Diet

[Charity355]

Hello everyone
I have been cat sitting for my brother. They will be gone for quite a while so I am wanting to put their cat on a diet because he is very overweight. I have never had a problem with this before so I’m not quite sure how to do it correctly. He is only fed dry food.

 

[Norachan]

I'd check with your brother first, because sometimes if you change a cat's diet there could be health problems or it could end up costing more to feed the cat. But if your brother is OK with you feeding the cat something else I recommend switching him from dry to canned food.

Canned food is lower in carbs and higher in protein, so cats lose weight on it if they are overweight.

If this cat has been on dry food all his life he might be reluctant to eat canned at first. Start him off slowly, maybe replace one meal with the canned and see if he likes it.. You can also use dry food as a topping on the canned food to get him to start eating canned

 

[FeebysOwner]

I agree with the above. But the thing to remember is that the goal of getting a cat to lose weight is a marathon, not a sprint. I would not change his food abruptly, but rather gradually over time.

You first need to know how much he is currently eating and the calorie content before you even begin. You have to have a starting point by which to gauge everything thereafter. When reducing a cat's calories, you should never do so by any more than 5-10% at a time. Ideally, you should start out with a 5% reduction - small adjustments allow the cat to adapt both mentally and physically to the change in food quantity/type. Weighing him at least monthly should also be done so you can monitor the progress of a reduction and adjust food intake accordingly.

I don't know how old this cat is, or how overweigh you think he is, but with an older cat you need to be especially careful in how you approach a change and/or reduction in food. If he has been eating dry food all of his life, he may not be too enthralled with a change to wet food. Just another reason to go slowly with any change you make.

 

[Charity355]

Thank you for the tips! He is about 6 years old and the last I weighed him he was about 22 pounds. He is to the point where he cannot groom himself properly and has mats in his fur.

 

[Norachan]

Yes, it sounds like he needs to be on a better diet. It might be a good idea to start with a vet visit and get some blood work done to see if there is any medical reason for him being so heavy. Cats that are over weight are prone to diabetes, but if you catch this in the early stages it's easy enough to control with a proper diet.

Good luck, please keep us posted

 

[savannahjansson]

Hey! I've been in your shoes.

To start, measure food portions and gradually reduce them over a few weeks. Consider switching to low-calorie cat food and add playtime for exercise. Regular vet check-ups are crucial.

This approach has worked for me. Good luck!

 

[Alldara]

Thank you for the tips! He is about 6 years old and the last I weighed him he was about 22 pounds. He is to the point where he cannot groom himself properly and has mats in his fur.

Movement for food. If you can get him moving for the food he eats, that's a great way to start. It's not going to cause any upset with your brother.

My friend adopted a severely obese cat...almost 30lbs and that was the first thing I suggested when she said nothing else had worked.

If you have to start with one step per kibble, that's a start.

Eventually you work your way up to putting a peice up high on the tree and one over across the room as if hiding eggs in plain sight for a young child's easter egg hunt.