I need help with my Calico?

Question

Okay...here's the deal.My Calico Beauty needs a new type of cat food,her's is just makoing her fat.She eats Special Kitty,and Meow Mix,but which brands of catfood are healthier

she is an outdoor cat.

She only eats enoughe to fill a bowl the size of my fist.

Answer 1

HI Aubrey...everyone had made some nice suggestions here.

Free fed cats (e.g. food that is left out all the time) is one of the main reasons many cats become overweight. They need to be put on a scheduled feeding and I'll explain how you can do this so that your cat doesn't feel too hungry all the time as well as how to change from the old food to the new gradually (as cats are very sensitive to diet changes usually causing vomiting and diarrhea).

Nearly most cat food itself also contributes to the problem as well. Any product that contains either ingredients corn, corn meal or soy are high in carbohydrates. The corn/soy are used as fillers to bind the dry food together as well as a preservative. I've included a weblink below which explains why most pet foods are very unhealthy for our pets.

Anyhow...Royal Canin is available at any pet store and avoids using corn based ingredients. However, there are better premium brands and the price difference compared to Meow Mix may be a bit of a shock to you. If price is of no consideration for you consider trying Innova EVO, California Natural, Nature's Variety Prairie, Wellness, Wysong, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. These are the top brands which contain high protein and no by-products. These are usually found at specialty pet stores or on the Internet.

To slowly switch to a scheduled feeding:
Measure out 1 cup to 1-1/2 cup of the dry food and divide it into 1/3 to give three times a day. If you have a busy schedule 1/2 cup twice a day is fine (morning and before bed time). The cat will cry and act very hungry, however by dividing the amount you are helping curve the hunger and reducing the chance of starvation which is very dangerous for overweight cats. This condition is called hepatic lipodisis (fatty liver disease--see second link below) if they are starved too long. Your cat will possibly cry to let you know she is hungry however please try to not give into her in order to help her become used to this new schedule. An occasional treat here and there is fine. Eventually, you'll want to reduce the amount to 1 cup or 3/4 cup for the whole day which is the general recommended amount for an indoor active female cat.

When switching from Meow Mix to a new brand of food this will need to be done over a course of 2-1/2 to 3 weeks. Take 3/4 portion of Meow Mix to 1/4 of the new food for one week (the cat may begin to have a little diarrhea--it will resolve itself slowly over the week) then 1/2 portion of Meow Mix to 1/2 new food the next week...then 3/4 new food to 1/4 Meow Mix the next week. Now you can eliminate the Meow Mix altogether. Watch your kitty and see how she responds to the new food. Some cats appetite may decrease so the food will need to be adjusted as cats don't feel the need to eat as much if using the premium brands.

A side note: the premium brands also promote a healthier coat so you will also notice a shinier and softer coat as well as less shedding too.

If there are any questions you would like to ask further please don't hesitate to email me by selecting my username under the avatar. Please be certain that your email address is confirmed with Yahoo Answers as this prevents me from responding.

Answer 2

Hill's Science Diet Indoor Formula is fantastic. But, even with as fantastic as it is, I'm thinking of switching to Solid Gold (if I can find it). Solid Gold makes both dog and cat food, and it's very high quality. Avoid foods with a lot of corn (which is just a filler and has no nutritional benefit), and meat by-products. Indoor formulas of quality food (like Science Diet and Eukanuba) are great before they have weight control properties AND help with hairballs.

I know it may seem like the economical thing to do, but buying cheap cat food is anything but. When your cat doesn't get the nutrition he/she needs, you'll inevitably end up spending much more in vet visits.

Answer 3

If you are willing to spend a little bit more money(which if you can I would suggest) go to your local pet store. Don't buy pet food at the grocery store it isn't healthy, even iams is bad. Go to your pet store and see what kinds of foods they have there, read the ingredients, avoid foods that have by-products and lots of grains like corn, corn makes cats gain weight. Also talk to a vet they might be able to suggest a specific brand

Answer 4

Weight has less to do with what brand of cat food you feed your cat than it has to do with HOW MUCH you're feeding your cat. To help her reduce her girth, restrict her access to her food; that is, don't leave food sitting out for her all day. Put it out at a specific time of the day and keep an eye on how much she eats at a sitting.

Also: is your cat spayed? She may not be fat; she may be pregnant.

Answer 5

If you are concerned about her weight get a weight control dry food and feed according to the directions on the back of the bag. If she does not lose weight she may have a thryoid condition that your vet can diagnose

Answer 6

I also have a calico cat who was getting fat, she's been eating Purina ONE since she was a kitten, I switched her over to Purina ONE healthy weight and it's been helping her a lot!

Answer 7

well my calico cat eats whiskas dry food and some wet cat food mix. it is a really good diet my cat really likes it and she is not fat or skinny. maybe you should try it

Answer 8

What ever brand you choose make sure it is an indoor formula and don't leave it sitting out. I use purina indoor cat chow. Also can food and table scraps make them fat.

Answer 9

Depending on her age, there are several different products on the market that have 'weight management' formulas. Try any one of them. My cat's have lost weight on them

Answer 10

Please read my post under question, "I have three cats,one of which......?

I tried to copy and paste the information here for you and my computer isn't letting me do that.