Help with overweight cats?

[Linseylou]

I have 3 cats, and especially 2 of them are very overweight. I have them on a weight loss diet (hills perfect weight), and are exercising them 10 minutes a day with lasers and the string things (idk what their called lol). Maybe anyone could help me with some more tips for weight loss?
Rogan (domestic shorthair, grey tabby) - current weight: 16 Ib - goal: 10 Ib
Jack (domestic shorthair, orange and white tabby) - current weight: 14 Ib - goal: 10 Ib
James (I think domestic medium hair. He’s some kind of orange tabby though) - current weight: 16 Ib
- Goal: 15 Ib
Also, if anyone has any insight on why jack (the orange and white tabby) has discharge from his eye that would be very helpful. I think it’s just allergies, because he doesn’t have any other signs of RI or anything, and the other cats are fine. Just thought I’d ask!

 

[LTS3]

You don't need any special weight loss food. The key is to feed each cat the appropriate amount of calories daily. This can be done with any commercially available cat food. Canned food is preferred over dry food as they are less calorie dense than dry food and more filling.

It's generally suggested to feed roughly 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. Figure out how much each cat is eating daily right now and then slowly reduce over time the calories until the cat reaches the ideal weight.

You might want to give this a read:

Feline Obesity: An Epidemic of Fat Cats

A veterinarian discusses using canned cat food and not dry food as a prevention and treatment of obesity in cats, and what is a healthy diets for cats.

catinfo.org

TCS has many threads on how to get cats to lose weight. Here are some:

Mickey, my 27 lbs foster and his journey back to a healthy weight

Mickey is my newest foster kitty. He is 7 1/2 years old and weights 27 lbs. This is the first of hopefully many posts chronicling Mickey's journey back to a healthy weight. He is with me solely for the purpose of losing weight. He is actually in pretty good shape other than his weight. His rear...

thecatsite.com

My fat cat refuses to lose weight

I need some help understanding why Chubby McChubberson is not losing weight. She’s a 5 year old indoor cat and weighs slightly over 5kg. Looking at her frame, I would guess she should weight around 4.2-4.5kg to be at a healthy weight so I put her on a diet. I have another more active cat who is...

thecatsite.com

cat diets?????

Hi! I have what's supposed to be a small kitty, but shes currently 16 pounds... I've never had an overweight cat, so I'm a little scared of hurting her more than helping... suggestions? She currently gets fed a 1/4 cup of dry food three times a day, and she's active, but not as active as an...

thecatsite.com

Weight Loss Diet For Cat

I have a porker, who's on a diet. He's doing well, perhaps too well. I'm afraid he may been losing too fast. He was about 6 kg. I haven't weighed him lately, but he seems to have lost a considerable portion of his belly quite fast. How much weight should a cat lose in a period of time, say...

thecatsite.com

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! As LTS3 mentioned, slowly is the only safe way to do this for cats.

10 minutes of play isn't nearly enough.

Just to confirm advice above
How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat? – TheCatSite Articles

How To Choose The Best Toy For Your Cat – TheCatSite Articles

17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats – TheCatSite Articles

Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know – TheCatSite Articles

 

[evirae]

Also, if anyone has any insight on why jack (the orange and white tabby) has discharge from his eye that would be very helpful. I think it’s just allergies, because he doesn’t have any other signs of RI or anything, and the other cats are fine. Just thought I’d ask!

The above replies seem to have you covered! But I wanted to pop in on the eye issue because it looks very similar to the intermittent eye discharge my cat Artie has-- in her case, which looks like in the picture, though not all the time-- it's due to FHV which does not really affect her daily life as I make sure to wipe it away and keep her clean. I would ask your vet what they think at the next checkup because FHV is pretty common, though some cats just never display symptoms.

Your vet can confirm this for you, but IF it is FHV, just know that it's not the end of the world. Just good to know for whenever your cat is going through stress or needs another treatment-- because knowing about the FHV can make sure you get the right info on how best to help.

The one thing I will say in regards to weight is just that, for Artie, the method has been wet food and scheduled feedings. Especially if there are multiple cats, this will let you actually control the amount they can have AND can see if their appetite changes (always good to know as that can be a signal that something else is afoot). Mind you, Artie*loves* dry food, so it took a bit to transition her, but it's doable-- and I still will give a bit of the crunchy food (regular, non-diet, good quality) she likes during one of her meals, it's just very measured.

When you figure out the amounts for your cat, do yourself a favor and grab a measuring cup that will only be for their food so you can avoid that hassle. Auto-feeders can be great, but with multiple cats, that can be an issue since you can't see if one of them is dealing the food of others (along with the added expense of needing multiple auto-timed-feeders).

