My cat needs to go on a diet!?

Question

Okay. I have one cat Sophi who's quite healthy. My other cat Tigger used to be healthy and active and all. We got him neuered and now he's REALLY fat! He's round 16-18 pounds. He's pretty heavy. It's like holding a two yearold. (i know this, i have a nephew!) Is there a diet I can put him on that works? I've lowered his food rations, but he eats Sophi's food too. she lets him, so he does it when we're not looking. He goes outside, but doesn't do much out there. Is there somethin I can do for him? He can't run right and he waddles and my nephew and nieces are scared of him cus he's so fat. What should I do? (And i won't get rid of him!)

He doesn't seem interested in toys. He'll play for five minutes, then go lay around, watch TV, eat, or sleep. this is my biggest problem. Is there something fun I can do that will entertain him and make him move? I haven't gotten toys in a while. Sophi excersises on our stajirs and runs around. They'll play, but I have to break it up. They get serious about fighting sometimes. So can I take them on a walk or something?

Okay, I told you he was 16-18 punds. I just weighed him and he's 20! Ugh. He keeps getting bigger. He's not that small, however small can look. Trust me. If you see him, you'll go Oh My GOD! He's HUGE! Peopel always say that......anyways thanks for your time!

Answer 1

I've got a 10lb cat that is 8 months old and I've recently put her on Purina One Diet food with Turkey. She loves it and the weight is coming off, very slowly. It's a bit hard for us because we also have 2 other kittens that are a healthy weight and Missy sometimes eats theirs so we need to keep an eye on her. It might seem a bit drastic but you should keep an eye on him while he eats. You should put their food out for 15 minutes and then take it away. You can also get a special cat leash for him and take him for walks. I think a harness for large or XL cats would be best so he can get used to it. Whether he likes it or not, if he doesn't like toys, you need to do something about him.

Edit: Another good brand that our vet recommended was Royal Canin diet food. I used that for a few weeks with Missy but it was very costly so I changed to Purina One. It's around $5 for 250g so it's not too bad. I give her around 1/3 of a cup of Purina One and it's fine.

Answer 2

You can buy special food for overweight cats. Remember that when an animal gets fixed they tend to balloon. The same thing happened to my cats. Try feeding them seperately in different rooms. When they are done eating, put the food away. They do not need to be free feeding if they are overweight. You have to schedule their feeding times too. They will hate you for it at first and won't know what the hell is going on, but they will get used to it. Do not let them have access to the bag of food. My cat got upset that I didn't feed her and she knocked the food off a ledge. I had another cat go into the cupboard in the middle of the night and I woke up to food all over the floor. They are sneaky and will go find their food.

Answer 3

Defintely feed the cats seperately. Give the fat cat a diet food, but keep the thin cat on regular food. Also, make sure he is really fat. I have a main coon who weighs 20 pounds, but he is huge everywhere. Tall, long, huge paws. He actually isn't fat at all.

Make sure no one is giving him table scarps. Even a small amount of people food is a lot of food to a cat. And do not give him any wet food. I also agree with the answer about checking with the neighbors if he is an outdoor cat. One of my cats was gaining weight like crazy when she was an outdoor cat and it turned out she was going to all of the neighbors and looking pathetic. I just told them all that she was diabetic and that she would die if she didn't stick to a regulated diet and they all stopped feeding her.

Answer 4

I've got a fat cat too and it is a struggle to get weight off of them. The first thing you need to do is stop free feeding Sophi. When she is done eating, you've got to pick up the food so Tigger can't get it. Otherwise, you aren't going to get anywhere with his weight loss. If he will tolerate it, give him a reduced calorie food (that didn't work for me - my guy throws it up for some reason). If he is outside, he may be getting more food from neighbors that feed their cats outside. You might check with your closest neighbors and find out if he is sneaking food and if they are willing to remove that source from this reach (that's part of my cat's problem). If he hunts, that's even more calories.

Finally, if you can get to him to play for some time each day, that will help. Exercise, just like with people will help weight loss.

All that said, my vet told me that weight loss in cats is difficult and that for their health, you need to do it very gradually. Good luck - we are still working on it in my house.

Answer 5

First- You must have an incredibly small cat because 16-18 pounds is heavy- but not 'REALLY fat!'
My parents cat that they adopted from the shelter is 32.5 pounds.
Yea- now he's giant.
But other than that- my cat is about same size (16-18lbs) and I have taken to giving her smaller increments but at different points in the day (because shes always yowling for food). As for the fact that he eats Sophie's food- maybe put them in different rooms when you feed them??
Again- he's really not all that big but if your looking for any other tips I found this for you
http://www.petfit.com/Petfit/PetfitLevel2.jsp?PetfitFolderName=nutrition/FeedingTips
give that site a shot.
Good Luck!

Answer 6

16 pounds and up is definitely very unhealthy for a common domestic cat. In addition, this puts them at extreme risk for diabetes. You need to get that weight off now, or soon you'll be doing daily insulin checks and injections... you DON'T want that to happen, i promise. There are some good suggestions here, about minizing feedings, and here's a link that may help. It seems pretty knowledgeable on the fat cat subject.

Answer 7

I have this same problem with my cats Billy and Hailey. I limited the amount of food I set out for each cat and started buying senior diet - it has less fats. I also play with them at least 30 - 45 min. a night; feathers, balls of paper, squeeky mice.. all of their favorite toys. So far, Billy has lost 2 pounds in a month and Hailey about 3 1/2 (she's less than 2 yrs old). good luck!

Answer 8

some cats like people hold on to the pounds more than others.i have 2cats the same age as they are sisters,1is 10pounds and the other girl is 16pounds,,they eat the same food;it is not the food it;s the stomach.. how long it takes for the food to get from mouth to intestine's bowls then out,,,,after cats have their spay and neuter operation.they tend to put on a couple extra pounds.;they all do it and that can't be helped..tell your nieces and nephews that your cat is big but he can't help it.so let him be...he;s not a monster'he's a little kittyhats a little bigger than some ,,,LOL

Answer 9

Of course don't get rid of him.

You can put him on a lower cal food, and give him 1/2 cup of food a day (my cat is fat and on this diet too). Feed your kitties in seperate rooms and have scheduled feeding times for both. If sophi doesn't finish hers, allow her access again later.

Do not give your little tubby, wet food.

Try to encourage playing as much as possible.

Answer 10

i got my cats 3 years ago at a shelter and they were heality 9lbs.

today, they are both 15lbs.

they are now on a diet since the food i was giving them was HIGH in fat - it was grocery store brand and it's really not that good for them and it is high in fat.

my cats are lazy too and they are just getting bigger and bigger.

it's expensive but i had to go to the vet and buy the healthy diet food. they give you a cup for rations and advise to never give treats. the treats are very very very high in fat too.

so, now they have lost about 2lbs. they are crying for food but there is still food in their bowl....they do like it tho and eat it whenever i put new food in...they are drinking more water too so that's good.

when we achieve their desired weight, the vet will recommend one of their "science diet" foods to "maintain" the weight.

how nice of you to be so concerned for the well being of your puddy.

you should deal with this right away as my friend didn't and now she has to give her overweight puddy needles of insulin for diabetes.