My cat is fat

[Monchhichi]

My 6 year old cat went missing for three weeks in June this year, when he returned he was skinny, matted and full of fleas and ticks. He has always been an active outdoor cat, but since his return he just isn't interested in going out anymore, he just snuggles on the sofa asleep all day.

We feed him the same as before he went missing, one pouch of wet food a day plus a scoop of biscuits (he is a large Siberian). I've tried getting some toys to encourage exercise but no luck so far, he merely lazily swipes a paw if they're within reach.

Any suggestions for toys your cats have enjoyed?

Thanks. I will look for that. Any recommendations as to where to get a slow feeder?

Love the thread with imagine of cats slimming world and cats as floor mops in a harness 😂

Absolutely gorgeous cat OP.

My 6yr old has also got fat he's a bit of a fair weather cat so in winter he sleeps lots and summer/ spring out more. But he also has been known to sneak into peoples houses and steal their cats food!! So that was the start of it. Am taking him to the vets next week to get checked though and actually see how overweight he is.

Images not imagine!

He's glorious. Laser toy? Even my I despise humanity and all it's tools recuse girl will chase that.

You could make him hunt for his food. Scatter a few biscuits about (if you keep him on them - the Eden ones as PP mentioned are great as not so much cats/way more meat). No more bowls - only feed him stuff you throw and he has to hunt.

Bengal crossed with a silver tipped British Shorthair...accidental kittens, my sister adopted his mum from a multi car household and took her to get her spayed but she was already pregnant!

Royal canin satiety - but you need a vet nurse to help you work out exactly the right amount to feed.

Mine is aiming to be 4.5kg. he would get 45g biscuits a day but needs to eat mostly wet food for his bladder issues so he has 2x 85g pouches and 9g (lol) biscuits. He's extremely unimpressed.

@Techno56 thank you i though he had sepia bengal colouring - hes insanely cute and looks really chilled and that lovely squishy fur - I love him !

It's a good job he's cute with the issues he causes us 🤣

OP your cat could get away with saying it's all fluff I reckon! Arthur's sides sort of squidge out like he's on a hovercraft cushion when he lies down 😬

We give him his tiny amount of biscuits in an egg feeder, he has to roll it around the floor and it has adjustable holes that eventually let a biscuit or two out. It does mean it takes longer to eat for sure. He's enraged by the egg and bowls angrily when he sees it coming out instead of a bowl 🙄

*howls not bowls...

He is absolutely beautiful 🤩

My DCat is overweight but I'm fighting a losing battle as he is fed at another house down the road. He currently eats as all handful of biscuits and one pouch of wet food a day here. Goodness only knows what he eats elsewhere. He begs for food constantly!

For exercise give him an elastic band 😺My cat has been going crazy with one for two weeks - she's 15 and lazy but the elastic band appears to be the best thing ever for her!
Here's a photo anyway - we say she's not fat she's fluffy

We have this problem with our chonky girl and was hoping this thread had some ideas. Vet keeps telling us to get her to lose weight and its like yeah, sure, YOU deal with the begging. She was rescued as a tiny kitten and I think she has some sort of psychological thing to do with food insecurity. Then she lived with the in-laws for a few years and they were of the dump and go and feed from the table sort and she picked up bad habits.

We have the microchip auto feeders (her brother is active, healthy weight, not fussed about food, hunts his own 'take away' in the garden), she has high quality diet kibble, I only top up every other day, they share a wet packet twice a day. Recently I got some Lickimats (the Felix, Casper, and Classic Playdate) to manager her wet portion and it takes her much longer/more interesting to eat the food off those so she doesn't notice its less food. Treats have been severely curtailed and get put in the puzzle feeder. Most nights I drag a string around the house for Kitten Gym time to get her lazy butt moving for ten or fifteen minutes.

Hoping all of the above will magically combine into a lighter cat but I guess it takes time and consistency and moving over to new habits. Like human weight loss! But I worry about her hips and diabetes, so going to really give this a go next six months to their annual check up.