Best of luck!

 

[Kieka]

Out of curiosity, where did you get the goal weights from?

I'd agree Rogan needs to lose some weight. I don’t know if 6 pounds is right but for sure some.

James might be able to lose a pound safely, but I'd aim for a little less since he looks fairly good already.

Jack is the one whose goal I am most concerned about. From your photos I am not seeing where he could safely lose 4 pounds from.

If they were my cats I'd be looking at just maintaining James and Jack in all honesty. They could both probably lose up to a pound safely but I wouldn't put them in the category of *need* to lose weight. Do you have a top down photo of any of them? I find side photos and laying down photos often misleading. The top down showing a pinching (or lack of) is a lot more descriptive.

Something like this:

You can see all three cats have a slight pinch between their ribs and hips. There is rounding of the ribs which is normal but there is a waist so to say. The cats are 7.5 pounds, 9 pounds and 15 pounds but all are healthy body condition and don't need to lose weight. Just different structures. Here are two side by side and both are healthy body condition and good weight.

My largest (who is now 16.5 pounds and could lose a pound) has a primordial pouch too, you can see it here.

It does NOT mean he is overweight. In the above photo he was 15 pounds and while my vet said he could lose maybe half a pound he was at ideal body condition. Primordial pouchs that are essentially empty flaps of skin are normal. Its only when fat builds up in them that you need to consider weight loss.

 

[Kieka]

About the discharge, have you had a vet check it out? If the discharge is uncolored and always happening out of the same eye it could be a blocked tear duct. Warm cloth held over it can help but sometimes it needs to be cleaned out professionally to resolve. One of my cats has a blocked tear duct that the vet will clean out if he needs to go under for something else and we remember, otherwise we just leave it be. But that is after our vet examed it and ruled out more serious issues or treatable options.

 

[Linseylou]

About the discharge, have you had a vet check it out? If the discharge is uncolored and always happening out of the same eye it could be a blocked tear duct. Warm cloth held over it can help but sometimes it needs to be cleaned out professionally to resolve. One of my cats has a blocked tear duct that the vet will clean out if he needs to go under for something else and we remember, otherwise we just leave it be. But that is after our vet examed it and ruled out more serious issues or treatable options.

Yes, It has always been the same and in the same eye. I took him to the vet less than a week ago now, and they gave him some RI medicine just to be safe, but they gave him eye drops because, like you mentioned, it’s a blocked tear duct. We’ve been giving him the eye drops 2 times a day for a couple days now and It already seems to be getting better!

 

[Linseylou]

Out of curiosity, where did you get the goal weights from?

I'd agree Rogan needs to lose some weight. I don’t know if 6 pounds is right but for sure some.

James might be able to lose a pound safely, but I'd aim for a little less since he looks fairly good already.

Jack is the one whose goal I am most concerned about. From your photos I am not seeing where he could safely lose 4 pounds from.

If they were my cats I'd be looking at just maintaining James and Jack in all honesty. They could both probably lose up to a pound safely but I wouldn't put them in the category of *need* to lose weight. Do you have a top down photo of any of them? I find side photos and laying down photos often misleading. The top down showing a pinching (or lack of) is a lot more descriptive.

Something like this:
View attachment 343905View attachment 343906View attachment 343908

You can see all three cats have a slight pinch between their ribs and hips. There is rounding of the ribs which is normal but there is a waist so to say. The cats are 7.5 pounds, 9 pounds and 15 pounds but all are healthy body condition and don't need to lose weight. Just different structures. Here are two side by side and both are healthy body condition and good weight.

View attachment 343904

My largest (who is now 16.5 pounds and could lose a pound) has a primordial pouch too, you can see it here.

View attachment 343909

It does NOT mean he is overweight. In the above photo he was 15 pounds and while my vet said he could lose maybe half a pound he was at ideal body condition. Primordial pouchs that are essentially empty flaps of skin are normal. Its only when fat builds up in them that you need to consider weight loss.

The goal weights were just estimates, based on there breed and what I think would be healthy. They have all lost 2 pounds now (I just weighed them the other day. Rogan weighs 14, James 14, and jack 12. Rogan still needs to lose weight, and jack still needs to lose SOME. Maybe another pound for jack, as he still has some excess fat. And as of James, he is at a perfect weight now. He looks just like your first cats did in the photos you posted (where they have a slight pinch between there ribs and hips). Also, I did a lot of research about what you all have said about the primordial pouches, and I agree completely. That’s why I’m not getting James to lose any more weight, because he is great now. Thank you for all the tips!!

