My cat needs a diet, what do I do?

Question

My grandmas cat just passed away from diabeites (wich i heard is caused by obeasity) so now im worried for my cats health.
My cat is 41/2 years old and weighs 13lbs.
After her kitten stage i moved into a studio apartment so she didnt have much room to excercise, she ate all the time and just slept.
well I have been living in a house for a while now and she gets to excercise and I play with her often but she is not loosing any weight. I feed her the reccomended ammount on the back of the cat food bag. She eats the purina natural cat chow in the green bag. see link for details.
what can i change her food to so she can loose weight with out feeling hungary all the time?
she does pretty good with food changes so im not too worried about her liking the food im just worried about her feeling hungary.

anyone have some suggestions?
I am looking for something that works good and does not cost too much.
thanks!

http://www.catchow.com/

I also put her food on top of my dresser so she has to jump up there to get it and jump down after

excuse me #1 answer... no she is not fine she is overweight and i dont want her to get diabeites or anyother health problems because of her obeasity.
I wish i could take back your two points...

also i have toys for her she is active like anyother cat now but i want to change the food to help her shed some pounds

I have tried wet food and she will not eat it, she only eats dry food, any suggestions?

Answer 1

The best thing to do is find a food that is low in calories or a light food. Then cut back slowly the amount you feed her. I used to feed my cat 1/2 a cup a food twice a day and now I feed them 1/4 cup of light food (Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul LIGHT) twice a day. Also I use a piece of food as a treat instead of Kitty treats because the Kitty treats have a lot of calories. My cats were at 14-15 lbs. and are now 11 lbs. so this can work.

Answer 2

You may want to try a different formula, one made for kitties with a weight problem. It's good that you're putting her food where she has to work to get at it.

Perhaps you can make her a kind of jungle gym too, with things to jump on and things that dangle so she can chase them. That way she can keep herself exercised and entertained while you work.

Another thing that my vet suggested was a toy that you can put the food inside and let the cat bat it around- and once in a while, a piece of food pops out that the kitty can eat.

Good luck!

Answer 3

13 pounds isn't too bad, but you're right to nip this in the bud.

For weight loss at a safe pace, start feeding a good quality canned food. These are foods you can only get in pet stores.

Prices vary, but it is possible to find good ones that are around the same price as those you'd find in a grocery store. Plus if you buy in bulk, you'll save money.

Choose any from the What to feed link. Visit their websites to find where they might be sold in your area.

Answer 4

you cat is 41/2 then its time to change her food to food for an older cat . she is getting to much calories from the food because it is meant for a much younger growing animal and yes they can get diabetes from that , but you should have your vet check her out because maybe her weight gain is something out than that. also cats get bored when they are in a confined area such as a apartment. that is probably why she is eating so much. feed her once a day, a fit and trim cat food is good and remove the bowl after she eats. have her eat her meals when you eat your breakfast or dinner and then remove the bowl. or just put enough food so it will be consumed in one serving. but always leave fresh water all day.

Answer 5

We went to Pet SuperMarket and picked a cheaper diet food for her diabetes than what our vet gave us for her ... Purina Pro Plan.

In our case, she had lost alot of weight and she began walking funny, with her back legs lowered as if she was struggling to walk. She's 14 years now so we assumed it was her age and she wouldn't live too long but they told us it was diabetes. We fed her the food the vet prescribed. She began to gain weight, alot actually. She's heavier than she was before.

Diet-wise for losing weight, not sure. The food we feed her now if a high fiber diet ... she definitely has more energy now. Hopefully, her weight will stay about where it is.

Answer 6

First off, you should cut the carbs (dry food) from her diet if you want to protect her from things like diabetes and kidney stones. Our cats' ancestors are desert animals and are designed to get most of their moisture from their food. This is why many people's cats have kidney problems. The dry food is wayy too low is moisture content and your cat does not have the instinct to drink more to make up for it. Also, cats are Obligate Carnivores and have no ability to process the carbs in the kibble. Their ideal diet is a natural, raw diet of raw meat, raw meaty bones, raw organs, and whole prey.

***************I see that she dosn't like canned food**************
**********See last paragraph for canned food update :)***********
Switch her gradually to a diet of canned food only. There are several brands of grain free canned food such as 1.Wellness (excluding the Chicken & Lobster, Sardine, Shrimp & Crab and Salmon & Trout Formulas), Nature’s Variety, Wysong Au Jus All Meats, Innova Evo Canned (**Please note that this food is very high in phosphorus and would not be a good food choice for any cat that is showing signs of renal insufficiency), Avoderm Select Cuts, Solid Gold Blended Tuna, Canine Caviar Canned Food for Cats and Dogs, and Halo Spot's Stew for Cats.

Also, cats are not designed to free-feed. So, feed her two meals a day. Add a tiny bit of her kibble to the canned food for now to wean her off of it. Feed her two meals of this a day for a week and then just feed her two meals of the canned food a day. Don't worry about the kibble and cleaning her teeth. Kibble does absolutely nothing to clean teeth b/c it shatters on impact.

***************About the wet food.....my cats came from the SPCA and also only recognized kibble as food. You will need to go ahead and start feeding her just a little bit of kibble twice a day. Just what will fit in the palm of your hand. Add a tiny bit of canned food to it after a few days. Mix it in there well. Add more and more until she is just eating the canned food. What it boils dowm to is that she is ADDICTED to her junk food just like any human would be. It is hard to get the taste of something that is healthier ;). Just be patient w/ her and go slow. This conversion will probably take 2wks or so. I used this exact same method w/ my little kibble addicts.

Also, this is not only a healthier way to feed her, but you will also know at all times, exactly how much she is eating. You will catch changes in appetite right away which is a good preventative measure in case she is ill for any reason.

Oh and FYI, Science Diet is crap, please don't bother w/ it.

Lahoma
http://www.ahealthierpet.com

Answer 7

it's good that kitty doesn't like to eat the wet canned food. DO NOT feed kitty wet canned food all the time. canned food is bad for their teeth.

try science diet light adult.

science diet is awesome for cats. they have an adult formula called "light" that is for weight control in cats.

you can get science diet at pet stores like petsmart or if you live in the country try rural king.

Answer 8

ask a vet 1st..
a cat i had was 15lbs and the vet said she was just a little overweight, she was more just a big cat than a fatty.....he said not to put her on diet food just not to let her weight go up at all..

Answer 9

call your vet.
it's good that you are worried. there are way too many overweight cats out there with diabetes. and you are right about it causing it. my mom's a vet and it drives her nuts because people won't just feed their animals less food. it doesn't hurt them to be a little hungry.

Answer 10

Science diet food is a good choice. Also toys or a kitty tower will help her get active.