Can anyone suggest any experience with dry cat food for weight control? I have several indoor cats and one is huge....but I’m not sure what the best food to give them for weight control but one that has descent ingredients.
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Weight control
- Thread starter Babypaws
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Dry food isn't really the best food to give your cats if they are over weight. Canned food is much better as it's higher in protein and low in carbs.
Will your cat eat canned food?
Will your cat eat canned food?
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I always feed dry food with one portion of dry food during the day. I personally choose Applaws dry food, just because I know ingredients are great and just agrees with my two and serve different wet food. Limit treats. I spoke to my vet about their diets last time on my trip.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
I know the dry isn’t good, to be honest when I’ve checked labels on different brands, whether it’s can or dry they all look like they put crap in them, a lot of fillers so the big companies can make more $
But I have a lot of indoor cats to feed. For one group I mix can food in with dry food to stretch it. My older cats I feed the can food alone but keep a dish of dry food out. I have a few cats that would rather eat the dry...they will only eat about a teaspoon of wet and then go to the dry.
I’ve tried different wet food (RX brands) for my oldest cat who might have an issue with her kidney but she won’t eat it. Vet told me the most important thing was that she eats. So I feed her either FF or Friskies
A lot of times the labels are confusing to understand, at least for me.
I try to find food that’s low on Phosphorus and Carbs.
But I’m looking for a decent food for weight control.
Unless you limit the fat one's calories, it's a lost cause. Believe me, when I had four cats and one was a porker, we tried diet foods to no avail Finally we had to put them all on scheduled meals and then convert them ALL to wet food to get the one to lose weight. In your instance, having an ill cat, you may have to separate out the fat one when he can't be watched (during the nighttime) to make sure he doesn't get into the kibble bowl. I still have to watch my guy to make sure he doesn't get into the other's dish of wet food, since they eat at different paces. I actually feed the porker in a different room and feed the other wherever we are so we can keep an eye on his bowl (down to two cats now)
Transitioning Free-fed Kibble Kitties To Timed Meals – TheCatSite Articles
Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food – TheCatSite Articles
Transitioning Free-fed Kibble Kitties To Timed Meals – TheCatSite Articles
Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food – TheCatSite Articles
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Free feeding any of your cats will not work to help the one cat lose weight. You will have to stop free feeding as otherwise fatty will just eat their food. You can just do regulated meals for the others even if its mostly dry with a little wet food or food toppers in it. Dr elsey's dry is low carbs but it is pricey. Unfortunately there really is no such thing as dry food that will help with weight loss. You can try feeding more fancy feast pate to that one and less dry. Friskies is too much crap in it, just stay far away from it. I find the big 13oz cans of wet food you can get more bang for your buck.
you can check out this list of kidney disease wet food
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Which Foods to Feed, and Which to Avoid
you can check out this list of kidney disease wet food
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Which Foods to Feed, and Which to Avoid
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
Thank you for your response, I have 12 indoor cats to feed so it can get a little expensive. I’ve been feeding them Friskies for a long time. I’ve try reading ingredients in other brands and they all don’t look so great, a lot of fillers. I mix wet food in with the dry. As far as the kidney food, I’ve tried several of the brands from Tanya’s list and my cat refused to eat them. I’ve mentioned it to my vet and she said the important thing is that she eats which she has been. I strictly give that cat wet food only but sometimes I see her eating a little dry in between feedings. Been giving her mainly fancy feast and read the “chunky” type of Friskies isn’t good, sometimes I give her Sheba and try not to give any of my cats the “extra” gravy type either. Have read the “indoor” type isn’t good.
Maybe I could try giving them more wet food mixed in with less dry and not leave the dry food dish out for free feeding. It’s a long story but for different reasons my cats are separated, 6 in one area, 6 in another area of the house and the cats where the “fat” one stays 3 are fairly big too.
How often do others feed their cats? I’ve been feeding mine twice a day. In the morning (7 am) and then between 4:30-5 pm.
Maybe I could try giving them more wet food mixed in with less dry and not leave the dry food dish out for free feeding. It’s a long story but for different reasons my cats are separated, 6 in one area, 6 in another area of the house and the cats where the “fat” one stays 3 are fairly big too.
How often do others feed their cats? I’ve been feeding mine twice a day. In the morning (7 am) and then between 4:30-5 pm.
I feed mine three meals per day. 8 a.m., 3 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Wet food only.
With your kidney cat, have you tried Iams Purfect Delights? My old girl was extremely picky, but she really loved Their Tunatopia (and she was never crazy about fish). The good thing about it, the phosphorus is (or was anyway) less than 1%. That was my goal, to find anything on Tanya's food chart under 1%, so I'd go the the store with that list and just buy one can of everything I could get my hands on that was under 1% phosphorus. Anything my girl liked, I would buy more cans. And if she started refusing them, I would simply put them away for a week or so and then bring them back into rotation later. Also, I found that with kidney cats, feeding several times a day worked batter, Several teeny meals. I'm talking 8 - 9! I even fed her twice in the middle of the night. I just froze two bowls of food (about 1 tablespoon each) at her 10:30 feeding and then at bedtime took them out of the freezer. I set one on a towel on the nightstand to start to thaw, and set the other on an icepak on the nightstand. Once I fed her the thawed one, then I moved the one on the icepak over to the towel to start to thaw. The other cats knew if they were good and let her eat, they would each get a treat, so they just waited patiently for her to finish, and I never even had to completely wake up as I just set the bowl right on the covers and let her eat
This also helped prevent those early morning throw-ups that kidney cats are so famous for.