I saw my cat lost a lot of weight this summer, he tends to not eat when it’s hot, but now it’s cold he’s eating a lot again. He’s a healthy weight though 6.2kg but he’s a big cat

If they are food obsessed it's easy to get them to run for kibble/treats. Also puzzle toys.

Our kitten is carb obsessed, he spends a lot of time shut out the kitchen as he likes to help himself to anything!

@Walnutwhipsarenothesame I use this one, he hates it and does occasionally flip the whole thing over to gorge on his whole meal in one inhalation but on the whole it works really well. He has to scoop each kibble out with his paw to eat it. My vet recommended it.

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/catch-cat-feeder-%28online-only%29?gofasterrnotification=1?utmsource=google&utmmmedium=cpc&utmcampaign=googleeshopping&cmmmc=GoogleeCPCPC--%20googleeshopping--googleeshopping&ita=1976&ito=googleshopping&istCompanyId=7255ccad-a1fc-4729-af31-478f79e5071c&istFeedId=385e6b9a-8b03-4076-a8bb-e4737df8549c&istItemId=itxmxapip&istBid=t&cqqsrc=googleads&cqqcmp=8964966848&cqterm=&cqqplac=&cqnet=g&cqqplt=gp&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx8nB0o6dAIVGcbtCh0j0ABfEAQYAyABEgLd6vDD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

My cat is fat but has retained his small head so from the back he looks like a skittle.

I reckon his keeness for food, when he comes in and before he goes out is down to him being trapped in a shed for 4 days when he was 10 months old, trapped in a neighbour's enclosed alleyway for 2 days in May this year and the daft sod managed to get himself trapped in the same alleyway but only for a couple of hours, three weeks ago. I think he's convincing himself he has to have a last supper or a welcome home blow out every time.

He has a vet appointment in January and will be weighed again, I'm not hopeful he has lost weight despite me feeding him less. My partner doesn't help by buying him fresh tuna, and steaming it ("it's the only way he likes it") and he is contributing to his fatness. I'd have a lean cat if I got rid of my partner.

I think I will ask about Fat Cat Classes when I take him to the vet.

Haribo loves to play with Da Bird, he bounces around after it and jumps on and squashes his Wilko cat cube. He also likes spinning around on the bottom of his scratching post.

Brilliant! Thank you.

We have this puzzle feeder too. Our cat isn't impressed with it, but it slows her eating down. She previously had hiccups all the time from eating her food so quickly, and was often being sick - that's all stopped since we've been using the puzzle feeder. She has lost a teensy bit of weight too. We also got a laser pointer toy which she loves running around after.

I have one cat that's getting chunky and one that is getting too skinny. None of us could work out microchip feeders. So that's not an option, and they are indoor and won't play with toys. Looks like it's a tip to fat camp for Cheddar

Fat Matt weighed in at over 9kg during a recent trip to the vet for UTI...
Vet has warned he is at risk of further UTIs, diabetes etc and he must lose weight. They run a podgy pets club but it's difficult for me to get him there as I can't drive at the moment due to a health condition and he is far to heavy to heave to the bus stop.
We have a slim girl cat too who is not motivated by food. I have to stand over them to ensure he doesn't scoff his and then start eating hers as she will just stand aside and let him!

@Papergirl1968
gave you got friends/family that can take you to the vet for PPC

Not really. I mean, I have friends and relatives who are very good with lifts but I don't like to keep asking, especially as one sister and one brother in law (the other sister's husband) are allergic to cats so it's not ideal for Matt to be in their cars.
I did get a taxi to the vets but it's expensive and we don't have pet insurance so there was a big bill from the vet.
Having said that, I know insurance is a gamble and to be fair it probably cost me less than it would have done for insurance for the year, bearing in mind most policies only pay 80 per cent, I believe.

Well he’s a very handsome boy, maybe try some of the suggestions on the thread and weigh him yourself ( easier said than done with a cat I know) 🤣🤣