Tips for my overweight cat?

Question

My adult female cat weighs 12 lbs. The vet said she should be eight to 10. I feed her high quality food - Innova Evo Dry, which is 51% protein.

I started feeding her this brand five months ago. She was still a growing kitten, eating the recommended portions. Now she's over a year old and has a belly. Two months ago I cut back the suggested portion for a 12-lb. cat to a 10-lb cat. She was still overweight, and a month ago I began feeding her the suggested amount for an 8-lb. cat.

She does get exercise. I have her chase strings for half an hour at night. She plays with my dog. And of course, she goes nuts and chases shadows for a few minutes, like every nocturnal cat.

Can cats get fat from eating high-quality, high-protein foods? Also, she is spayed, and I've been told spayed cats tend to gain more weight than intact cats.

I don't want to cut back on her food anymore than I already have. She's healthy otherwise; she just needs to trim down.

Any ideas or tips? Much appreciated.

UPDATE! So apparently I've been doing everything right all along - she now weighs one pound less! She's been losing weight slowly like she should, and I've been playing with her more often to increase her activity level. Once she reaches ideal weight then I'll increase her food amount slightly.

Many thanks, everyone!

Answer 1

I have multiple cats all my life, don't worry so much, if cat is healthy, and active, maybe he just a big cat, don't cut on his food, it's unfair that all word on died, just leave the animal alone, us long us he is happy cat, just enjoy each other, because looks like you doing everything rite. To get another cat , it's a good idea, just be careful, because cat will eat his food and another cat food, if he like to eat. So don't worry and enjoy you big happy baby. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Evo is indeed a good food, although the dry version (I have heard) is rather high in calories.

That aside, do you know that cats need to lose weight slowly? Something like 1 pound per month. So unless you're weighing her, it may not look like she's losing weight even if she is. But it sounds like you have weighed her, so never mind that.....maybe it'll just take a bit longer.

Or how about trying her on canned Evo? It is lower in calories than the dry, and canned food is actually better for cats. It can also be key to weight loss because it's more appropriate food for them.

Perhaps introduce a bit of canned Evo and see how that goes over. If it does, get her to the point where she's eating a 50/50 split between the two. That may kickstart some results.

If you can't get her to eat the canned Evo, try sprinkling some bribe food over it. That could be crushed dry Evo or liver flakes, parmesan cheese - whatever she might like. Or try a different brand (see the What to feed link).

EDIT: Don't switch to a low quality brand such as Science Diet. Even with the high calories, your cat is better off with Evo and not losing weight than losing weight on an inferior product.

Answer 3

Why the high protein diet? She does not need that much protein, but go to see if they have a weight reduction food in the type you like to feed. She may also have a thyroid problem, might want to have that checked. Going to a diet food is the best bet and keep up that exercise. Also do not free feed, meaning do not leave her food down, feed her meals, 2 per day, but not double the amount, just the same amount on broken into 2 meals. Also all pet food suggest way more on their labels than the animal actually needs, even the expensive brands, they want to sell more food. So diet food, set meals and exercise. Weigh her once per month on the same scale. If after a month she has not lost anything cut her food back by 10%, if after another month and no loss, then have her checked by the vet for some other problems, like tyroid.

Answer 4

We are in the same situation on kitty's weight. (Almost 12 lbs on a small frame, should be 8-10 lbs) My vet told me Friday to feed her separately from her kitty-mate and only feed 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup at night. Whatever she doesn't finish should be picked up after 15-20 minutes.
Evo is great food, but it's also very high calorie, so feed it in minimal portions no matter what the bag says. Keep to 6-8 lb portions. Weight loss for kitties should be really slow so it will be several months before you see a change. It's like 150 lb person losing 50 lbs so should take it slow.

Answer 5

I would recommend getting this cat Hill's Science diet R/D. This food can only be purchased at a veterinary clinic, so if your vet doesn't carry it you may have to go somewhere else for it. The r/d stands for "reduced diet" and is specially designed for cats who need to lose weight. If you vet has examined the cat and feels that just in a change in diet would slim down the cat, I would definitely go with Hill's. I don't know much about the Innova Evo diet, so I can't speak on that.

As far as your question about cats getting fat from a high quality food, the answer is yes. High quality/high protein foods taste really good and unless you limit the amount your cat is eating, it is completely possible for them to gain weight. I guess it's like their say with humans, it's all about portion control.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

We were taught to feed overweight cats dried food based on a study done on DOGS but recent evidence says this is all wrong! The results of the test were correct for dogs but not for cats, in fact it is the opposite for cats. I'm surprised more vets don't share this information.Cats will loose more weight on wet food. One reader mentioned Fancy Feast and I agree; this is a good middle ground moist cat food. If your kitty has tummy problems the salmon is a good way to go - usually 2 cans a day. Call me a skeptic but some of those foods at the vet are not worth the money unless you have a more serious need. If you remember the recall on cat food recently many of the cat foods were high dollar. So I believe your wonderful baby will show good results if you change her diet to moist. I wish you both well!

Answer 7

Buy a food made for cats that need to loose weight. Most brands carry them so you shouldn't have to change brands. And follow the directions that goes with the diet. Since she is probally used to eating more than what this will be she will meow alot for a while. But this doesn't mean she is starving she just is used to having more. More than she should. Just make sure she always has water and you play with her a lot. Or possibly get her a friend to play with. Another cat perhaps or my cat loves to play with my sister's ferrets.

Answer 8

Well, you are on the right track in wanting to keep her weight in a good range. There are foods formulated for less than active cats, and while you exercise your cat, they have ingredients that make the cat want to eat less. The other thing is that you do not want to reduce her weight too rapidly. It takes time to have her shed several pounds. This is from a site that I have listed in the source, and there is further dietary information on the site:

Gradual Weight Loss
The goal of a good weight management program should be gradual weight loss. This is especially important in cats. Severe nutrient restriction can result in hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver). This is one reason why you should involve your cat’s veterinarian in the weight loss effort.

Per week, cats should lose 1% to 1.5% of their initial weight. A good way to begin a weight-loss program in cats is to reduce caloric intake by 30% of their personal maintenance intake, then decrease intake by 10% increments every 2 – 3 weeks until a 1% weight loss per week is achieved. Your veterinarian can help you figure out how much to feed your cat to lose weight, or follow the weight loss recommendations on the package. Cats who do not respond quickly should see their veterinarian for a special weight-loss program.

Answer 9

I don't think 12 lbs is extremely overweight for a cat, depending on the bone structure, body type etc.
She needs to be fed a reduced calorie cat food. Do not let her graze. That is, let her eat and take the food away. Keep water available at all times She may holler at first but she'll get used to her new schedule. Remember, you don't want her to lose weight too quickly, gradual is better. No people food,and no milk.

Answer 10

Ask your vet or change her food to Science Diet for overweight cats. Don't dramatically change her food, just poor a very small amount with her old food so she can get used to the taste. Also, maybe feed your cat twice a day, once in the morning and once at night before bed, about 1/4 cup each. You can also get your cat to exercise more with catnip.