How to help Fat Cat lose weight

[walkingtheplank]

Just been to vets for 2 yr old cat's annual check and we've been totally fat-shamed. Fat Cat is 4.75kg - against 3.7kg last year. Vet says that as she is a petite cat she should be c.4kg.

Fat cat has 2 pouches a day (1 in morning, 1 at tea time). There is a bowl of biscuits available - I put c.50g in and that lasts anywhere between 1-3 days. She also has some Dreamies c.10 per day.

Vet suggested sharing the pouch between the 2 main feeds (think Fat Cat will be most indignant!)

Vet also gave me a sample of Royal Canin Dental as I want to be able to look after Fat Cat's teeth but as she is not a lap cat there is no chance of me using cat toothpaste. Not sure how to add that to her diet whilst trying to cut back.

Any ideas/insight from you wise ladies about how to cut back on Fat Cat's diet would be gratefully received. Would also be good to know if you all think we are massively over feeding her as this is our first cat.

[thekingfisher]

stop the dreamies! reduce the punches and put a few of the dried biscuits in there.

Avoid the death stares

[thekingfisher]

Yes I would say massively over feeding btw

Our 2 cats are only on dried - but we have them on Hills Light for fat cats and thats all they get. Unfortunately they supplement themselves with mice and voles

[thekingfisher]

obv dont punch your cats

[SoupDragon]

There is a bowl of biscuits available - I put c.50g in and that lasts anywhere between 1-3 days. She also has some Dreamies c.10 per day.

That is probably where the problem lies. There is no need for a bowl of biscuits for snacking.

Find out what the recommended intake for her ideal weight is and stick to it

My own personal FatCat is trying to get from a little over 7kg to his ideal weight of 6kg (he is a big cat!) and is currently on a weight loss vet food. It's still a struggle to get the weight off even with being strict about weighing the food and not giving him treats.

If you are going to give treats, these need to come off the daily food allowance.

[SoupDragon]

I also had to put a DO NOT FEED ME collar on him as I suspected he has a second home. He removed them at the rate of one a fortnight so I gave up, hoping the message got through.

The vet also advised playing with him to encourage more movement.

[SoupDragon]

FatCat is on one pouch and 30g of dried food a day BTW. Royal Canin obesity/Satiety diet.

[GoTheDistance]

Our cat is around 3.5kg...she normally has one pouch of wet food per day (1/2 in morning, 1/2 at night) plus a bowl of dry food which is topped up every 2nd/3rd day...she occasionally has dreamies as a "treat" and will have around 8 of the biscuits- this is normally around 3 times per week.

Since she had an operation, she has had to become an inside cat for a while so she now has 1/3 pounce morning and 1/3 evening (as she is not as active while inside) and her dreamies are put into a cat toy so she has to chase it round like a football to get them out...is your cat an outdoors cat? As she may be helping herself to neighbours food as well as eating her own.

I would also look into the "diet" cat foods that are available and give them a try.

I would swap out the dreamies for the dental sticks and see how she gets on...does she have to go back to the vets to be weighed?

[walkingtheplank]

We're pretty sure that the old man next door feeds her and a lot of other cats in the area which makes it tricky. I might have to have a word with him.

Thekingfisher - I wrote punches too first time around!

Have been researching and discovered that she needs c.230 calories per day. The pet food doesn't have calorie information on it though. Have just send an email to the manufacturer to get this information.

I'm so embarrassed that I let her get so fat.

[walkingtheplank]

So I have found out the calorie info from the manufacture.

Her new regime will be 2 pouches, 20g of dry food and 5 Dreamies per day. This will equal 230 calories. I'll substitute the dental food once she has got used to the reduced intake.

Interestingly, the pouch box recommends 3-4 pouches per day which is 294 calories!

We haven't got to go back to get her weighed but I'll weigh her at home and if there is still no reduction we'll have to reduce the pouches too.

[NoodleNuts]

FatCat is on one pouch and 30g of dried food a day BTW. Royal Canin obesity/Satiety diet

That is exactly what my fat cat gets (prescribed by the Vet, he was 7kg ), he is constantly begging for food and meowing for more though, drives me batty!!

[SoupDragon]

Noodlenuts I hope your fat cat isn't the same cat :) although that may explain why he is losing weight so slowly...

Mine miaows constantly. Poor starving beast.

[SoupDragon]

OP, don't be embarrassed at letting your cat get fat. It's very easy to do.

My FatCat looks slender when walking about - he has a definite waist. Unfortunately he has a "beer belly" underneath which doesn't really notice! I thought I was managing to control his weight but it is only with the vet diet and being very strict with weighing the food that I have had any success with his weight loss.

[hedwig2001]

Try one of these //www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DO-NOT-FEED-CAT-COLLARS-with-REFLECTIVE-WRITING-with-or-without-ENGRAVED-TAG-/350777222203
We have been trying to get my cat's weight down. We are using Hill's science r/d. Also we weigh all her food. I divide up her days food into 5 portions.
Ask your vet if they run a weight clinic. Our clinic is free. They keep an eye on weight loss, as too rapid loss can lead to a dangerous liver problem.

[walkingtheplank]

Just wanted to update. We're on day 5 of the new diet. She's not acting as though she's missing out at all. I think before she was just eating because it was there and I think it was making her sluggish. She's seemed a bit more energetic this weekend, although that might be coincidental.