Diet Suggestions

[Kentucky Kitty]

Our cat has become a chunky chicken. But still active and plays with his sister & his toys. He is 6 yrs old.
I will admit , that when we first adopted him from a reliable shelter, I misread the amount he was to be fed for his weight. [13 lbs] I am sure he gained about 5 lbs during that time. We have only had him for about 1 1/2 years. For about the last 8 months or so, he gets 3/4 cup of dry food. Not all at one time. It is given a little at a time thru out the day. Now at 18 lbs, I can't get his weight down. He is a Minx breed. And even at 13 lbs, when we first adopted him, he was a larger built cat. Looking heavier than his 13 lbs. All cats being free fed at the shelter. But our kitty was very scared and shy. Spending most of his time curled up in his square carpet lined cube. We were told he would come out at times and eat, when the shelter was free of visitors. We could never get him out of his cube each time we went to see him. But we fell in love with him. Since bringing him home, I was accidentally feeding him 3/4 cups 2x per day.
Bottom line, he is eating 3/4 cup per day. Wants more but doesn't get it. Vet says his weight must come down. His health will suffer drastically. Is wet food more filling? Giving him less of his dry food? I have bought a lower fat formula dry food. Is that the way to go.? Any suggestions? We love our "big" guy. Is his current weight normal for some cats? Thanks in advance to all reply's.

 

[molly92]

Yes, I have suggestions!

Wet food is going to be more filling and better for his whole body because of the added moisture and because wet food typically contains fewer carbs than dry.

Fat and animal protein are your friends here, not your enemies. They are going to keep your kitty feeling fuller and give his body helpful, usable nutrients. Carbs are the enemy. They don't satiate cats well and get converted to fat because carnivores don't digest plant based carbs well.

Still, 5 pounds overweight will not be easy to lose, so even with a healthy diet, he is going to be a bit hungry for a while, so you need to have a plan and be disciplined. He will start feeling much better as the weight starts coming off, though!

First, you need to convert him to an all wet diet. If he's pretty easy going about his food it won't be hard, but often cats don't love changes to their diet so you may need to gradually decrease the amount of dry food while slowly increasing the amount of wet food. He will be hungry on his diet though, so that should move things along.

Which wet food you choose depends on your cat's tastes and your budget, but try to find something with lots of animal meat and very little plant ingredients. That means avoiding rice, potato, wheat, tapioca, peas, corn, etc high on ingredient lists. There are a lot of high end cat foods that have good options, but for a tighter budget, Fancy Feast Classic pates are usually very good. Pates are also more likely to have better ingredients than gravies and shreds. That said, if you have a picky cat, almost any wet food is going to be better than any dry food.

Next, you need to do some math. Every cat food lists how many calories are in a can/cup, usually in very small print. This is the most important number though, way more important than how much food you feed, because calories vary dramatically between foods and even flavors. Figure out how many calories he's eating to maintain his current weight (likely whatever you were feeding before) and start cutting back from there. I can't predict what this number will be or the number you'll need to start to see weight loss, because it really depends on the cat. My 12 pound cat needs about 180 calories a day to maintain her weight, less to lose weight. Your cat is larger and more active than mine, so he will likely need more, but you'll probably be surprised how few calories he actually needs to start losing weight.

You need to figure out how many calories he should eat a day to start losing weight, and the best way to do that is to start on the high side, weigh him daily, and cut back a little every time he goes a few days without losing weight. You can hold him and subtract your own weight using a bathroom scale, although a baby scale is going to be more accurate if you have one.

Once you find the number of calories where he starts losing weight, stick to that amount every day, weigh him weekly, and write it down. This is very important, because if a cat loses TOO much weight too quickly, they can get something called fatty liver disease, which is VERY dangerous. Ideally, you want the cat to be losing 1%-2% of his weight per week, and not more. So if he weighs 17.8 pounds this week, he can safely lose up to 0.4 pounds during the week (17.8 X 0.02). If he loses more than that, increase his daily calories a little bit. Note that this number will change as he gets smaller. For example when he weighs 13.5 pounds, he can safely lose 0.3 pounds per week (13.5 X 0.02).

