Mickey, my 27 lbs foster and his journey back to a healthy weight

[sammythecat]

He looks cute when he's big, he looks like some sort of cat vacuum cleaner, hoovering up your carpet! lol

 

[minka]

So what are his new owners feeding him? Why not the same food he is on?

 

[mschauer]

Update - week 45

Mickey weighted in at 18:10 (lbsz) for a 1 week loss of 1 oz and a total loss of 8:4.

Oh boy. His weight loss has *really* slowed down. I'm going to go ahead and switch him to the food his adopters will feed him. I don't really have any reason to think a change in food will make any difference but it is change I need to make soon anyway so if I'm going to do any messing around with his food it should be that. Who knows, maybe it will start him losing again. 

So what are his new owners feeding him? Why not the same food he is on?

I'm currently feeding him a raw diet and they aren't interesting in going that route. They will feed him mostly Fancy Feast wet. They want something they have easy access to and there are no pet supply stores near them. They can get FF at the grocery store.

 

[wolcar]

18 lbs is fantastic. I hope he likes ff.

 

[minka]

I'm currently feeding him a raw diet and they aren't interesting in going that route. They will feed him mostly Fancy Feast wet. They want something they have easy access to and there are no pet supply stores near them. They can get FF at the grocery store.

Mm, I see. I'm doubtful that a change to FF wet will make him lose faster though.

 

[otto]

As long as they stick to the classic pates, which are very low in carbohydrates.....

 

[mschauer]

Update - week 46

Mickey weighted in at 18:7 (lbsz) on Saturday for a 1 week loss of 3 oz and a total loss of 8:7.

Thank goodness he back on the losing track! 

I did switch him to Fancy Feast at the start of the week. My intention is to be giving him the same number of calories as he was getting with the raw diet I was feeding previously. I suspect though that the reason he wasn't losing much for a few weeks was because the calorie content of the raw I was feeding him was a bit higher than before. It's isn't hard to imagine how that can happen with a homemade diet. The calorie content is going to be dependent on the protein, fat and carbohydrate content of the ingredients used. I think he may have been getting more fat, which is high in calories, during those weeks than in previous weeks.

Oh well, I'm just happy he is losing at a better rate again. 

Below is a very short video of him playing. It isn't terribly exciting. It just shows how well he is able to move these days. Of course it is also very cute!

 

[otto]

WOW, what a difference in the play, compared to his very first play video. You ought to post them side by side.

Oh I love him so much! :heart3: It appears he didn't appreciate the camera. :lol3:

 

[ldg]

Look at him go! Now - he's "just" a fat kitty!

Glad you got the weight loss back on track! :bigthumb:



Yep - love that darling boy!

 

[hthegeisha]

How much better is that, though?? He looked somewhat uncomfortable at the beginning of the thread. Way to go! 

 

[mschauer]

Update - week 47

Today Mickey weighted in at 18:4 (lbsz) for a one week loss of 3 oz and a total loss of 18:10. 

He made the switch to Fancy Feast seamlessly. I'm telling you, this boy is just *so* easy. He eats anything. He has no problem with eating anything. He has no health problems. He has a fabulous personality. I'm really going to have to think twice or three or four times before I volunteer to take on another obese cat. I can't expect it to ever be this easy again and I have to remember that. He's been with me for 11 months and has steadily lost weight but is still fat. That would be a *very* long and potentially miserable time with a cat that isn't as easy as Mickey.

I'm continually astounded that he has lost over 8 1/2 lbs ... and is still fat! I'm seeing it with my own eyes and I still can't believe it! It really doesn't seem possible. I'm guessing he has at least another 5 lbs to go before he is at a healthy weight. If that is right that means so far he has only lost about 60% of the weight he needs to lose. Amazing.

His future parents visited a couple of weeks ago and brought a bed for him. I told them that he loves to sleep in a pet bed (all of my cats do) so they bought one that that he can use until he goes to live with them. It will go with him so he'll have something in his new home that smells familiar. For the first few days he pretty much ignored it. I put it in place of another one that he frequently sleeps in but he just ignored it. I thought I was going to have to tell them him didn't like their present! Then he started sleeping in it though. For some reason he just decided for a few days that he'd rather sleep in the bed that was on the floor! 

 

[ldg]

Awwwww............... :heart2:

I really don't know why that post made me tear up. Probably just because he is SO sweet! :rub: LOVE that boy!

And, of course, congrats on another 3 ounces!

