Weight gain

[Ruthy]

I have two cats that I got six months ago they are six year old girls fixed and from the same litter. Before I had them they were Free fed dry food only but I decided to give them a mixture of dry food and wet food. After several months of trying different cat food I decided to give them orijen dry and Weruva wet bff omg from a pouch because they do not like chunky wet cat food. I took them to the vet a week ago and they both had gained weight since I’ve had them one cat has gained 1 pound and the other cat has gained 2 pounds. The vet told me to look on the bag of cat food and find the weight that I wanted my cat to be and feed the cat that amount of food. One cat was originally 8 pounds and she is now 10 and the other cat was 10 pounds and she’s now 11, on the Orijen dry food chart when I look at the poundage for a lean size cat of 8 and 10 pounds and look across in the over weight column to see what amount to feed them there is no amount does this mean I shouldn’t be feeding them orijen if they are overweight? If a cat were lean and 8 pounds it says to feed them 1/2 a cup, I’ve been feeding them 1/4 cup a day (1 8oz cup is 463 calories) each and 1 pouch of Weruva which they split 2x a day so they end up getting one pouch each, the Weruva Depending on which flavor you get is average 55 calories a pouch. I read that tapioca starch and guar gum turns to sugar and these ingredients are in the Weruva could these ingredients be causing my cats to gain weight? I do feed them a treat every night before we go to bed but just 2 pieces each which is only 4 calories I didn’t think that would have that much impact. Is there a wet cat food with gravy that doesn’t have these ingredients I can always blend it up if it’s not runny enough for them. I didn’t go to a full vet I went to a clinic that was less expensive but they have been real good. These are indoor cats and don’t get as much exercise as I would like only when I play with them. I work full time.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Did the vet explicitly say that the cats are overweight? Some cats are just bigger than others. My Emerson is 14lbs and is actually on the lean side, he would probably be considered a heathy weight at 15 lbs.

According to what you're saying, both cats are only getting approximately 180 calories a day, which is right at the low end of what cats their size should be getting. I would personally not want to feed any less. Something that you could try to do, is cut back on the dry food and feed more wet. Wet food is typically more filling and is more biologically appropriate than dry.

Unfortunately, any gravy food is going to have some sort of thickener, like tapioca starch. That's how they make the gravy. You can try just a regular pate cat food and maybe add water to it to make it more runny.

 

[Ruthy]

Yeah they did say they were a little over weight the cat that was 8 pounds before an now 10 I can’t feel her ribs unless I push down firm. I’ll try the pate with little water and see how that goes. Thanks

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I can't really expand too much on the information EmersonandEvie has given you. But, I did want to add that, generally, 20 - 25 calories per pound of weight is the norm. So, you could calculate what they are eating now on that basis and see how it comes out. If you do find they are eating on the high side calorically, you can reduce the amount just a bit and monitor their weight over time. If you don't see a few ounces of weight loss over the course of 3-4 weeks, you can reduce the amount again by just a bit. The key to weight loss is to do it gradually.

 

[Ruthy]

Thanks

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Have they had bloodwork done? Hypothyroidism, though not terribly common, can make cats gain weight too. Since they are siblings, the weight gain could have a genetic component.

 

[Ruthy]

No just over all care and shots they did have ear mites when I got them but they are just about gone it is taking a while. I can try the advise I have gotten today first and see if that works. They seem perfectly healthy but I’ve noticed the cat that has gained 2 pounds can’t jump as well I have to help her.