One other important note: don't fall for foods that claim to be for weight management. They have fewer calories per cup than an average food, but they do this by loading up the food with fiber. Fiber is not digestible and will leave your kitty insanely hungry while not being an ideal diet for a carnivore.

5 pounds overweight is drastic, so you will need to be organized, patient, disciplined, and committed to get your cat to a healthy weight. But you can absolutely do this, and you have already taken the hardest step, which is to recognize that something needs to change! Thank you for being so committed to your cat's health!

 

[molly92]

Oh, and to answer your other question, some large cats are healthy at 18 pounds. Some (very rarely) are healthy at 20+ pounds. Some are healthy at 5 pounds. But your vet can tell when a cat is overweight, so 18 pounds is too much for your cat. 13 pounds is probably closer to his ideal weight, but bring him in to the vet occasionally during his weight loss journey and the vet will be able to give you more accurate estimates on where his healthiest weight range will be.

 

[cataholic07]

Wet food is great for helping cats lose weight but you should talk with your vet on how much calories you should be giving That way you can easily find some great carrageenan free wet food and know how much to give.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Wet food is great for helping cats lose weight but you should talk with your vet on how much calories you should be giving That way you can easily find some great carrageenan free wet food and know how much to give.

It doesn't have to be carrageenan free in order to lose weight. Many people think carrageenan is terrible for cats, but you can do your own reading on that @Kentucky Kitty. I'm just letting you know it won't stop your cat from losing weight. Calories are what count in the diet game, but you DO want them to be from animals, not plants, as much as possible, as pointed out above.

 

[kittenmittens84]

In addition to what other people have said about canned food, something that I found very helpful when my previous cat needed to lose weight was feeding smaller meals more frequently, it really seemed to cut down on the begging. Instead of a feeding him in the morning and evening, we did the same number of calories split over three meals plus some freeze dried rabbit in a treat ball right before bed. Also I’d add a spoonful of water to the pate and mix it all up so he’d take a little longer to eat and that seemed to help him stay full longer.

 

[Kentucky Kitty]

Yes, I have suggestions!

Wet food is going to be more filling and better for his whole body because of the added moisture and because wet food typically contains fewer carbs than dry.

Fat and animal protein are your friends here, not your enemies. They are going to keep your kitty feeling fuller and give his body helpful, usable nutrients. Carbs are the enemy. They don't satiate cats well and get converted to fat because carnivores don't digest plant based carbs well.

Still, 5 pounds overweight will not be easy to lose, so even with a healthy diet, he is going to be a bit hungry for a while, so you need to have a plan and be disciplined. He will start feeling much better as the weight starts coming off, though!

First, you need to convert him to an all wet diet. If he's pretty easy going about his food it won't be hard, but often cats don't love changes to their diet so you may need to gradually decrease the amount of dry food while slowly increasing the amount of wet food. He will be hungry on his diet though, so that should move things along.

Which wet food you choose depends on your cat's tastes and your budget, but try to find something with lots of animal meat and very little plant ingredients. That means avoiding rice, potato, wheat, tapioca, peas, corn, etc high on ingredient lists. There are a lot of high end cat foods that have good options, but for a tighter budget, Fancy Feast Classic pates are usually very good. Pates are also more likely to have better ingredients than gravies and shreds. That said, if you have a picky cat, almost any wet food is going to be better than any dry food.

Next, you need to do some math. Every cat food lists how many calories are in a can/cup, usually in very small print. This is the most important number though, way more important than how much food you feed, because calories vary dramatically between foods and even flavors. Figure out how many calories he's eating to maintain his current weight (likely whatever you were feeding before) and start cutting back from there. I can't predict what this number will be or the number you'll need to start to see weight loss, because it really depends on the cat. My 12 pound cat needs about 180 calories a day to maintain her weight, less to lose weight. Your cat is larger and more active than mine, so he will likely need more, but you'll probably be surprised how few calories he actually needs to start losing weight.

