i want to start my cats on a home food diet as soon as possible?

[larrieuxa92]

i have two amazingly gorgeous cats, but they are fat. not the fattest cats you will ever see, but still fat, particularly the male one. they are fed dry mix (they have never liked it much) with some canned food mixed in a few times a week. they don't have any big health problems that i know of outside being fat. my female cat seems to have some dry skin/dandruff and i think the male might have some achy joints as he is getting slower going up and down the stairs. they are indoor cats and they throw up once or twice a week also. they are getting on in years, 13-14 years old now, and i want them to live as long as they can, so i have been looking around the past few days at how to reduce their weight, and in the meantime found sites about how dog and cat food is made, and rendering plants and feeding them basically disgusting waste products, and now i just want them off that stuff right away there is no too soon about it. i am way too nervous about giving them deficiencies to do it without expert guidance though and i dont think my vet would be supportive of it since he is always pushing a premium brand they sell at me. i am wondering if somebody in this forum can share with me what they would recommend for a person who is brand new to this to feed their cats over the course of a week?

 

[blackcat416]

Welcome to a very addictive cat site. Your cats are too old to start changing their diet completely. Reduce their food and exercise them more will work wonders on the waste line. Use a probiotic to prevent vomiting and diarrhea. I use 1 capsule of Natural Factors very cheap on Amazon. I have six cats, I use one capsule for 2 dishes. I open it and just sprinkle it on their food. The cats are all crazy about it. I feed them basic Friskies Pate canned food 5.5 oz - 2 cans split into 6 dishes. I feed them twice a day but I also leave hard food in bowls on the kitchen and living room. I give them IAM's hard food which I buy in a 40 pound bag. But in your case I would only give hard food as treats and reduce the wet food. No beef for senior cats it's hard to digest stick to poultry. Changing your cats diet at 13-14 years old is a recipe for disaster as is the senior foods from the vet. Give them what they like just less, your not eating it, they are. I just lost my oldest in March, Mamma was 28 days shy of her 20th birthday and not a tooth in her mouth. I got her when she was 16. In-neutered. So my Mamma had a tough life before coming here but she adapted very well.

Exercise 2 to 3 times a day until they are exhausted. Jackson Galaxy has some nice toys as does Amazon. But you have to orchestrate the exercise, play time, with them. They will sleep well and keep those
Joints moving better. Da Bird and Da Mouse are the best toys for interactive play. As is the red lazar light for them to chase about.

 

[peaches08]

I think if you change the cats' diet slowly and give them time to adjust, they'd be better off on a better diet.  First, make sure they're on times meals and not free-feeding on kibble.  Give them 30 min to an hour to eat their food, then take it up.  I'd increase the canned and eventually ditch the dry completely.  Once they are on timed meals (2-3 times a day) without any issues, that's a good time to try a little bit of raw or homecooked.

Are they interested in meat?  Are you wanting to give raw or cooked food?  Have you tried giving them a piece of raw or plain cooked meat?

 

[andrya]

 
I think if you change the cats' diet slowly and give them time to adjust, they'd be better off on a better diet.  First, make sure they're on times meals and not free-feeding on kibble.  Give them 30 min to an hour to eat their food, then take it up.  I'd increase the canned and eventually ditch the dry completely.  Once they are on timed meals (2-3 times a day) without any issues, that's a good time to try a little bit of raw or homecooked.

Are they interested in meat?  Are you wanting to give raw or cooked food?  Have you tried giving them a piece of raw or plain cooked meat?

   

   ditto

 

[lcat4]

Timed feedings and portioned meals will definitely help with weight loss.  Feeding your cats a diet higher in meat content and less carbs (read: dry kibble and many wet foods) will also help.  You could look at catinfo.org for the carb content of many wet foods.

I switched to feeding raw and home-cooked meals a couple years ago (although I still supplement with a little canned for variety) and my cats are healthier/happier for it.  My two oldest were 15 years when we made the switch.  Many in this community feed their cats a Prey Model, using a variety of meats and organs, with some vitamin/mineral supplement.  They can best provide how they do it weekly, although I know LDG has previously written a thread that spells out her weekly schedule.  I was nervous about doing it right, so I started out using premix supplements to add to my fresh (raw and cooked) meats.  I prefer having every meal "complete" as opposed to feeding a balanced diet over the course of a week.  If you look at the resource sticky readings at the top of the Raw and Cooked Forum you can see links to various premade supplements and home prepped recipes using separate ingredients for a complete meal.  There's also the option of commercially prepared raw foods.  I don't think your cats need to be completely transitioned to timed meals before you introduce the new foods, but I would not mix dry food with raw.

As to the premade supplements, I've used TC Feline, Better in the Raw/U Stew, and Alnutrin.  The cats really liked TC Feline, but two of my cats are kidney compromised and the included freeze dried bone (calcium source) is not recommended for them.  Better in the Raw was easy, but the scent really over-powered the meat.  They ate the food, but didn't wolf it down.  I've used Alnutrin with Eggshell the most and the cats like it.  It requires the addition of liver (or other organ meat) to the mix and meat, so you need a source for that.  I now make up my food using either the Alnutrin or following recipes provided by Mschauer (see resource sticky).

As mentioned, portion control is also a key to loosing weight.  Even when feeding a high meat content diet, the cat can gain weight if fed too much.  My cats eat about 4-5 ounces a day.  They range from 9-12 pounds, my 9 lb girl (youngest and most active) eats the most.  I split the food into three meals a day.  I find I have to give them a little less cooked meats compared to raw, it has to do with the energy density of the cooked meat.

Hope this helps.  Good luck with the transition!