My cat is over 25 pounds. How do I help him loose wieght?

Question

He is a really fat black and white cat. He really neesd to loose some of that flab. :D I swear, you can get a work out carrying him upstairs.

Answer 1

Hi Hannah...generally, it's first recommended to discuss an appropriate weight loss guideline with your vet. Sudden changes in dietary requirements can be distressing to a cat and could contribute to other health problems. Cats who have dramatic caloric intake or are starved can suffer from something called fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis) http://www.peteducation.com:80/article.cfm?cls=1&articleid=217 . which shuts the liver down and is fatal. Therefore, before beginning any weight loss plan, please be sure to get approval from the vet to make sure this will not cause any other un-necessary health problems for your cat. Some cats can be overweight as a result of thyroid problems so this should be checked as well.

In the wild, animals will naturally eat what they need and no more. The task of searching for food and other basic necessities involves lots of exercise and so wild animals remain naturally fit and healthy.

The food available to them in their natural habitat is perfectly designed to meet their needs in an environment that has not been tampered with.

Domestic animals are provided with food which they do not have to hunt for and which is not always suited for their bodies. Cats who are free fed as well as given table scraps are more noted to have obesity problems because they eat out of boredom. In addition, they are often exposed to a lifestyle which contributes to sluggish metabolism, underactive thyroids and livers which are not able to remove toxins or eliminate unwanted fat from their bodies.

Most commercial grade cat foods contain corn, corn meal which are fillers (carbohydrates) that bind the dry food together as a way of keeping foods lasting longer. Try finding cat food products which are devoid of these ingedients. The first ingredients should show chicken, chicken meal, etc. Most show the first ingredients as corn on the ingredient labels. IAMs, Science Diet, Purina, Whiskas, Friskies ...all have corn listed as the main ingredient. Cats who eat these tend to always feel hungry because the carbs don't metabolize fast enough and cats are obligate carnivores so they need a diet devoid of these types of carbs. Products such as Innova EVO, Nature's Variety Prairie, James Wellbeloved (UK), are premium brands. Most cats who eat these find that they do not eat to eat as much because their appetite is better satiated.

Additionally, it's important to schedule feed a cat so you can monitor servings taken in during the day. This is ideal when you have a multi-cat household as well so you can monitor every ones measured portions twice a day (e.g. morning and evening). Each product lists the recommended servings based on a age and weight. For an overweight cat you would be reducing the intake gradually by 10% each week that the vet recommends is an appropriate caloric intake. Cats who are switched from a free-fed diet shoudl be fed multiple times a day (if permittable) such as once in the morning, mid-day, and then evening before your bedtime.

When switching to a new brand of cat food it is also important to note that sudden changes can cause sever bowel distress. Cats have very sensitive digestive systems so the quick change will cause bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting. Any vet can confirm this fact. Cat food should be changed gradually by mixing the current brand with the new brand over the course of several weeks. For example you would take 3/4 servings of the old cat food to 1/4 servings with the new for one week...then the next week 1/2 to 1/2...then following 1/4 of the old to 3/4 of the new in the third week before completing the switch in the final week. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?articleid=100

Furthermore, some cats can take off the weight faster by feeding a canned food diet. For some reason the hydration in the canned products helps metabolize food better and are also completely devoid of carbohydrates, which is more optimal for the feline's body. When cats eat raw meat in the wild they get hydration from the fresh meat juices as well as some roughage from the animals who are natural herbivores. A mixture of canned and dry are always best for cats in the long-term, which many people are unaware of. We are have been exposed to so many commercial ads regarding dry food for cats, but in reality it's the manufacturer's who benefit rather than the cats. Cats are not naturally designed to eat dry--the products were designed for convenience for the owner.

Here's an article about commercial cat food; dry vs. canned, proper nutritional needs, etc: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/review.html

Finally, most cats become bored with toys quickly. It's important to rotate them by hiding them and then bringing them back out again so the appear to be like new toys. Interactive toys are the best ones to use to get a cat moving such as a laser light. Most cats love chasing the light. The goal is to get the cat to move back and forth at least for 5 minutes to begin as some tire more easily than others especially if they are overweight. You can increase play time more if they enjoy it. Some cats love chasing feather teasers tied on a string too. Experiment to what gets your cat moving. Just please remember most overweight cats tire easily so keep the sessions short and fun. Interactive toys are the best ways to get your cat to exercise rather than leaving toys for them to play with. They only bat at those and really don't move enough. Not only does the interactive toys work better, but it's a bonding experience for both of you as well.

Answer 2

Any vet will tell you that if your cats needs to lose weight, you have to cut back on the amount of food they eat slowly. If you cut back on the amount of food they normally eat to fast, they can get something called fatty liver disease which can be fatal.

