Light Food Will Not Help Cat Lose Weight?

[ccsr79]

So I went to get some Chicken Soup Light food yesterday and mentioned to the guy at the pet store that I still had a unopened bag of their regular food at home, but that my Lucas was getting fat. He said that the light food will not help me, as it has a lot more carbs and cats need protein, they're carnivores and the extra carbs will actually make him gain weight, not lose, that it was best to start controlling his portions, reducing his daily amount of food instead.

Anyone ever heard of this before? There was no reason for the guy to lie -- after all he lost a sale because of it, since I already had the regular food at home.

Thoughts?

 

[fatkitties]

Well, my cat gained weight after being fed controlled portions. My vet said to feed a diet of mostly canned food, with some dry. Dry food really isn't condusive to weight loss. I'm basically feeding mine as much as I can afford to feed in wet (now that Gizmo is actually eating it), and making up the rest of thier diet in Weight Management dry. The wet food is actually good for helping prevent bladder and urinary tract problems, because it keeps them better hydrated. Just make sure you're feeding quality wet and dry products without the by products, corn, artificial colors, etc etc etc.

Amber

 

[sharky]

I agree that dry wt control doesnt work for all cats ... I often recommend natural choice indoor good protein leval moderate fat and l carnitine a fat metabolising amino acid that also helps with lean muscle growth... Many kitties have lost and not had to eat "light" food... most light foods are light in fat not calories...wet is best but some cats just say no..

I do believe you have a adult food that is 30% protein and 20% fat... I would personally find one you like with 33 or more protein and no more than 16% fat

 

[amyh]

The guy in the store is right..."light" food is really a marketing gimmick and yes - they need good qualit, high protein/low carb food to maintain a healthy weight. The ideal food for cats is high-quality canned; it adds moisture to their diet which is so important, the protein level is much more appropriate for felines, and it makes them feel full much more quickly and efficiently than dry food does so they don't tend to overeat. Case in point, in our house we have 5 cats who eat an all-canned food diet and one who eats all dry (only because he still refuses to eat wet, though we are still working on convincing him otherwise). The five who eat canned each eat approximately 1 1/4 5.5oz cans per day (a decent amount of food) and are the picture of physical fitness. Our boy who eats dry (Ca Natural) gets maybe 3/4 of a cup per day and he's a bit pudgy. One day we WILL get him eating all wet like the rest!

And yes, controlled portions and scheduled feedings also really help maintain a healthy weight, too. Also note that the portion suggestions on the bag of food are very often twice what the cat really needs to eat...

 

[sharky]

And yes, controlled portions and scheduled feedings also really help maintain a healthy weight, too. Also note that the portion suggestions on the bag of food are very often twice what the cat really needs to eat...
This is a debatable as many of us use more than recommended and the cats are perfect to a bit under... I measure free feed... I put in a cup and then throughout the day add more , my Zoey eats 3 ounces wet and about 1.5 cups dry and is a lean 11.5lbs

 

[seppolina]

My ex-plump girl, the Colonel, spent a year eating a prescription dry food diet for weight loss (Hill's r/d) without losing weight, even with controlled portions. Just as I was despairing at ever getting her to a healthy weight, I was given the same information as you...that light food is a marketing gimmick & that an all-canned diet can help with weight loss. We switched her to Wellness & Eagle Pack canned foods (still with controlled portions) and after another year she is finally at her target weight, jumping higher & FAR more active than before. Here's a link to an article that I found helpful when Colonel was on the path to weight loss: http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/catweight.html

Amanda

 

[ccsr79]

Thanks for all you help! I do feed him high quality food now I mix Innova Evo with Chicken Soup. Innova Evo has 50% protein, while Chicken Soup is 30%. Since I'm giving him a 50/50 combination, I guess it averages out as 40% protein in his dry food. The only reason I don't feed him just the Evo, is because it's $20 for a 6lb bag!

I only feed him wet once a day, and the only thing he eats are the pouches -- he hates canned food and refuses to eat it. A lot of the good brands don't have the pouches though, so I usually try to buy the Nutro ones.

Just want to add that Lucas is not hugely fat. I got him at 9.5lbs and he was very skinny, at 10.5/11 lbs his weight was perfect, and now at 12lbs he started to get a sagging belly, though he's still not round, even when looking from the top. But I just want to fix the problem now before he is actually obese and out of control, as he is already definitely heavier than he should be, that's for sure!

 

[fatkitties]

It's good to start doing something about the weight before they get too heavy. It's a lot easier to get a little bit of weight off!

Amber