Help! My kitty is overweight!?

Question

Hi I have a cat who is about 4 years old in November, and he just loves to eat, but he is very overweight. We got him as a kitten and he wasn't too big, but he was a feral cat, meaning he was born outside. The shelter said he might eat alot to begin with because he didn't know when his next meal might be, and that was the same for two of our other cats that were feral, but they stopped eating so much and left food in their bowl for later. But this just eats the rest of what's in his bowl and finishes the stuff in the other bowls, thinking that it might be his last meal. I have been feeding him separately in another room until the other cats are done and take up their bowls so he won't eat it, but I don't know what to do! I'm scared he's going to have heart disease or diabetes!!

Answer 1

So far you are doing great with separating the cats during feeding times and making sure all bowls are put up afterward so he isn't getting any extras. If you continue this might just solve the problem, but if he is a heavy cat that is not loosing weight even with limited portions and monitored feeding you may want to put him on a special diet food. Science Diet is great and has a prescription diet food available that has shown great success with obese cats and dogs. If you are able to bring him to your vet this would be a good opportunity to get a current weight on him(if you haven't already) and ask the doctors opinion on the matter. Otherwise, it sounds like you have a pretty good handle on the situation. Unlike most pet owners you recognise the dangers to an overweight animal and it sounds like you are taking the right measures. I think if you keep him on only the suggested portion for his food(It should be adult formula now, kitten food is loaded with protein that he no longer needs so much of.) you will see him slim down over the next 4-6 weeks.

Answer 2

An obese cat needs the same changes that an obese person does: eating fewer calories, and burning more calories through exercise!

You have the right idea bout limiting his portions. You may want to limit his portions further, or switch to a low-calorie cat food. Keep in mind that cat's bodies are designed to eat lots of protein, and that too many carbs (grains) can give them diabetes just like people. So make sure that the cat food has meat listed as the first ingredient! (The cheaper foods normally use a lot of grains and not enough protein.) Also, don't switch the food all at once, which can upset a cat's stomach -- mix the old and new foods together for a while to gradually transition.

It can be hard to get a lazy cat to exercise, so it may take some experimentation. If he doesn't like to play with toys on his own, try some interactive games which can be more entertaining. Try one of those toys that has a stick with feathers or a toy on a string attached, and get him to chase it or pounce on it. Laser pointers are also a good toy -- it's the only toy one of our cats plays with! A lot of cats also like those toys that have a circular track with a ball that rolls around it, and a cardboard center. You'd think they'd get bored with a ball that keeps rolling in the same circle, but most cats I've seen love it ;) Also remember that cats tend to get bored with the same toy after a while -- try rotating his toys every week or so, so that he has a "new" toy every week. Anytime our cats get bored with a toy they used to like, I just hide it for a few weeks and when I bring it back out, they like it again!

Finally, it wouldn't hurt to ask your vet about his weight, either at his next annual check-up, or perhaps sooner if you're considering making drastic changes to his diet. A healthy weight for a cat definitely varies. Our cats are 10 and 13 lbs -- the 10 lb cat is very lean and athletic, and barely has enough fat to cover his ribs! The 13 lb one has a little extra fat on his tummy, but since he has a very large, "chunky" bone structure and a very long body, he's still pretty close to his healthy weight -- he will never be as small as the other one! In contrast, a smaller female may be closer to 7 lbs or so at her healthy weight.

PS: My parents adopted a stray when she was about 8 months old, that cat is now 14 and she's always been overweight. She has to know by now that she will always have food -- I think she just likes to eat :)

Answer 3

Cats are all different, some just do like to eat and eat, and of course this makes them more prone to overweight.

The thing to do is find a high quality diet that your cat can eat a decent amount of without putting on weight. Since your cat is already overweight, I recommend a diet food from a vets. I run weight clinics for animals, and I use Hills r/d and Royal Canin Obesity Diet. They're good foods and they work. You need to feed the required daily amount for the weight you want kitty to be - check this with a vet because it varies a lot, could be anything from 7-9lbs.