When my 20 pounder had to lose weight, my vet told me to do the following:

1. figure out how much your cat eats in 24 hours. So measure the food that is out now, and see how much is gone in a day

2. Take the amount the cat ate in a day (lets say it was 2 cups) and cut it by 25%. So in this example, every day you should now only put out 1.5 cups of food. And a good, high quality food like Nutro Weight Management. It may cost more, but that is because it is full of good things and not fillers like most grocery store brands.

3. Keep them at the 25% less amount until for at least 3 months, then gradually step down the amount of food, putting out less every 3 months until you get down to about a cup of food a day.

4. Stop feeding them any people food. Give them occasional treats (as everyone likes to cheat on a diet) but keep it to a minimum.

5. Play with your cat every day with something like the cat dancer toy. At 25 pounds she probably won't want to play too much now, but she needs some exercise

In about a year or so i would think your cat would be below 20 pounds. Just take it slow, as cats can't go on a starvation diet without serious medical risks. Good luck!

Answer 3

You do not need a special food. You need to not give your cat an endless supply of food. Feed him two meals a day, and follow the cat food directions. He will lose weight. You need to do this right away, because a cat that overweight is a prime candidate for diabetes. You may not have known that, but diabetes is actually a fairly common disease in older and especially heavier cats. Also, make sure your cat has plenty of water. And, did your vet not tell you he was overweight? Anyway, if he eats less he will automatically lose weight.

On the other hand, I do not know if you give your cat free choice food. If you give him two REASONABLE meals a day and he's stiill fat, THEN you need a special diet. And to get him a few toys to get himself more active.

Answer 4

I know exactly what you mean! My cat was over 25 lbs and at a huge risk for several diseases. I brought him to the vet and they gave us some perscription wet food. It is very expensive but totally worth it. In about 5 months my cat weighs 19 lbs which is a huge weight loss for cat when you think about it. If you don't want to do it like that, you should buy some weight management wet food because ANY type of dry food contains a lot of carbs. I at first wanted my cat to exercise i even considered building a cat treadmill!;) but i found with the more weight he lost the more eager he was to move around. Good Luck!
natalie

Answer 5

Switch to feeding a high-quality, low carbohydrate canned food at scheduled mealtimes. See http://www.catinfo.org/ for complete information. Make the switch gradually to avoid stomach upset, and make sure he's eating regularly - an overweight cat can go into liver failure if his diet is too severely restricted too quickly, so it's very important to make sure that he's eating his new food.

http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm has info on what to look for in choosing a good canned food. Dry cat food is much too high in carbohydrates for cats, who are obligate carnivores. For them to get enough protein and fat to feel satisfied from dry food, they often overeat & end up getting fat. Good canned food will help a cat feel more satisfied with less calories, so he's less likely to overeat.

If your cat drives you crazy & insists on having some dry available, you can leave a little dry food out between meals, and he will still lose weight due to the high-quality canned food. It worked beautifully for my formerly fat cat.

Also, try to encourage him to get some exercise by playing with him with a feather toy (Da Bird is a great one) or laser toy, if he'll chase it, or even a long shoestring. Make the exercise sessions short to begin with, whenever you have a free moment, and then increase the session times when his endurance improves.

http://www.catnutrition.org/obesity.html

Good luck!

Answer 6

i chanced on the e book to be very informative and bother-free to verify. i have lost 17 kilos in 12 days, i'm merely in touch that i'm dropping too a lot weight, too instantly. i am going to admit i have not followed the handbook precisely. i'm no longer sticking completely to the listed ingredients and meal plans (yet extra often than not) and doing little or no exercising, notwithstanding the load retains flying off. It obviously works and if i might want to followed it precisely i imagine it would want to scare the residing daylights out of me via quantity that i might want to lose. So thanks lower back for the tips. i have not in any respect offered some thing like this earlier because they are in many cases finished of trash, yet 3WD has been a delightful marvel. start up in the present day!

Answer 7

Stop leaving food down for him at all times. Only feed him once a day but make sure water is always available. No animal needs food left out at all times. Also try to prompt him to play more often to help him burn excess calories. Talk to the vet about a good "diet" food to try as well.

Answer 8

Take tubby to the vet. There he will be weighed and the vet can determine a healthy target weight to shoot for. Then, your vet can write you a prescription for a diet cat food. Hill's (Science Diet) R/D or W/D are good ones. My tubby kitty eats R/D and loves it, plus he's lost 4 pounds so far! :)

Answer 9

there is cat food that is low reduced carbs (california natural or Innova). dont leave food out, feed him small amounts several times a day and no more tin food. Take him to a vet to get the right measurments.

Answer 10

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Answer 11

Check with your vet to pick out the best diet cat food for your cat.

Good luck!