High protein diet + weight loss

[mrw5641]

Hi all! Is a high protein (Dry) diet good for cats to lose weight?

E.g. I saw a food online, and it was 625 k/cals per cup, but my cat would probably get about 1/4 cup per day... It doesn't seem like a lot of food

 

[ObeseChess]

A dry diet is not optimal for any cat, but higher protein is always better. 1/4 of 625 is basically 156 calories per day, which, true, is not a lot of food, but is around maintenance for an 8lb cat. If your cat is larger than that, you should be feeding them more at an approximate calculation of 20 calories per pound of body weight. Similarly, if your cat is smaller, you should be feeding them less using the same calculations.

Keep in mind that in many ways their bodies are more sensitive than ours - while humans can reduce calories quite quickly to lose weight, weight loss in cats has to be slow and steady, a very minor reduction in calories at set intervals, in order to reduce the risk of complications such as fatty liver disease.

 

[LTS3]

E.g. I saw a food online, and it was 625 k/cals per cup, but my cat would probably get about 1/4 cup per day... It doesn't seem like a lot of food

Only a 1/4 cup of food a day isn't going to keep any cat tummy satiated. You're just going to have a very hangry cat exhibiting bad behavior.

You can do a combo of canned and dry and just calculate it out so the cat is getting enough calories from both types of food daily. More canned than dry is ideal.

 

[FeebysOwner]

You might be thinking that the protein is high because the calories are high - but what is the protein percentage? If he has to have dry only, look for one with a good percentage of protein, but a lot less calories so that he can eat more.

And, as you already know, feeding him some canned food would go a long way in reducing his calories and keeping him fuller. Think of it this way - have you ever tested to see how long a serving of beef jerky keeps you from being hungry compared to a steak? I am not comparing your dry food to beef jerky, but what I am saying they are both much more 'processed' foods containing a lot of 'stuff' and can be as high in calories, if not higher, than a good cut of meat.