Feeding the cats separately is good, you'll need to continue this of course if you put kitty on a separate diet food. I do strongly recommend it, because the type of food being fed is just as important as the quantity of food.

Feel free to email for further advice/clarification

Chalice

Answer 4

My big boy is 10 and weighs in at 24 lbs. I also would like to know how to get him to lose weight. Heart disease, stroke and diabetes are concerns for me also. Unfortunately what you are doing is not an option for me because my other cat has a very sensitive digestive system and must have food available 24/7.
What you are doing sounds good until he learns that he no longer has to worry about the next meal. He's young enough he'll eventually learn to control his eating.
Keep up the good work.

Answer 5

I just recently acquired a cat that I had to change from an outdoor/indoor cat to strictly being an indoor cat because he was recovering from surgery.

He was overweight to begin with and I was worried about the same health problems you are.

I've switched his food and have been letting him have a half a can of Friskies morning and night and then during the day I let him free feed on Wellness Weight management dry food.

I really like what the Wellness has done to his appetite, he no longer gorges himself like he used to. The claim is that because of the ingredients, the food is designed to fill him up faster. He really seems to like the taste of it and now he doesn't wolf down his canned food like he used to.

The Wellness is a little expensive, it's like $9 and change for a 3 pound bag, but I only feed him a handful of it a day and the 3 pound bag lasts me two weeks.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

Switch your kitty to a low-calorie food. I have had the same experience with cats that were former strays, and they never stopped eating as though it was their last meal. It's just an ingrained behaviour that he probably won't grow out of. So use low-cal food, I suggest Innova lite cat food, it's the best pet food around, was never recalled during the pet food scare and will keep your pet healthy and happy. Don't free-feed, and don't leave your other kitties food out so he can pig out on it.

Answer 7

Sounds like it's time to switch to a weight control formula food. I suggest Purina One Weight Management- it's just as good as the vet brands (Science Diet) and it's much more affordable and you can get it at Wal Mart. Also, he needs to get more exercise, which is difficult for cats. Try just tying a string to a stick (or buying a cat toy like that) and running around while your cat chases it. Running is the best exercise for a cat to lose weight, so you have to initiate it with him. Do this for at least a month and you'll start to notice the weight coming off. You should be able to feel his ribs with your finger and see them slightly when you look at him from the side and then he's at a healthy weight. Good luck

Answer 8

does he go outside, cos if he does then he may also be getting fed elsewhere which makes getting his weight controlled very hard.........If he's an indoor cat then keep up with keeping him from the other cats bowls and maybe switch him to a "lght" food for overweight cats but before that i'd get a vet to advise you........I had a big cat and everyone said she was fat (she had a saggy tum) the vet said she was alittle overweight but more just a huge cat........He told me not to get diet or light food but to try to stop her gaining any.....Mind you for all she was a big girl she did not eat a lot of food

Answer 9

i feed my cat IAMs too, and she or he's fantastic, i think of possibly you in basic terms would desire to furnish him much less, possibly come across a cope with he likes and supply him one or 2 of those a pair of situations an afternoon to make up for 0.5 ravenous him on a similar time as he slims.....he for sure loves his grub, yet its not stable for him to be obese! properly i say 0.5 starve, i might gradually cut back his food over a pair of weeks until eventually at last he's getting the quantity cautioned on the packet My cat loves whiskas temptations treats, and there are some flavours to attempt to! stable success figuring out on up on what Ken has pronounced, IAMs is the only food my vets propose, and its all they sell, so i assume that each physique the failings he picked up on are issues IAMs have dealt with! I do additionally feed my cat moist food as quickly as an afternoon, yet i dont supply her as many IAMs because of this! stable factor nonetheless Ken, and intensely indepth, you could answer my questions any time!!

Answer 10

ok you know what my cat is very fat too and you know what you could do you could buy diet food or if that doesn't work buy your cat a collor and if you have a backyard with a fence let your cat run around it so your cat can get exercise.