Sophie has to lose weight!.

[rosiemac]

Colleen the vet wasn't really worried, she was just pointing out to me how young she is and she's a couple of lb overweight already

I'm the same though, i have to leave them something to nibble on when i'm at work, i'll just have to reduce it though

 

[millyanddaisy]

Originally Posted by jcat

I just recently read an article on a German cat forum written by a vet who said that dry food was, in her experience, more likely to lead to overweight cats and dogs than canned food.

Maybe this has something to do with the recommended amounts on the packet of food. When I first got my two, I had never fed all-dry before, but I was told that Milly would only eat dry, so I gave her the amount recommended for her weight on the packet. Well, she ballooned! I think she's what's known as a good do-er. So I cut down the amount, gradually, and she has now settled at a reasonable weight. We were at the vet's only a few weeks ago for their check-up, and he said she was OK at the moment ("but I wouldn't want to see her any bigger" he said). She actually eats about two-thirds of the recommended amount. I said that to the vet, who said that was not unusual in his experience.
Good luck with your diet Sophie!!

Sue

 

[rosiemac]

Sue that night i looked at what both of them "should" be eating and it's a lot less than what i give them now thats for sure

So i'm measuring it out now into a small cup so i know the approx amount they should be having everytime.

Thanks for all your help everyone

 

[dawnofsierra]

Hi, Susan, I was just reading this in one of Sierra's health support groups, and thought it states well the advantages of wet over dry food as we have been discussing. Just thought you may be interested in reading it.

"I'd STRONGLY suggest, ditching dry food
altogether if you're
feeding it. Many of us are very persuaded by the notion of thinking
about what kind of diet
is most species-appropriate and the kind of thing that good old Mother
Nature intended cats
to eat. Being that diet is the brick-and-mortar of health, you can go
a long way to helping
your cat by getting him/her OFF of kibble.

What's wrong with dry food? Well the bad news is that it is really
nothing more than meat-
flavored and grain-packed cereal. Why is this less than ideal?
Because cats, as carnivores,
were meant to get their entire nutrition from the consumption of other
animals, not from
grains. They should have few or, ideally, NO grains in their diet.
Aside from being
inappropriate for a cat's metabolism and digestive system, dry food is
one of the biggest,
single contributors to dental problems (despite claims to the contrary)
as it creates a sticky,
gummy mess in their mouths. I know of what I speak here?only since
going
COMPLETELY off the dry stuff have my IBD cat's chronic troubles with
gingivitis and tartar
buildup begun to conspicuously subside.

There is also a problem with dry food being a terribly 'unnatural' kind
of food for any cat (or
dog for that matter) in the sense that cats were meant to get their
moisture WITH their food.
Dry food has to get hydrated in the stomach, forcing cats to drink
more, putting additional
strain on kidneys, etc. Aside from being made from HIGHLY questionable
"protein
sources," kibble is usually full of additives, preservatives, and other
chemicals that really
don't have a place in the ideal cat diet.

Aside from aggravating IBD and possibly straining the kidneys by
putting a cat in a chronic
state of dehydration, dry food can be a strong contributor to feline
urinary tract disorders
given that?unlike more natural diets (those that closely mimic what
kitty would eat in the
wild) which naturally maintain the system at the proper acid
levels?keeps the system very
alkaline and can trigger urinary problems for cats prone to them. The
"acidifiers" that some
companies are now adding to their foods to "correct" this problem (a
problem they created in
the first place!), can interfere with calcium absorption. What a
roller-coaster, eh?

If using a commercial canned food (again, my opinion here) I'd suggest
staying away from
the so-called "Prescription" diets that more often than not do little
or nothing, are packed
with grains, and full of those nasty preservatives, and are made from
low QUALITY proteins.
At the higher end of the spectrum in the canned food category there are
things like Wysong
canned meats plus their Call of the Wild supplement or their Wysong
Archetype food , Azmira, Innova, Felidae, PetGuard's Next to
Nature line of foods, etc. "

 

[ugaimes]

Oh Susan, poor Sophie! I don't look at this board too often I'm afraid, so I am only just now seeing your post about your tuxedo needing to lose weight. Sending some ::::GET SKINNIER::: vibes your baby's way!!!

 

[rarepuss]

oh wow! 10lb at 6 months! I think Marsh was about 5.6lb at time of neuter. Maybe your cats are just 'big' cats, you know? good luck!

 

[rosiemac]

Sophies 12 months old not 6?