Helping my cat to lose weight

Szewan

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I followed my vet’s advice to help my chubby DSH cat I adopted in September last year to lose some weight. At the beginning he was at hefty 20 pounds (he’s a big and long ginger DSH though), and my vet and I were hoping that in a year’s time he would get down to 15 pounds or so. So I monitored his intake of calories (following the suggestion of my vet) carefully and he lost about 2 pounds by end of the year. But since the beginning of this year I felt a bit stuck - he’s not gaining weight but not losing much also. I just weighed him last week and he’s a little over 16 lbs. I thought though he could have gone down to 15 lbs months ago...I am going to my vet again next month for annual check up (first Gotcha Day yay) and will ask if I need to change anything with his diet, or just keep doing what I am doing...just wondering if anyone has experienced such ‘plateauing’ of dieting effort with his/her cats...
 

di and bob

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It is most likely just what happens with humans too. It may be his perfect weight. How does he look? Still a little chubby or 'normal'. He might just need a little more exercise mixed in, maybe a cat tree, a kickeroo (which causes a LOT of bunny kicking) or a laser light. Maybe give him a little more low fat food to get his metabolism going again, like shaved deli turkey.
 

nancyjoel123

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I agree, and I would also add don’t expect him to lose weight too fast. If he needs to lose more weight and you continue providing him with a healthy lifestyle then it will happen eventually. Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight and it shouldn’t. Sounds like you are doing a great job!
 
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Szewan

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Here are some of his recent picsHe still looks a bit chonky does he? I will consult my vet but I feel he still has some opportunities to trim down.
D1AFDBDB-F48E-40E1-B692-E6CE14A9525D.jpeg

652EE0AD-8053-4862-B251-949E81FEFFC2.jpeg

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It is most likely just what happens with humans too. It may be his perfect weight. How does he look? Still a little chubby or 'normal'. He might just need a little more exercise mixed in, maybe a cat tree, a kickeroo (which causes a LOT of bunny kicking) or a laser light. Maybe give him a little more low fat food to get his metabolism going again, like shaved deli turkey.
 

Dana_And_Monster

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Do you have a play session daily, where you allow him to drain all of his energy?
 
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Szewan

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Do you have a play session daily, where you allow him to drain all of his energy?
Believe it or not, working from home actually makes playtime harder...but yes I would try to play with him everyday - he likes fetching balls and his feather teaser toys...or if I am working I turn on the electronic toys...he is not into prolonged playtime though...maybe 10 mins or less of fetch, then he would just lay down and rest 😬...he likes to play when he’s in the mood, but he’s more into just being around me and being given scratches and pats...
 

Dana_And_Monster

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Believe it or not, working from home actually makes playtime harder...but yes I would try to play with him everyday - he likes fetching balls and his feather teaser toys...or if I am working I turn on the electronic toys...he is not into prolonged playtime though...maybe 10 mins or less of fetch, then he would just lay down and rest 😬...he likes to play when he’s in the mood, but he’s more into just being around me and being given scratches and pats...
Gotcha! Here are some videos on fixing playtime with your cat.
 
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zoes

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Haha yeah he is still a bit tubsy. Cute boy through.

What are you feeding him?

When I wanted my cat to lose weight, my vet recommended a weight loss kibble which was absolute garbage in terms of ingredients and efficacy. My cat did not lose any weight on kibble even though I counted calories for her.

I switched her to exclusively wet food and she lost the weight even though I basically free-feed wet food. I also mix in water to give her more volume to eat.

So if you haven't tried that, I'd highly recommend it!
 
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Szewan

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Haha yeah he is still a bit tubsy. Cute boy through.

What are you feeding him?

When I wanted my cat to lose weight, my vet recommended a weight loss kibble which was absolute garbage in terms of ingredients and efficacy. My cat did not lose any weight on kibble even though I counted calories for her.

I switched her to exclusively wet food and she lost the weight even though I basically free-feed wet food. I also mix in water to give her more volume to eat.

So if you haven't tried that, I'd highly recommend it!
I used to feed him 50/50 wet and dry (all wet in the morning, and dry from the feeder in the evening, with a bit of wet before we went to bed) since I worked all day in office often with overtime and I live alone. Since March I’ve been wfh and started feeding wet food for both meals, with just a tiny bit of dry kibbles (1/20 of a cup) early morning at 6 from the feeder, so I can sleep in a little before waking up to feed him wet food. And the wet food he eats is high is moisture (~85%, Weruva BFF) as well.
 

zoes

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Darn, thought I had an easy answer for ya but it sounds like you're already doing it!

In that case, in addition to the play noted above, I would just cut back his wet food a little. Most feeding guidelines are generous, so he may just be eating the same amount as he expends in calories daily.

Weight loss plateaus aren't really a thing, it's usually just around the time that the metabolic rate drops (due to decreased mass) and matches the caloric intake, which previously was resulting in weight loss. It can also happen because after some weight loss, we subconsciously see that it's working, and get a little lax on portion control. So yeah, just cut his intake by 10% or so and you should start noticing weight loss resuming.
 

cataholic07

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Remember obese cats will have loose skin once they lose weight, just like in people. So they won't ever look stick skinny usually. Slow weight loss is best for cats, I wouldn't lose more of the wet food but instead the dry. Dry is what tends to be higher in fat and calories then wet food. You can also get an automatic timed feeder for wet food to. :)
 
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