With your kidney cat, have you tried Iams Purfect Delights? My old girl was extremely picky, but she really loved Their Tunatopia (and she was never crazy about fish). The good thing about it, the phosphorus is (or was anyway) less than 1%. That was my goal, to find anything on Tanya's food chart under 1%, so I'd go the the store with that list and just buy one can of everything I could get my hands on that was under 1% phosphorus. Anything my girl liked, I would buy more cans. And if she started refusing them, I would simply put them away for a week or so and then bring them back into rotation later. Also, I found that with kidney cats, feeding several times a day worked batter, Several teeny meals. I'm talking 8 - 9! I even fed her twice in the middle of the night. I just froze two bowls of food (about 1 tablespoon each) at her 10:30 feeding and then at bedtime took them out of the freezer. I set one on a towel on the nightstand to start to thaw, and set the other on an icepak on the nightstand. Once I fed her the thawed one, then I moved the one on the icepak over to the towel to start to thaw. The other cats knew if they were good and let her eat, they would each get a treat, so they just waited patiently for her to finish, and I never even had to completely wake up as I just set the bowl right on the covers and let her eat
This also helped prevent those early morning throw-ups that kidney cats are so famous for.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
Thank you for this info. I’ll be looking for the Iams purfect delights...I’ll be really surprised if she eats it but happy if she does. I’ve done the same thing, buying a can each of different brands that I found had fewer phosphorus for her...but she is really picky.I feed mine three meals per day. 8 a.m., 3 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Wet food only.
With your kidney cat, have you tried Iams Purfect Delights? My old girl was extremely picky, but she really loved Their Tunatopia (and she was never crazy about fish). The good thing about it, the phosphorus is (or was anyway) less than 1%. That was my goal, to find anything on Tanya's food chart under 1%, so I'd go the the store with that list and just buy one can of everything I could get my hands on that was under 1% phosphorus. Anything my girl liked, I would buy more cans. And if she started refusing them, I would simply put them away for a week or so and then bring them back into rotation later. Also, I found that with kidney cats, feeding several times a day worked batter, Several teeny meals. I'm talking 8 - 9! I even fed her twice in the middle of the night. I just froze two bowls of food (about 1 tablespoon each) at her 10:30 feeding and then at bedtime took them out of the freezer. I set one on a towel on the nightstand to start to thaw, and set the other on an icepak on the nightstand. Once I fed her the thawed one, then I moved the one on the icepak over to the towel to start to thaw. The other cats knew if they were good and let her eat, they would each get a treat, so they just waited patiently for her to finish, and I never even had to completely wake up as I just set the bowl right on the covers and let her eat
Wow, I don’t think I could ever go as far as you feeding during the night.
I usually feed her in the mornings, then around 4 pm and then again around 7-8 pm. My other cats get fed twice a day.
My cat doesn’t throw up, if she does every once in awhile it’s hair balls.
I brush her every night though.
First our cat will not eat wet food, none of it, period. Yes, we started her from bottle to wet and she was two bites and burying it. Name the flavor, we tried it. She also dislikes 'people food'.
So, when she gained 2 lbs when we got the dog - vet said 'stress eating" After a year when they were okay sort of with each other, we put kit on a diet. I looked at every dry food on the Net for ingredients and calories. The first I found was Fromm mature lean. Check the calories these things change. I gave her 1/4 cup every morning and evening. After she lost a pound she hit a plateau. I waited a month and started the search again. This time I found Blackwood lean. It has 20 fewer calories per cup which was enough to start her weight loss again. 1/4 cup morning and night. She has now lost the 2 pounds and is down to 10 lbs. Her fur is quite nice too.
Feeding her this much meant she kept her temper and had no anger issues.
Additionally, at about the time we changed from Fromm to Blackwood she began to go up and down the stairs again. I'm sure that helped.
As always YMMV. Not a recommendation, just saying what we experienced.
So, when she gained 2 lbs when we got the dog - vet said 'stress eating" After a year when they were okay sort of with each other, we put kit on a diet. I looked at every dry food on the Net for ingredients and calories. The first I found was Fromm mature lean. Check the calories these things change. I gave her 1/4 cup every morning and evening. After she lost a pound she hit a plateau. I waited a month and started the search again. This time I found Blackwood lean. It has 20 fewer calories per cup which was enough to start her weight loss again. 1/4 cup morning and night. She has now lost the 2 pounds and is down to 10 lbs. Her fur is quite nice too.
Feeding her this much meant she kept her temper and had no anger issues.
Additionally, at about the time we changed from Fromm to Blackwood she began to go up and down the stairs again. I'm sure that helped.
As always YMMV. Not a recommendation, just saying what we experienced.
