Has Anyone Tried the Atkins Diet for Cats?

Question

My cat is overweight with a large, loose hanging pooch. I have been reading that too many carbs in dry food is bad for cats and that if I give her more meats and protiens, i.e. restricting her diet to low carb-canned foods that she will loose some of the weight. Has anyone tried it?

Answer 1

Yep--- dry cat food has a lot more carbs than wet cat food. In their natural setting, cats—whose unique biology makes them true carnivores--would not consume the high level of carbohydrates (grains) that are in the dry foods that we routinely feed them. The average dry food contains 35-50% carbohydrates. Some of the cheaper dry foods contain even higher levels.
But merely switching to all wet food to make your kitty lose weight is apparently not enough, but it sure is a start. Before this recent recall of wet food, I had my over-weight kitty on Iams Weight Control (fortunately not in the recall list) for a couple of months. He did lose a little more than a pound. But IAMS' implication in the Menufoods catastrophe put me off IAMS (and all menufoods manufactored pet food) forever.
Right now, I am feeding my cat Natural Balance by Dick Van Patten. It is nutrient=packed and I notice that my cat does not get hungry as much as he did before this food. He consumes only 1/2 to 3/4 of a can a day (I mix each serving with 2 tsp of water).

Apart from good quality, low-carb food, your kitty needs to exercise. Regular playtimes - 20 to 30 mins a day and more if he is up to it.

Here is a list of good quality wet food you might consider (none are made by menufoods):

1. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
2. Felidae
3. Breeder's Choice/Pinnacle (except for Chicken and Oats formula which is made by Menu)
4. Natural Balance
5. Solid Gold
6. Triumph/Evolve
7. Merrick

I found this article that may help you:

What to Do

Get 'em going. There's only one way to lose weight safely: Burn more calories than you eat. You're not going to convince your cat to get on the treadmill or the stair machine or to take up jogging, so it's up to you to increase her activity. Sometimes, introducing a young, active cat will get an obese cat moving out of self-defense, but the most reliable method is for you to exercise her with regular daily play sessions.

Less is more. A weight loss diet means cutting your cat's calories by about 30 percent until she hits the target weight, then maintaining the right number of calories to keep her at her lower weight. (This will be fewer calories than she was eating to maintain her weight.)

Cats are particularly notorious for being bad sports when they don't get as much to eat as they want (or have become used to), so be ready for some protests at first. To get your fat cat on the road to fitness, be sure to feed her less. Reducing calories means reducing the amount of food. Period.

You should also cut out snacks and treats. If you feel you absolutely must give your cat a treat, take a few morsels of food out of an already smaller meal and give it to her later. The overall calorie count (amount of food) for the day must stay down, no matter what!

Another guideline to follow is to give her lots of small meals. If your dieting cat gorges on her more humble repast and acts like she's starving three hours later, try splitting her food up into several little meals, gradually reducing the number until she's back to two or so a day.

And finally, don't "free feed" your cat. You can't tell how much your cat is eating if you leave a bowl of food out all day. Keep meals at regular intervals, and pick up what isn't eaten.

Easy does it. Your cat didn't get fat overnight or in one week. It took months or years. Gradual weight loss lets the body adjust to the changes and puts less stress on internal organs. The increase in your cat's activity will help regulate the rate of weight loss and speed things up as your cat gets fitter. Never put a cat on a starvation diet; starvation and rapid weight loss can trigger a fatal liver disease.

What about low-calorie cat foods? Low-cal cat foods are designed to make your cat feel full while actually giving her less calories than a full meal. In some cases, your vet may prescribe a weight-reducing food or suggest buying one of the low-cal commercial brands. In general, it's better not to change your cat's food -- if you can help it -- and just feed less of what she usually gets. However, switching to a low-cal food so that your cat successfully loses weight is better than keeping her on the same food -- and keeping her fat.

---- by Dr. H. Ellen Whiteley

Answer 2

I fed my cats dry food for quite a while. About seven years ago I got interested in raw diets and started making that. Now my cats eat the raw meat and quality canned foods and no dry food at all.

Three males - Mincho, the pudge at 12.2, Kinsey at 11 lbs. and Alexander at 10.2 (he was undernourished when I got him six months ago and has gained a lb.) All the cats are comparable in size and I feel they are all at a good weight now.

This diet keeps them well-nourished and satisfied. They get a minimum of carbohydrates in their food. Some of the Natural Balance, Lick Your Chops, Avoderm, Wellness etc. have some rice in them. Just stay away from CORN which is used to fatten slaughter animals and not an appropriate food for a cat.

Answer 3

Just give smaller and smaller portions of food every day. Pretty soon your cat will get used to it and will lose weight. Also, if you have a backyard, put your cat out into it. If your cat is normally an indoor cat, it will for about a week hate the outdoors. But, seriously, the outdoors is a cat's natural habitat. Good luck!

Answer 4

She may lose weight but she won't lose that pouch. Most well fed cats (those who never have to go hungry) develop loose skin on their bellies (my friend calls it their money pouch) merely from not being able to jump and climb and run down their food and all the things wild cats have to do to stay alive. Even if your cat is an outdoor cat, it probably doesn't have to do the survival things a wild cat has to.

Answer 5

You should never diet a cat without veterinary supervision, it can damage their liver and kidneys and they need to be closely monitored.

It would be a better idea to increase the amount of exercise the cat receives through playing. Feather and ribbon wand or fishing rod toys are useful, as are table tennis balls.

Answer 6

50 minutes on the stairmaster

Answer 7

It's very good for your cat. My cat Snap was so overweight so I put him on a diet. He lost like 7 pounds and he is much happier. You should give it a try!

Answer 8

why don't you just put your cat on a light food and put out portions. Do not put the cats food all out at once. And also play with him alot. It gives him exercise.

Answer 9

alternate between cat pose cow pose and downward dog 13 times holding each for 30 seconds

Answer 10

Practice deep brearhing exercises to reduce the stress hormone cortisol

Answer 11

it works use it every day only give it 1 and a half cup every serving only 3 times a day breakfast,lunch,dinner. 10:00 b-fast 3:30 lunch 9:00 dinner