Obese Cat needs help

[isaac1234]

Hi, my cat is 3 years old right now and he was neutered when he was almost a year old. He used to be a very active and playful kitty before then, but after, he grew unmotivated and ate nonstop. Now he's fat and his fur has been suffering from dandruff. He used to have severe flea problems and now that that's solved, he suffers from dandruff coating his fur. He seems to not to be able to groom his back like he used to. I've been TRYING to help him by cutting down his food portions, but it's my father who's been making it worse. Right now we have 4 cats and 3 are healthy and playful, but this one is fat and though he likes playing now, he can't stand playing near other cats.
My dad fills the bowls till they're overflowing and leaves even more food out. Every time my family and I call him out on what he's doing, my dad says we're abusing the cat and "the other cats are so skinny and it's not fair they have to starve",, plus he yells at me and others if we cut down the portions. The other cats are all a healthy weight and play together all the time. Plus our fat cat likes to go and steal the others' food too. He's very picky with playing as well, he hates playing with the other cats, he only likes strings and straws, and he doesn't like to get up to chase anything. He still has the drive to play though since whenever I work out, he jumps at me or gently whacks my legs.
Does anyone know how I can help my cat? I want him to be happier and healthier like his siblings.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. To start off with, would it help to show your dad a chart that illustrates the sizing of a cat? You need to convince him that he is wrong about what he thinks, and maybe this chart (see below) would help?

 

[isaac1234]

I'll try that! He really needs to understand that obesity in cats is very bad

 

[fionasmom]

The dandruff part bothers me as both of my diabetic cats had problems with that. Your dad means well, which is certainly better than being mean to the cats, but he needs to lose weight for his own good.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I do understand why your pudgy cat doesn't like to play with the others because I have that situation here. My lean cat jumps all over my "larger" cat and just seems to cause him grief. So my pudge just watches from the sidelines and rarely plays himself. And if I try to put him in a room with just him and me, then the other cat tries to break down the door to get in, which distracts us and he still won't play .

For the weight loss situation, less food is the only thing that is going to solve that situation. And that is going to mean getting your father involved, AND monitoring all the cats' bowls during mealtime. NO free feeding any of the cats anymore, ever again, because if you have a cat in the household that eats non-stop, that habit doesn't stop. Believe me. My pudge needed to lose 4 pounds at his one-year check-up. That was eleven years ago. We did it after converting all four cats from being free fed kibble to timed meals of wet food only, but still have to watch him like a hawk and count his calories and make sure he stays out of the other bowls. Otherwise he would gain weight quickly. So he's perpetually on a diet, poor guy. At treat time, he only gets the tiniest little treat, but he gets one so he doesn't feel left out!

 

[VanCatMa]

My cat is on methimazole medication, twice a day, for her overactive thyroid. Because she is still pleasantly plump, the Hill's prescription diet metabolic formula helped her lose weight, and also, maintain the weight loss. Hill's prescription diet metabolic formula also makes metabolic cat treats, for in between meals. It is certainly something to discuss with your veterinarian.

She has done very well on that food, and with her medication, to manage her overactive thyroid, and her weight issues.