 

[mschauer]

Mickey's story has turned out to be a very happy one. He has got to be a lot more comfortable now than he was when I got him and he will soon be going to a wonderful new home where he will be doted on as he deserves. Maybe that is why you got teary eyed. 

Charlie and Susan (his future parents) came to visit this weekend. They have been looking forward to the time when he would be more comfortable with them. He hasn't hidden from them for a while now but he hasn't been completely relaxed either. Well, this weekend after Susan had been on the floor petting and cooing over him for a bit she stood up to go to the bathroom and guess what? Mickey followed her! He laid outside the door until she came out then followed her back into the living room! Susan was so happy! 

 

[txcatmom]

He laid outside the door until she came out then followed her back into the living room! Susan was so happy! 

Awww, now that made me tear up.  How sweet!

 

[hthegeisha]

Mickey followed her! He laid outside the door until she came out then followed her back into the living room! Susan was so happy! 

Awww! And he is most definitely better than he was, just from watching that video when he was playing. 

 

[wolcar]

I can't believe the difference. He looks amazing. He's probably so much happier with each ounce lost. I remember the difference I saw in my Ulysses' play when he went from 18 to 15. I was astonished. Mickey is awesome. You're awesome for giving him the time and effort and ultimately saving his life.

I'm so happy that he seems to like his new parents. Mickey seems like a pretty cool cat.

 

[debvstone]

Hi,  I commend you for rescuing him and giving him the tlc he so needs.  Have you had his thyroid tested?  My Maine Coone is 26.4 lbs and I am waiting for his blood test results.  It is difficult to put him on a diet as I have three other kitties.  Please keep us posted on how the big guy is getting along, this is encouraging news.

 

[mschauer]

Update week 48

Mickey weighted in at 18:3 (lbsz) on Saturday for a 1 week loss of 1 oz and a total loss of 8:11.

Well, last week was one of the disappointing weeks that are becoming more common with a loss of only 1 oz. Hopefully next week will be better.

Hi,  I commend you for rescuing him and giving him the tlc he so needs.  Have you had his thyroid tested?  My Maine Coone is 26.4 lbs and I am waiting for his blood test results.  It is difficult to put him on a diet as I have three other kitties.  Please keep us posted on how the big guy is getting along, this is encouraging news.

I don't know if his owner had him tested before bringing him to the shelter. He hasn't been tested since I got him. But it's unlikely he has any thyroid problem. Hyperthyroidism is fairly common in older cats but it is characterized by weight loss not gain. Hypothyrodism is less common in cats and is characterized by weight gain but if he had that disorder it would be very difficult to get him to lose weight if it were untreated. That Mickey has lost so much weight with just a moderate decrease in his calorie intake pretty much points to him getting obese  just through having been overfed rather than as the result of an illness.

I hope your Main Coon is OK. I have 4 other cats in the house and had to come up a way to feed Mickey separately from the others. What I did might not work for you but hopefully you'll find a way.

 

[ldg]

Mickey's story has turned out to be a very happy one. He has got to be a lot more comfortable now than he was when I got him and he will soon be going to a wonderful new home where he will be doted on as he deserves. Maybe that is why you got teary eyed. 

Charlie and Susan (his future parents) came to visit this weekend. They have been looking forward to the time when he would be more comfortable with them. He hasn't hidden from them for a while now but he hasn't been completely relaxed either. Well, this weekend after Susan had been on the floor petting and cooing over him for a bit she stood up to go to the bathroom and guess what? Mickey followed her! He laid outside the door until she came out then followed her back into the living room! Susan was so happy! 

Awwww...... :heart2: :heart2: :heart2: (I missed that post!)

An ounce is still an ounce. Slower reduction is the price paid for keeping him comfortably.... "unhungry" I guess. :rub:

 

[heyitsfae]

I just wanted to thank you for posting this. I recently adopted my Monstro from a local shelter and he's 25 pounds! He obviously needs to be on kitty Jenny Craig but neither the shelter nor my veterinarian were really able to give me specific feeding instructions for my boy. The best that my vet could tell me was "feed him one small can of wet food in the morning and second small can at night" which really doesn't seem to be enough for him. I never would have thought of including raw food in his diet. The weight loss chart that you posted was also especially helpful. and has given me a realistic idea of what healthy weight loss looks like.

So thank you for documenting Mickey's journey! I'm so happy that he's at a healthy weight and has a wonderful life ahead of him!