My two cats are incredibly fat, what should I do?

Question

I feed them with iams twice a day, and they're still fat.

Answer 1

Like someone else said, go check out this site..
http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm#Molly
It's written by a vet that specializes in nutrition and as some of her patients on there as case studies..

" Dry food, which is water-depleted, too high in carbohydrates and derives much of its protein from plants, is not an appropriate diet for any cat - obese or not."
"Obligate carnivores are designed to meet their energy needs with calories supplied by protein and fat - not by carbohydrates. Consider that the average prey of a wild cat is ~5% in terms of calories from carbohydrates. Now look at the carbohydrate content of dry cat food and you will see a serious disconnect between what the cat is designed to eat and what Man insists on feeding to them. Dry foods flood the cat's system with 5-10 times more calories from carbohydrates than what would be found in a wild cat's prey. "
"The so-called “light” diets that are on the market have targeted the fat content as the nutrient to be decreased but, in doing so, the pet food manufacturers have increased the grain fraction, leading to a higher level of carbohydrates. Hence, many overweight cats eating these diets are still obese. These "light" products are among the most species-inappropriate, unhealthy diets available to cat caretakers. Many caretakers feed very small amounts of these diets hoping that their cat will lose weight but feeding a small amount of a diet that is inappropriate for the species is NOT the answer! The caretaker usually just ends up with a crabby, overweight/obese cat."

That's just some quotes from that site..
I feed my cats canned Innova and had one adopted one go from 17 lbs to 11lbs just by feeding canned instead... That's a big weight loss for a cat.. That site should be mandatory reading for all cat owners..
Be very careful of any 'light' dry food..

Answer 2

It is good that you realize that they are overweight. Weight loss is sometimes a difficult thing to accomplish in cats but can be done with good management practices. Firstly, if you are leaving food out at all times for your cats, stop. The cats should be fed 2 meals a day so that you can control what they eat. Put the food out, and if they haven't eaten it in 15 minutes take it up and dont feed again until 12 hours later. They will quickly get used to this schedule. Most commercial cat foods have a feeding guide on them. In my experience, most feeding guides however, vastly overstate the amount of food that a cat actually needs. You should look at the guide for the weight that you want your cat to be (usually 10 pounds or less) and feed slightly less than what the guide says. There are some prescription weight loss foods (eg Hills w/d and r/d) that can also help (see your vet). The other big thing to take into consideration is treats and whether the cats visit other homes. If you must feed treats, be sure to reduce even further the amount of dry food that you are feeding. If the cats are outside at all, they may also be visiting neighbors houses and getting food there. Try to keep them indoors or ask the neighbors not to feed them. Lastly, some cats are also good hunters and eat what they catch (usually incredibly fat cats dont fall into this category though). Lastly, there is a new appetite suppressant out but I think it is only for dogs (Slentrol). Ask your vet. Good luck!

Answer 3

In a nutshell, most cats are fat because they've been fed too much (free-feeding or indulging them) and because they're fed dry food which is NOT appropriate food for them due to the grain/carb/sugar content. Cats are obligate carnivores who need to eat a high meat-based protein diet, which is also high in fats and low in carbs.

Many vets, who are sadly ignorant on the topic of proper cat nutrition, will recommend prescription diet foods (usually dry). Cats are expected to lose weight on a starvation diet of 1/4 or 1/3 cup of food per day. Everyone is miserable in these situations.

The solution is to switch the fat cat (and any others in the household as well) to a good quality canned food. Because these foods are species appropriate, the cat will lose weight at a safe, slow pace (no more than 1 pound per month). Switching foods needs to occur slowly, and if you're trying to get a kibble junkie to eat canned food, that will happen naturally.

That's it. Easy as pie. Not only will fat cats lose weight, but it and any others in the home will reap many benefits of eating a speciies appropriate diet.

See the links below for detailed information on this topic.

UPDATE: Poppy lost 5 pounds and Sophie lost 2 following this plan (from October to October). Each cat gets one can (5.5oz) of Nature's Variety Instincts per day. No one is starving or miserable. My vet is happy with her progress and so am I. Only 4 pounds to go!

Answer 4

Go to your vet and ask them for Hill's Science Plan Light. It is a dry cat food for cats that need to diet. You can buy a large bag so it will be cost effective. You must make sure that you stick to the recommended daily amounts and do not over feed them even if they miaow for more. The portions may look small but contain everything they need for a healthy diet. You can buy a mini scales for a few pounds from most department stores in the kitchen department as you will need to weigh the portions. And of course provide plenty of fresh water for them.

Stick to two meals a day and do not give them snacks in between. Obesity in cats can cause all sorts of joint problems as they get older and they are also at risk of heart attack and other heart problems so it is really important to get them down to a normal healthy size as soon as possible.

I took on a very over-weight cat when she was 7 years old. I brought her down to a very healthy weight by keeping to a strict diet. However, because she had been overweight she had arthritis. I have seen the x-rays and the arthritis is clearly visible and you can see how uncomfortable it must be. She is now on two different arthritis drugs for the rest of her life. However, because she is now a normal weight, the rest of her health is now excellent.

So my advice is, don't waste any time - put your cats on a strict diet from tomorrow.

Best Wishes.

Answer 5

Do NOT put them on Hills Science diet, or Iams, or any of that low end cat food! If you want your cats to lose weight, feeding them a light food will only make them want more to eat. Lower end dry cat foods (Iams, Friskies, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Nutro, etc) contain a lot of fillers, most of which are from corn and flour sources. These offer no nutrition to your cat, so they usually are just pooped out anyways. You are going to want a food that is higher in protein (such as Orijen for cats, Natures Variety Instinct, or Innova Evo). Your cat will be fuller because these foods have a higher percentage of protein (than normal foods because they are grain free... Think humans: what fills you up more, protein or carbs?) Since your cat is eating less, but eating quality proteins with no grain, he will naturally begin to weigh less. Any whatever you do, don't feed your cats the lower end brands! They may have clever marketing with the "light formula" claim- but they are filled with so much junk you really arent doing your cats a favor.

