My girl is 9 years old and weighs 14 lbs (she gained a half pound this year). My vet says he's prefer her to be 12 lbs, but she's healthy, and he says it's not really an issue for him. But I don't want her to develop problems because of her weight, so I'd like to slowly lower it. She eats only wet--Fancy Feast--only meat, and I give her Greenies Indoor Cat treats. I plan to cut down on the treats, but I'm wondering if any of you have other ideas I can try. She's a very fussy eater, and early on (I adopted her when she was 4), I tried various 'high end' foods--which she wouldn't touch. So I doubt the solution is any special food.
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Lose weight?
- Thread starter happilyretired
- Start Date
Hi - instead of reducing calories can you try more exercise? Even just having her follow you around the room initially and then further, while you hold her food dish can help;
17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats - TheCatSite
8 Surefire ways to encourage your cat to play more - TheCatSite
17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats - TheCatSite
8 Surefire ways to encourage your cat to play more - TheCatSite
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thanks. I'd forgotten about getting her to move more, and that's a great idea because at age 9 now, she 'prefers' to sleep most of the day.
Kudos to your vet for not being overly obsessed with her weight! In addition to trying to get her to be more active, as mentioned above, can you add some water to her food to help with making her feel fuller on less food?
She is also at the age where she might benefit from a joint supplement to help with any potential arthritic issues that can sometimes slow down a cat as they age. The most commonly used ones are Cosequin or Dasuquin, but there are others as well.
She is also at the age where she might benefit from a joint supplement to help with any potential arthritic issues that can sometimes slow down a cat as they age. The most commonly used ones are Cosequin or Dasuquin, but there are others as well.
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- #5
Thanks for your suggestions! I've always added water to her wet food because she likes it 'smooth.' And I don't want to give her anything she doesn't need yet. When she's 'motivated,' she's actually quite agile--and very fast. My first cat was on Cosequin--but not until she was 17.
I just bought her two new interactive toys on Amazon, and I'm going to try to get her to play more.
I just bought her two new interactive toys on Amazon, and I'm going to try to get her to play more.
And you can cut down on her food just a tiny bit, which will naturally cut down on the calories she is eating. Try cutting down about one teaspoon and see how she does. I'm guessing she won't notice that amount. If that works, then you can cut down another one. I don't know how many cans of the FF you are feeding, but for her desired weight, it seems about 240 calories per day should do it, including her treats.
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- #7
I feed just two of the small FF cans a day--and she rarely finishes the bowl, which is why I suspect she is 'naturally' big. But I like your idea of taking out about a teaspoon. I've always added water to her wet food (she likes it that way), so I might also add just a little more water because that might be for satisfying for her.