 

[Linseylou]

The above replies seem to have you covered! But I wanted to pop in on the eye issue because it looks very similar to the intermittent eye discharge my cat Artie has-- in her case, which looks like in the picture, though not all the time-- it's due to FHV which does not really affect her daily life as I make sure to wipe it away and keep her clean. I would ask your vet what they think at the next checkup because FHV is pretty common, though some cats just never display symptoms.

Your vet can confirm this for you, but IF it is FHV, just know that it's not the end of the world. Just good to know for whenever your cat is going through stress or needs another treatment-- because knowing about the FHV can make sure you get the right info on how best to help.

The one thing I will say in regards to weight is just that, for Artie, the method has been wet food and scheduled feedings. Especially if there are multiple cats, this will let you actually control the amount they can have AND can see if their appetite changes (always good to know as that can be a signal that something else is afoot). Mind you, Artie*loves* dry food, so it took a bit to transition her, but it's doable-- and I still will give a bit of the crunchy food (regular, non-diet, good quality) she likes during one of her meals, it's just very measured.

When you figure out the amounts for your cat, do yourself a favor and grab a measuring cup that will only be for their food so you can avoid that hassle. Auto-feeders can be great, but with multiple cats, that can be an issue since you can't see if one of them is dealing the food of others (along with the added expense of needing multiple auto-timed-feeders).

Best of luck!

So I took jack to the vet - they said he had a blocked tear duct, so they gave me eye drops to give to him 2x a day for 10-14 days, It seems to be working so far. They also have him some RI medicine just to be on the safe side!
And yes!! I have been doing scheduled feedings, And I have been trying to incorporate as much wet food as possible! Thank you for your response!

 

[Linseylou]

Hi! As LTS3 mentioned, slowly is the only safe way to do this for cats.

10 minutes of play isn't nearly enough.

Just to confirm advice above
How Much Food Should I Feed My Cat? – TheCatSite Articles

How To Choose The Best Toy For Your Cat – TheCatSite Articles

17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats – TheCatSite Articles

Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know – TheCatSite Articles

Yes, I agree!
And as i have been researching more, And reading these replies, I have now been exercising them for AT LEAST 30 minutes every day now! So thank you! (And I’ll be sure to check out those links!)

 

[Furballsmom]

I have now been exercising them for AT LEAST 30 minutes every day now!

You're wonderful - thank you for the update !

 

[Linseylou]

You don't need any special weight loss food. The key is to feed each cat the appropriate amount of calories daily. This can be done with any commercially available cat food. Canned food is preferred over dry food as they are less calorie dense than dry food and more filling.

It's generally suggested to feed roughly 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. Figure out how much each cat is eating daily right now and then slowly reduce over time the calories until the cat reaches the ideal weight.

You might want to give this a read:

http://[URL]https://catinfo.org/feline-obesity-an-epidemic-of-fat-cats/

[/URL]

TCS has many threads on how to get cats to lose weight. Here are some:

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/...d-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight.245236

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/threads/my-fat-cat-refuses-to-lose-weight.415188

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/threads/cat-diets.410776/

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://thecatsite.com/threads/weight-loss-diet-for-cat.403164/

[/URL]

About the food, I respectfully disagree. I fed them on the normal cat food, with the proper amounts, stopped free feeding, and they lost no weight at all. The weight loss food was the only way to get them to lose weight. I don’t know how many calories they eat each day, but I haven’t been giving them any treats (expect when I recently took jack to the vet, I gave him a low calorie treat). I’ll take a look at those threads!

 

[Linseylou]

You're wonderful - thank you for the update !

No problem! And thank you!!

 

[Willowy]

Are you feeding them canned or dry? My chubby cats all got to a good weight when I just switched to canned food, no measuring or limiting or special diet food. I think because of the moisture content, they aren't as inclined to overeat. My mom's cats are the same way.

So I always suggest just switching them to all canned food (it also cuts down on urinary problems), giving that some time, and then if they haven't reached a healthy body size it's time to limit their daily calories.

 

[Linseylou]

Are you feeding them canned or dry? My chubby cats all got to a good weight when I just switched to canned food, no measuring or limiting or special diet food. I think because of the moisture content, they aren't as inclined to overeat. My mom's cats are the same way.

So I always suggest just switching them to all canned food (it also cuts down on urinary problems), giving that some time, and then if they haven't reached a healthy body size it's time to limit their daily calories.

I feed them dry currently. I have been greatly considering switching to wet food, though. I would love to get them onto raw (I know it’s highly controversial, but with the research I’ve done, that’s what I’d like to do), but since it’s a bit expensive right now, wet food is what I’ve been looking into a lot. So yes, I will probably get them onto wet food very soon!