OR....you could begin an "all wet" diet (canned foods). But, as I said above, dont give your cats the lower end stuff. Find something like Innova Evo or Instinct in cans. Over 75% of wet food is moisture, so your cat feels fuller but has really eaten much less than if he had eaten dry food.

Answer 6

How much do they weigh? My cats are both 17 pounds and 5 years old lol. If not, cut down the food. If they drink a ton of water, then cut down on the water weight they're gaining. maybe give them 4 to 3 cups of water each day, not a whole bowl. then iams maybe 1 tiny cup per meal.

Answer 7

beware of fat free or zero trans fats foods as you could be trading fats for huge amounts of sugar or sodium

Answer 8

Get a weight management diet from your vet and follow his or her instructions to the letter. Obesity is an extremely dangerous health risk for cats.

Answer 9

I also have cats who are fat and was told to put them on a special diet. My other problem was giving them too many treats! You can ask your vet what they would recommend to do for your cats, or you can follow this simple diet:

Leaving cat food constantly available is detrimental to the cat, as it creates finicky eaters. Also, not allowing a period of fasting between meals does not allow for the cat to process the food and then detoxify their meals. Over time this will lead to chronic diseases.

Basic Diet Recommendations for Cats

Note: These diet recommendations will always vary in practice due to the age, health, disease status, and constitution of the cat.

Cats are carnivores, so they need meat. No plant foods contain all the proteins that a cat needs to thrive. This is why we do not recommend a vegetarian diet for a cat.

Always start the following recommendations gradually, introducing these foods slowly, over a couple of weeks. If you have any problems or questions as you start this new diet for your cat, please give us a call! This diet plan is designed as an easy to follow method for those with busy lives that are not capable of feeding entirely home cooked diets. If you would like home cooked diets, see the reference for Dr. Srtombeck's book in our resource section.

I. Meat Portion

All cats should be fed, by volume of the total amount fed each meal, 25-50% meat.
The meat can include:
i. Beef

ii. Chicken

iii. Turkey

iv. Fish

The easiest way to start this program is to use ground meats. Take the portion to be fed, mix with water, and cook on the stovetop or in the microwave until the meat is cooked medium (pink) to medium-well. Some animals will thrive on raw meats, but do not start this practice in the beginning.
Take this meat portion, including the water, (broth?) and add it to the rest of the ingredients

II. Commercial Cat Food Portion
a. Although there are many good home-cooking recipes (which we can provide you), we feel that most owners have little time or inclination to routinely feed an entire home-cooked diet for their cat. Good intentions fall by the wayside, and the diet plan is not followed as it should be. Instead, by feeding some meat, some commercial diet, and the rest as outlined below, the cat receives an excellent, well-balanced diet. Costs are kept at a minimum, and the time required to prepare the diet is so moderate that even the busiest person will be able to follow this feeding protocol.

b. There are many commercial diets that are good diets. However, none stand out as clearly superior to any other (they are NOT home cooking, after all). There are, however, a large number that are not worth feeding because they are either of too poor a quality or they are not cost effective (remember the average commercial diets that masquerade as premium diets). There are too many of these to mention, but a good clue that the diet falls in this category is if it claims to be "just as good as such and such, but costs less". Or the "premium diet costs less than about a dollar a pound".

c. Currently we use and recommend the Flint River Ranch diets, and will gladly provide you with information on how to order them.

d. The commercial diet, whether dry food or canned, should be of as high a quality as you can afford, and should make up no more than 25-40% of the diet.

Your Animal's Specific Recommendations:
III. The Variety Component
a. Since grains and other carbohydrates are not necessary, we recommend they be fed sparingly. Their biggest benefit is that they are inexpensive. Using the plan we are outlining, they are even less necessary, because the commercial diets contain grains. One of our favorite grains to use is white rice. Many cats have digestive problems, which improve when rice is fed.

b. Vegetables should be routinely added. We recommend:

i. Carrots

ii. Broccoli

iii. Peas

iv. Leafy greens

c. Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, yams, and squashes are all excellent additions to the diet. Sweet potato is especially good, inexpensive, easy to prepare, and readily accepted. Sweet potato should be cooked, and then can be used a portion at a time over a few days. They can be mashed and mixed so well into the diet that all animals will accept them. Carrots often need to be cooked lightly or shredding/chopped finely, or they may not be accepted or completely digested.

d. Dairy products can be included sparingly. Our favorites are:

i. Yogurt

ii. Cottage Cheese

e. Eggs are great to feed, and can be fed cooked or raw. We recommend no more than a couple of eggs a week if fed raw. Cooked eggs can be fed a little more frequently.

f. Leftovers can be fed as well, as long as they are good food and not excessively fatty or sweet.

g. The variety component should be just that: fed for variety, one thing one day, and another thing another day. Don't get caught up in a routine where you are feeding the same things all the time. Variety is just as necessary for your cat as it is for yourself.

h. A couple final thoughts:

i. Corn is not a vegetable. It is a grain, and it is in plentiful supply in almost all commercial diets. so there is no reason to feed corn.

ii. Legumes (beans, peanuts) are good sources of proteins and fiber, but do not have particularly large amounts of vitamins and tend to provide excessive carbohydrates, which leads to obesity.

Answer 10

take a break from blue moon belgian white a 164 calorie treat and grab a miller genuine draft which is only 64 cals