My cat butterstripe, who I have had since I was 6 because we adopted him from a shelter, is disgustingly obese. I know, its incredibly unhealthy, and believe me we have tried to stop it. We buy expensive diet food, we buy lots of toys, I even bought a leash and collar so he can go outside for walks to exercise, I play with him everday.....we give the right portion of food.......no huge heaping ones.......................what is wrong???!!!
I feel like I'm doing everything possible! I took him to his vet, there is nothing wrong with him making him this fat! If there is anyon eout there that has an opinion or advice on what this is, how to help him, or really, just anything that might help, can you answer my question?
Thanks in advance everyone!
~~~~~~~~Lillie~~~~~~~~~
2007-01-28 13:49:36 · 17 answers · asked by ~ Lillie ~ 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
Hey, Sounds like my fatty, Patches. I love her to death, she is the best cat i have ever owned. I say just let him be fat and happy. Because diet foods don't work, i have tried them too. But we recently got a kitten and they fight/play with eachother all the time, its good exercise for the both of them.
2007-01-28 13:55:47 · answer #1 · answered by daphine 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Do you feed her dry food only? If so, switch her to wet canned cat food - a weight control type like Iams. Dry cat food has way too much carbs no mater how high the quality - it is the corn and other grain products that they use to make the dry food stick together to form a biscuit. You need to take as much carbohydrates from your cat's diet and put in as much protein as humanly possible.
At first your kitty may not like any new food that you give her. Savvy pet owners will not give in to their kitty's snubbing the new food. Instead, put in 1/3 new food and 2/3 old food. The following week, make it 1/2 new food and 1/2 old food. The week after that, make it 2/3 ew food and 1/3 old food. and so on until kitty is eating the new food.
I recently switched my 15 lb neutered male to Iams weight control canned food. I give ONE 5.5 oz. can per day divided into 4 meals. I mix 2 - 3 tsp. of water each serving and microwave that for 5 - 10 SECONDs. ONCE a day, if he seems still hungry, I give him 1/2 handful of dry weight control dry kibble - just half a handful - for his teeth.
At first he did not care for his new diet at all. But I did the old food - new food mix and now my cat is eating his Iams no problem. After a week he has become more kittenish and active and I swear he looks like he has shed a few ounces already! My goal is for him to lose 2 lbs over a period of 6 to 8 months (slowly is the best way to go).
Why not try the regimen on your kitty and see if this will work?
2007-01-28 17:14:06 · answer #2 · answered by Phoebhart 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My cat is 17 pounds and I adopted her as well, the vet said that their metabolism slows when they are fixed. (my cat is a female). The vet seemed a little taken aback by her size, but otherwise said she was healthy...in the meantime...she has full range of my apartment (which is decent size) and I have her on Purina One weight control food. So far no change...but no other problems since. I think it may just be her build...I would just watch to make sure that nothing has changed with her eating habits or health.
2007-01-28 14:06:39 · answer #3 · answered by puma 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He could have a thyroid problem...and if he has been check and it came back fine it could be a borderline thyroid problem. Same as in humans..sometimes it can not be detected because its "working" but not like it should....that could be the reason. From what you say you really have done alot to help kitty lose weight so that has to be the only other thing it could be. Are you sure there is no one sneaking kitty food or he isnt eating secretly (it could happen trust me)
also...dont call him disgusting..thats mean..
2007-01-28 14:00:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some cats are bigger than others, but you should look for these signs to see if it might be feline diabetes:
Is your cat's coat oily or full of dandruff?
Does your cat drink constantly or more than normal?
Does your cat pee frequently?
Does your cat sleep more than usual or lack energy?
These are all signs of feline diabetes.
The best way for your cat to lose weight and maintain health, is to switch it to canned/wet cat food exclusively! Canned cat foods containing seafood are best as they have the fewest carbohydrates. For roughage, you should mix in a bit of chopped greens (like broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts, etc.) into the wet food.
Like the previous answerer stated, dry cat food is full of carbohydrates (sugars) that causes obesity in cats when fed as their main diet. Cats need to be receiving the largest percentage of calories from protein, then fats, and as few carbohydrates as possible. Cats have relatively short intestinal tracts, compared to humans, therefore they do not require a large quantity of fiber and grains to move digested food through their systems. If you are worried about tartar buildup on your cat's teeth, you can feed it tartar control treats. I had the same problem with my cat and it escalated into feline diabetes. At the time I was feeding him "special" diet dry cat food and limiting his portions. (He weighed 26 pounds at his heaviest.) I now feed him only canned cat food and his health has improved tremendously. I hope this helps!
2007-01-29 07:28:23 · answer #5 · answered by hobbsworth 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my cat has a belly too. it just hangs there . ewh. anyways you cant really get a cat on a huge diet. i wouldt worry about bringin her for walks on a leash. its a fact that they get plenty of exercise just exploring the house. they are not like dogs. my cat has lost osme of her belly hanging there but it just turned into droopy skin unfortunatley.
how to get rid of the fat. do not give your cat a huge or multiple servings of cat food a day. my mistake was giving her a huge dispenser that poured out more every month so you didnt have to worry about feeding her! do not do that. and some people have told me that like purina diet chows and stuff on t.v. has worked for their cats and dogs so i recommend that. but keep he/she active and playful and dont over feed him. and hopefully your cat that you got when you were six can stay with you even longer now :) best wishes. - Emily
2007-01-28 14:00:16 · answer #6 · answered by Emily 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My cat is the same way. He eats his food, his mother's food, and then sneaks into the dog's food. The vet said it looks like he's getting enough to eat ha ha. I forgive him for it since I had him castrated.
2007-01-28 13:53:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
get him one of those tree towers to climb on ,reduce his food to once a day. and maybe a few little treats during the day one at a time. maybe a play mate would help go to shelter and save another one. maybe one a little older older ones get put to sleep cause every one wants cute little kittens , but not to old you want one that is gentle but playful ..good luck
2007-01-28 14:04:02 · answer #8 · answered by deedee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe he has long hair and so thats why he looks fat....give him a lion cut. My cat looked fat but with a cut shes skinny.
2007-01-28 13:56:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a cat that is the same way but she is happy so I dont worry too much about it.
2007-01-28 13:57:21 · answer #10 · answered by Jim C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