or is at least lower in bone than the others?

 

[lisahe]

Tractor Supply sells Paws & Claws Kitchen Selects, pates that list a muscle meat followed by liver, and then byproducts. Of course your cat's issues may not be caused by bone but reducing bone content in the food is where I'd start! Those foods are pretty decent, a lot like Fancy Feast, but a bit better in terms of recipe and (of course!) not as popular with our cats. You might even try checking the Fancy Feast labels; my recollection is that some may start with a named meat or organ rather than byproducts.

Good luck, I hope that helps!