What is the best way to put your cat on a diet??

Question

The problem is I have 4 cats. Three aren't overweight, but one is. I haven't been too concerned because they are all young, the oldest is just over 2 years old. They are all fixed, but it seems that one has gained more weight than the others. I feel bad because I don't think its fair to make one eat less than the other 3. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

Answer 1

Put them all on 'catkins' - Seriously - it worked beautifully for my cats. Start adding some high-quality grain-free canned food to their diet, and the overweight one should lose weight effortlessly, while the normal-weight ones maintain their weight and stay happy.

I had the same problem, and after I found this page written by a vet: http://www.catinfo.org , and researched the issue, I tried adding canned Wellness to my cats' diets. My chubby boy slimmed down beautifully, slowly & safely, without constantly begging & pestering me for food, as he had when I'd tried to get him to lose weight with 'light' dry foods. He gradually went from over 16 pounds down to just over 12 pounds, while my other cats maintained their healthy weights. Bonus: They shed less now, and their coats are incredibly plush & shiny. They look fabulous for their ages (now 13 to 19).

These pages have more info on how the diet works, choosing a good food, and feeding:
http://www.catinfo.org/
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whycatsneedcannedfood
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=016

Also, find a toy the chubby one likes, such as a laser toy or 'da bird' (feathers on a string & stick that make a sound like a bird fluttering when they spin), and spend some time playing together whenever you have a moment. If you don't already have some cat trees for them to climb on, you may want to buy or build some - having a place to climb may help encourage activity.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

You can't give the cat less food. If you are feeding the younger cats kitten food you should not be feeding the older cat kitten food. That could be why the cat is putting on weight. Kitten food is high in calories.That is what kitten need to grow healthy. They burn up so much energy.
You need to feed the three in one place with the kitten food. Then feed the older cat a brand of food for cats that are over weight feed it in another area. When the cats are done eating pick up the food not eaten.
You can't give the older cat less food then it will be crying because it is hungry. There is food out there for cats over weight.
If your cat keeps gaining weight it may need to be checked out by the Vet. It could have some medical reason why it is gaining weight??

Good Luck

Answer 3

I agree with Bess. Take a look at the link's she provided and you'll find a wealth of information. Put the cat on the diet closest to their natural diet, and you'll see results. Whether that be raw feeding, or high quality commercial canned food. You can put all of your kitties on the same quality food. The healthy weight cats will continue to thrive, and the overweight cat will start losing weight. I feed Innova Evo, which is an excellent high quality animal protein based food. One of my cat's is normal weight, the other was overweight. She's starting to slim down now.

Most cat foods are laden with grains, which a cat cannot properly metabolize. As a result, the carbs/grains are stored as fat and you end up with a fat kitty. The optimum diet for a feline of any kind is high in protein, moderate to high in fat, and no grains at all.

No need to go for the "weight control" varieties of food. It's a gimmick the pet foods use to sell more food. Most of them are full of grains, and also have lower fat levels than a cat needs because of the mistaken belief that it's the fat content that makes a cat fat. In the past, I had tried Iams weight control for my fat girl, but it didn't work. In fact, she GAINED weight, despite the fact that she was getting controlled portions.

Answer 4

You don't need to make the overweight one eat less - if you put him on a diet food he should be able to eat the same amount but still lose weight.

Ideally, the overweight cat should be fed separately (like in a different room) so you can monitor how much he's eating. If this isn't possible, it wouldn't hurt the other cats to eat the diet food too, and it would stop them gaining weight in the future. Cats should be fed at set mealtimes, usually twice a day, rather than leaving food down at all times.

I recommend Hills r/d. I run weight clincs for animals and this is the diet food I use for all my patients, and they're all doing fabulously. Well actually, the one animal whose owner refuses to put her dog on r/d isn't doing as well! Anyway, I can vouch that r/d works - it's high in fibre so it's bulky - makes the cat feel ful, but not with calories!

Here's the website for Hills, they have useful dieting tips too:
http://www.hillspetslimmer.co.uk/index.html (this is the English site with the tips)

http://www.hillspet.com/zSkin_2/products/product_details.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760608&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302037389&bmUID=1177689570680 (the American site where you can find out where to get Hills from)

Always best to get your cat's weight monitored by a vet, so you can get the appropriate advice and support and make sure he is not losing weight too quickly.

Feel free to email me for any further advice!

Chalice

Answer 5

You're in luck. Reducing portions isn't necessarily the key. You can (unless any are on special diets due to illnesses) feed them all the same foods in the same portions.

I have to dash off or I'd go into more detail for you. But check my answer history - I've answered this question numerous times. Not always about multi-cat households, but about proper nutrition.

And here are the links I used to come up with my own diet plan. I've been following this since October and it is working - and it's painfree for both of us! (Poppy gets enough to eat so she doesn't bug me all the time.)

Answer 6

Buy indoor/weight control cat food and feed him separately from the other cats.Give him smaller portions. Also have a certain feeding time instead of leaving the food dish full all the time. I have five cats, one was overweight and the rest are not. I had to do this and it worked for me.

Answer 7

I free feed mine, but they're not over weight. You'll have to feed them at certain times, and separately. NO WET FOOD either. Put the over weight cat in the bathroom or bedroom with his food while the others eat their food. It'll be more work for you, but its really the only way. If you change the food you feed to diet food, then the other 3 cats wont be getting what they need. The only answer is to feed them separately.

Answer 8

starve the kitty...lol just kidding. cut back on the portions you feed the cat and then buy a diet cat food. if your cat gets too obese, then it could get fatal cancer of the kitty brain.

Answer 9

the best way to do that is to only feed him 3 times a day no matter how much he begs!

Answer 10

get rid of 4 cats...then start your diet