Fat old lady & her tubby son

[lotsocats]

I have an approximately 12 year old spayed female who lives in my household with 5 other cats. They are all indoor only cats. She was a feral I adopted 10 years ago when she was pregnant. She was spayed upon weaning of her kittens.

Callie has been a little ball of fluff&fat since she started living with me. Her son Ollie (neutered, who is now 10) has become overweight in the last year, but the other 4 cats are just fine, weight-wise.

Ollie is a scaredy cat who lives most of his life inside a drafting table. He comes out at night for loving and dinner and goes back into the table in the morning. Callie is very sociable and will play for short periods of time.

I am probably doing the wrong thing by allowing the cats to free-feed on Science Diet Senior, but with six cats (and one who is out only at night) it is difficult to do otherwise.

Any suggestions on how to help these two lose weight will be appreciated.

 

[amy shojai]

to manage different feeding requirements, true! But you're right that free-feeding is a problem. Some cats simply eat MORE of the diet food, and may actually gain weight on it.

Here's what I'd suggest (amy getting all creative-like...)

Pick up one of those clear plastic storage-bin type products from Walmart or similar store. I like the ones that light shines through, but if your cats don't object, you could use an opaque one. Use a very sharp knife or box cutter, and cut a cat-size opening in one side. This should be only large enough for the four sleek kitties to fit through, but too small for the pudgy Callie or Ollie.

You can continue to free-feed the four normal weight cats by placing the food inside this bin. Meal feed Callie and Ollie premeasured amounts two/three times a day. If Ollie only comes out at night, have one meal ready for him when you go to bed, and another ready when you get up.

There are also automatic pet feeders available that work well for some cats, offering pre-measured amounts on a timed release. PetMate (from Doctors Foster & Smith) is a good one.

best,
amy