Please help demystify weight gain on RAW diet

[oyster]

I am so puzzled as to why my 4 year old, Truffles, is gaining weight. He was about 11+ pounds in March when I switched over to raw food. Over the last 6 months, he has ballooned even though the diet was tailored to him maintaining his 11 pound weight. I paid a cat nutritionist to come up with recipes so it wasn't just me trying to feed him whatever. His housemate, Nutmeg, eats the same diet and he yo-yos with his weight about a pound or so. But Truffles now weighs 16 pounds!
He has been to the vet for a wellness check and there is nothing wrong with him, thankfully.
I have been in touch with the nutritionist and reduced his calorie intake. But he still keeps gaining weight. The nutritionist warned that I should not lower the amount of muscle meat too much for fear of hepatic lipadosis.
He get a variety of proteins: beef, goat, chicken, turkey with some raw meaty bones, organ meats, etc. He gets all the supplements he should be getting.
Any ideas?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I guess my first question is, how MUCH of the food are you feeding him. I first put my pudgy boy on raw to get him to lose about four pounds, and it seemed like he simply was not losing any weight. We finally got him to very slowly lose his weight by feeding him a total of 4.5 ounces of completely balanced raw food per day, split into three meals.

Do you have any other animals that he could be stealing food from, or are you also feeding treats? Those calories can really add up.

I would say you don't want to lower the amount of muscle meat not only for fear of hepatic lipidosis, but most important, because if you do that, then the food will no longer be nutritionally balanced with the bones, organ meats and supplements, as they all complement each other. Perhaps if you share your recipe someone here can take a look at it and see if there is anything glaring in it

 

[sophie1]

What were you feeding your cats before you started raw food? If it was canned food, your problem is simple: there's more nutrition, ounce for ounce, in raw food than canned. That's why commercial raw food (or homemade raw) can cost less than feeding canned food even if it's more expensive per ounce. Also, food amounts are very individual. One of my cats is an 11 pound, energetic linebacker of a Siberian, and he will gain weight if he eats more than 3 ounces of food a day. The other is 15 pounds and needs 5 oz a day, almost twice as much.

In any case, the solution to the weight gain problem is simple: reduce your cat's portions!!!! Do it little by little so your cat doesn't get upset, and keep track of weight. You don't want him losing weight too fast.