My cat weighs 16 pounds. She is a small cat and the vet said that it is crucial that she lose weight. His advice was to just feed her only twice a day, am and pm. She eats a weight management dry food and I measure a bit under 1/4 of a cup each feeding. The vet said that an average house cat eats about a half a cup a day so I should feed her just a hair less.
How long until I see results with her?
2007-07-01 15:55:02 · 30 answers · asked by stephasoris 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
she is on a new food...a prescription, ristricted calorie, dry food that I buy from the vets office. Not a crappy food from the store.
I also know the dry food/wet food argument, I dont need to hear it again. Has nothing to do with my question.
2007-07-01 16:13:36 · update #1
Dry food is not going to take weight off your cat. It is still full of carbohydrates and that is what is fattening for a cat.
Go to : http://www.thepetcenter.com and read their excellent article on feline obesity. At http://littlebigcat.com Dr. Jean Hovfe has an article of Feline Obesity and one titled "The Right Weight Loss Program for Cats!".
It takes a long time to overcome the problem and you should not be worried that it doesn't happen right away. After six months of the right diet you will notice she is much trimmer and it will continue for another six months to lose several pounds. That's the best way to go.
Don't make your cat suffer by reducing the amount of food that has made her fat in the first place. A human doesn't diet by eating one piece of chocolate cake a day instead of two - wholesome and nutritionally satisfying food is the key.
2007-07-01 16:08:44 · answer #1 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You want her to lose the weight fairly slowly so as not to cause other health problems. It's taken us about a year to get our cat's weight down about 3#s by feeding less of a low-cal food. Exercise will help the weight loss - get her chasing a feather or going after a catnip mouse to burn some extra calories.
2007-07-01 16:04:15 · answer #2 · answered by Jane D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately it can take quite a bit of time for a house cat to lose weight because they aren't outside hunting and running about. Try getting a feather on a stick, laser pointer and roll up some foil and play with her. The more active you can get her the easier it will be for her to loose. Just like humans it's hard for them to loose once they put it on particularly if the cat's fixed.
2007-07-01 16:08:07 · answer #3 · answered by Orion 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For several pounds, the time is in months, not weeks. It is good you are using your vet's instructions, as weight loss has to be gradual. If it is dry food, leaving it out is not a problem. For question #3, there really is no answer. You might stumble on something that is irresistible, but that excitement could also be short lived. Several of my cats find feathers on a stick to be something to be immediately attacked, and they really go at it. But I suppose if they knew I wanted them to do that, they wouldn't.
2016-04-01 02:57:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We recommend weighing every 2-4 weeks to see if you are making progress. If not, you can cut back a little bit more. Feeding her several smaller meals is preferable than 2 big meals as it will help her to feel full. Just split the food into small portions. You can try to increase her activity a bit by playing with her. Lots of overweight cats are real couch potatoes!
2007-07-01 16:00:13 · answer #5 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Follow your vets advice about the amount of food offered. After one month, weigh the cat and see if any progress is made. If not, cut back on the food again, as kitty is still eating too many calories. Your kitty shouldn't lose more than half a pound per month as this is hard on their vital organs.
Good Luck
2007-07-01 16:18:43 · answer #6 · answered by Kimmie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"The vet said that an average house cat eats about a half a cup a day so I should feed her just a hair less."
that isnt exactly true
it depends on the quality of the food
low quality food = the cat needs to eat more
better quality food = the cat will eat less because their nutritional needs are met
cats are TRUE carnivours - most cat foods use too much filler (corn) so a cat needs to eat alot of food to get to a meat source, some foods are so crappy they dont even have a decent meat source (by-products are beaks feet and feathers)
so what your vet said isnt true - because if you feed a food with Chicken Meal as #1 ingredient - the "average cat" would be satisfied earlier...
vets often dont receive any education on food or ingredients or brands - often reccomending crappy foods (like Science Diet - becuase they are PAID to)
offer your cat honey suckle toys to increase activity..
2007-07-01 16:03:30 · answer #7 · answered by CF_ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stop counting you re not going to be lose weight overnight Just concentrate on diet and exercise
2016-04-09 12:34:12 · answer #8 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get a personal trainer
2017-04-11 08:35:29 · answer #9 · answered by Kendra 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a mediterranean diet not only comes with heart benefits studies show it leads to more weight loss than low fat diets
2015-12-25 02:25:55 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