We have 3 cats and only one of them needs to go on a diet...?

Question

2 of the cats are 5 years old and one of the cats is 2 years old. 1 of the cats is overweight. How do you put just the 1 cat on a diet? The 2 older cats were born outside and rescued by the feline association so they have always been a bit nervous around people and don't like to be handled. This makes it difficult to pick up the overweight one and put him outside so the other 2 can eat more. The overweight one doesn't like to go outside as much and as a result doesn't get enough exercise. I'm not sure how to fix this problem.

Answer 1

Your overweight cat needs to switch on to a diet food and eat this exclusively. Cutting down on his current food will result in him being hungry, which is unnecessary. Diet food has a high fibre content, which makes the animal feel full but still lose weight.

It's handy that the other two cats are outdoor and that this one is mostly indoor. You need to feed them separately to each other so than the overweight cat does not get food other than the diet food. Do you feed at certain times of the day or leave food down at all times? You'll need to get in the habit of only feeding at certain times, e.g in the morning and evening. Perhaps feed the overweight cat his special food in a separate room, that way everyone's getting what they're supposed to, and keep him away from the other's food until they've finished eating.

I run weight clinics at my veterinary surgery, so I counsel people on this all the time. One lady has three cats each on a different kind of prescription food, phew!

I recommend Hills r/d as a diet food, as I can vouch that it works. The lack of exercise your cat has in not necessarily a problem, it's simply a matter of adjusting the type of food to balance with the lack of exercise. You feed the amount of diet food suitable for the weight you want your cat to be - 8.8lb (4kg) for an average cat. It's available in wet and dry.

Here is the link to the Hills website, so you can read about r/d, and find a vet in your area that supplies it. I think you can also order it online. I'll also provide a link to a website with loads of handy diet tips:

http://www.hillspet.com/zSkin_2/products/product_details.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760608&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302037389&bmUID=1176633667743
http://www.hillspetslimmer.co.uk/index.html

Feel free to email be for any further advice

Chalice

Answer 2

I realize it is probably not conveinent, however any vet will inform you that loose feeding is a main rationale of obese pets. You dont ought to placed them in seperate rooms, however use seperate bowls, truthfully degree how a lot you feed (such a lot humans dont detect that for such a lot meals, cats most effective want on the such a lot approximately a a million-a million a million/two cups PER DAY) and depart the meals down for an hour or 2, then prefer it up. Also utilising a bigger first-rate decreased fats meals will support (like hills w/d) Even Lucy can consume this, so long as its measured for every character cats demands. On the again of the bag, it'll inform you how a lot to feed situated at the cats weight, feed the quantity for the load you wish the cat to be, no longer what they presently are. Also speak in your vet approximately what the excellent weight for every of your cats will have to be.

Answer 3

My cats were like that also, but I only had two cats.
At first, we gave the overweight cat diet food, and the thin cat had normal food - same amount, same time, neither cat knew the difference.
Then, as the OW cat got a little thinner, we put him back on normal food, but gave him about 3 teaspoons less, and if he was still hungry, we'd give him a diet treat. Eventually you can give the OW cat 2 teaspoons less, 1 tsp less, etc.
Also try giving the cat a ball or toy filled with diet treats, and as he/she wrestles with it and tries to get the food out, he/she should lose some weight.

Answer 4

Easy, just feed them all the same things.

If one is fat and two arent it doesnt necessariy mean that one eats more, it just means that ne may have a different metabolic rate.

Chances are your over feeding them without realising.

Check out portion sizes and feed them all how you normally do, but use different bowls and make sure the fat one doesnt get into the others dish.

You may find if youve been using the same bowl for all 3, that he may have been getting most of the food too.

So, use separate bowls and monitor them. If youve had em for a while and they know its food time, they are sure to come up to the food area. Just watch them while they eat.

Lock him outside and stay out there with him! Get some toys and jiggle them around, he should start to play and he will get used to going out.

Answer 5

I find this forum really useful for answering cat questions - its got lots of cat breeders/owners as members

purrfectchat.co.uk

Answer 6

Feed them all the same. but also give the thin ones cat treats.

Answer 7

are you serious?

take the other two outside or feed them in seperate rooms or at seperate times.. or just keep an eye on them when they are eating and dot let him near the bowl.

.

Answer 8

take control and make the fatty go out