You need to figure out how many calories he should eat a day to start losing weight, and the best way to do that is to start on the high side, weigh him daily, and cut back a little every time he goes a few days without losing weight. You can hold him and subtract your own weight using a bathroom scale, although a baby scale is going to be more accurate if you have one.

Once you find the number of calories where he starts losing weight, stick to that amount every day, weigh him weekly, and write it down. This is very important, because if a cat loses TOO much weight too quickly, they can get something called fatty liver disease, which is VERY dangerous. Ideally, you want the cat to be losing 1%-2% of his weight per week, and not more. So if he weighs 17.8 pounds this week, he can safely lose up to 0.4 pounds during the week (17.8 X 0.02). If he loses more than that, increase his daily calories a little bit. Note that this number will change as he gets smaller. For example when he weighs 13.5 pounds, he can safely lose 0.3 pounds per week (13.5 X 0.02).

One other important note: don't fall for foods that claim to be for weight management. They have fewer calories per cup than an average food, but they do this by loading up the food with fiber. Fiber is not digestible and will leave your kitty insanely hungry while not being an ideal diet for a carnivore.

5 pounds overweight is drastic, so you will need to be organized, patient, disciplined, and committed to get your cat to a healthy weight. But you can absolutely do this, and you have already taken the hardest step, which is to recognize that something needs to change! Thank you for being so committed to your cat's health!

I can not thank you enough for the detailed info you have sent. Couldn't get that from our vet. Your stats are easy to understand and follow. Everything makes perfect sense and easy to follow.
15 years ago, I took in a stray, a 4 month old kitten. Actually it was a neighbors kitten and she decided she didn't want him. She let him out and refused to take him back into her home. Although I had never had a cat before I took him in. So I was a bit uneducated in knowing what was best for the little guy. But I got him to the vet for shots and a general check up. He was in good health. But not knowing how important diet was for a healthy cat, he got a cheaper brand. He loved it. That precious cat was our life. But he became ill suddenly. Within two weeks he had lost 10 lbs. Stomach cancer. He was only 13 years old. Never out of the house. He was the king of the castle. I will blame myself for the rest of my life for not realizing that better food with healthier ingredients may have kept him with us longer.
So much appreciation for you time and information.
.

 

[Flybynight]

Lots of good advice given, I agree fully, wet food with less plant based protein the better.
As was also said, small meals throughout the day. I leave wet food out for my cats and they tend to go back and forth and eat.

 

[molly92]

I can not thank you enough for the detailed info you have sent. Couldn't get that from our vet. Your stats are easy to understand and follow. Everything makes perfect sense and easy to follow.
15 years ago, I took in a stray, a 4 month old kitten. Actually it was a neighbors kitten and she decided she didn't want him. She let him out and refused to take him back into her home. Although I had never had a cat before I took him in. So I was a bit uneducated in knowing what was best for the little guy. But I got him to the vet for shots and a general check up. He was in good health. But not knowing how important diet was for a healthy cat, he got a cheaper brand. He loved it. That precious cat was our life. But he became ill suddenly. Within two weeks he had lost 10 lbs. Stomach cancer. He was only 13 years old. Never out of the house. He was the king of the castle. I will blame myself for the rest of my life for not realizing that better food with healthier ingredients may have kept him with us longer.
So much appreciation for you time and information.
.

Excellent, so glad to be helpful!

We're all always learning more about how we can keep our cats healthy. Do not blame yourself! Cancer is insidious and you never know for sure why it happens. A healthy diet doesn't guarantee a long healthy life, but it does improve the odds. Good for you for being so determined to keep your cats healthy. It always lifts my spirits when people are willing to put in the effort for their animals.

Most of my cat health education started with the website catinfo.org. If you're the type who likes as much detail as possible, it's a great place to peruse when you have spare time. I do find it to be a bit overwhelming and have had to re-read articles their many times over the years to retain the information, but it is a good source (written by a vet) and I trust it.