New diet

Hevy6

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Hi.

My cat is a fixed male, approx. 2 years old, 12lbs. My fault, I fed him so much because he gets destructive if he doesn't have food ALL the time, and he's having a hard time reaching when cleaning himself, not to mention seriously lazy, so I just put him on a diet.

His vet says he should have about 225 calories a day, the Purina web site says he should have about three 5oz cans a day, most everywhere else says one can.

Atm his diet is as follows, one 5oz can split into 4 feedings a day, 5 hours apart, and 1/4 cup of dry food late night, his calorie intake is from 226-241 withing a 24 hour period.

He is currently eating Purina One Indoor Advantage and Purina Indoor dry food, and Friskies Indoor canned. I was either going to switch the canned food to the Purina pro ($$) or the dry food to Friskies Indoor ($) I could use some suggestions on better quality food, but I am on disability, with a kid, and money is tight.

So, am I starving him?
 

Kieka

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Feeding an all wet diet would be the best. The dry foods have a lot of carbs in them which contributes to weight retention and doesn’t fill a cat up as much as something lower carb will. Friskies pate flavors are fairly decent for the price and you'd need about a can and a quarter can to meet the calories recommendation of your vet. How you are feeding with wet meals and dry at night is fine if that is working for you. But you'd ideally want to switch to a lower carb dry, they just tend to cost more. The trade off being you typically have to feed less low carb dry because it is more calorie dense and your cat is full from it.

Do not listen to the feeding instructions on the cans. They make a general statement for cats that tends to be super high or super low when you look at specific situations. Their goal is to sell their product to you, not your cats health or well being.

You are not starving him and you are doing the best you can on your budget. If he is having a hard time with the diet you can get some freeze dried chicken or fish flakes (dog versions are usually the same thing but sold at a lower price per ounce, check the label). That would be a high protein snack that shouldn't sabatog the diet effort as long as it is only one or two times a day.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!
So, am I starving him?
Nope. His vet is correct, however you don't want to restrict him drastically/all at once - losing weight slowly is the only safe way to manage a diet for a cat. If possible, try and get him more active :)

You may get some feedback/pushback about Purina, but I personally think it's better than some of the brands that Tractor Supply carries. You could look into Chewy's Tiny Tiger. The other thing is that you don't have to stick with just one brand --if his stomach/digestive system can handle it. This thread can be helpful;
Cat Food Deals Forum?

When you can, look into food puzzle toys, and these threads might be useful too;
7 Proven Ways To Get Your Cat To Be More Active
17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats
 
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Hevy6

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Thank you. His calorie intake probably is a shock to him, so far he seems to be doing ok, better than I thought. I have a number of those toys listed, he still likes balls and anything small, his ribbon, not as much as he used too. Been wanting to get him a hex-bug for a while, but they are costly, but I just found one at a lower price, and those springs look like something he would like. I did have a puzzle feeder, but after a few days it was no longer a challenge, I'll look into that again. My daughter wants to walk him, but I'm having issues with possible fleas, he will not wear a collar, he has taken everything off and destroyed them.
 
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Hevy6

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Ooh, Sheba was looking good for a minute, but that price, $2 a day :ohwell:
 

maggie101

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Thank you. His calorie intake probably is a shock to him, so far he seems to be doing ok, better than I thought. I have a number of those toys listed, he still likes balls and anything small, his ribbon, not as much as he used too. Been wanting to get him a hex-bug for a while, but they are costly, but I just found one at a lower price, and those springs look like something he would like. I did have a puzzle feeder, but after a few days it was no longer a challenge, I'll look into that again. My daughter wants to walk him, but I'm having issues with possible fleas, he will not wear a collar, he has taken everything off and destroyed them.
He might like throwing a small toy and landing in shipping trash. I have piles stuck in corners. Always been my cat Peaches favorite. Doesn't cost much!
 
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maggie101

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Furballsmom

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Try increasing his food amount more to what he was getting, and very gradually decrease. Too little food too abruptly, especially for very overweight cats can have a serious effect on his liver, but double check with your vet :)
 
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