Whats a good diet plan for a Cat?

Question

My cat is kinda overweight, i was wondering if anyone has ever successfully got an overweight cat down to a healthy weight? If so how? Any tips would be great, thanks.

Answer 1

Don't leave the food out all day long. Make a routine of feeding him/her either once or twice each day. Only put the food down for a certain amount of time and then take it away. It will help to control the portions your cat is eating and it will prevent your cat from munching all day just because it's there. There are also diet cat foods out there that you can try. Good luck!

Answer 2

well when my cat was fat i got a really big hamster ball

Answer 3

It's very easy. You don't even have to limit meals. You nee to feed a species appropriate diet which means no more kitty crack (dry food)

Canned foods no grains is what is best

Nutrition since there are so many bad things out there is very important to your cat’s health

Contrary to what you may have heard; dry foods are not a great thing to feed a cat.

Please read the label on what you are feeding? What are the ingredients? Do you know what they mean? Is the first ingredient a muscle meat like chicken or is it meal or other things? Learn what meal and other things mean here.

http://www.catinfo.org/#Learn_How_To_Rea...

Dry foods are the number 1 cause of diabetes in cats as well as being a huge contributing factor to kidney disease, obesity, crystals, u.t.i’s and a host of other problems. Food allergies are very common when feeding dry foods. Rashes, scabs behind the tail and on the chin are all symptoms of food allergies probably from the grains. Constipation? Dry food, not enough moisture. Blockages? Again not enough moisture in the food and you are risking something serious. People on this board say feed fiber but this is a cat not a dog and cats are obligate carnivores unlike dogs an they don't eat cereal and don't need fiber.

The problems associated with Dry food is that they are loaded with carbohydrates which many cats (carnivores) cannot process. Also, Most of the moisture a cat needs is suppose to be in the food (Cats are not naturally big drinkers) but in

Dry, 95% of it is zapped out of dry foods in the processing. Another thing, most use horrible ingredients and don't use a muscle meat as the primary ingredient and use vegetable based protein versus animal. Not good for an animal that has to eat meat to survive.

You want to pick a canned food w/o gravy (gravy=carbs) that uses a muscle meat as the first ingredient and doesn't have corn at all or grains  at least in the first 3 ingredients if at all. Fancy feast is a middle grade food as it uses a muscle meat as the first ingrediant. 9lives, friskies whiskas are lower grade canned but still better then dry and wellness and merrick upper grade human quality foods.

Many foods are not mentioned here but if you read the labels you wiull know if it is qualaty. The price offers no guideline.

The optimum food to feed cats has no grains whatsoever, cats have no use for them and many have trouble processing them as well as the carbs. IBD is another disease that is rapidly becoming common amoung cats because of the inappropriate diets being fed.

Also, dry food is not proven to be better for teeth. Does a hard pretzel clean your teeth or do pieces of it get stuck? Why do people constantly repeat this old wives tale and put teeth over the organs like the kidneys?? (I have no clue)   http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bp...

Please read about cat nutrition.

http://www.newdestiny.us/nutritionbasics...

http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.ht...

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.ht...

Answer 4

Best thing to do is take kittie to the vet and get EXPERT opinion. Cut out the treats - Yes. No more than two meals a day - Yes. Regular exercise i.e. playtimes - Yes. Feed the correct amount for age/normal size for the breed. As for food, here is where you hit a minefield! Read the answers above and you'll see what I mean. Generally speaking you will be looking for food which is low in carbs and high in protein but this must be fed in the correct amounts in order for your cat to lose weight. Wet food, as the only food source, will likely give long term dental problems. I have had 7 cats of various breeds over the years, all lived to a ripe old age, lost very few teeth and all were fed dried food, since they were kittens, with the occasional wet meal eg cooked fish (watch the bones) etc as a variation.

As I said at the beginning, see your vet first. There are some very good pet foods on the market that are specifically designed for over weight cats/dogs but you should take advice as to which are good and which not so good.

Answer 5

Take your cat to the vet and have it weighed first, they will then advise you on the best way to reduce his/her weight. They do a special diet food...cant think of the name but you can also get it from Pets at Home if your in England.

Answer 6

What do you feed your cat?  You can get 'light' food for cats which will aid weight loss.  My grannies cat was overweight, she fed him Arden Grange light food which really helped also my granny tried to get the cat more active by playing games with him and he is now much healthier and happy.

Also the best thing to do is not allow your cat sneaky treats either.

Good luck

You can get Arden Grange here http://www.mutleyandmog.co.uk/cat/cat-fo...

Answer 7

cut down his food by half

Answer 8

From my blog:

What should cats eat? Cats should eat a species appropriate diet which very much resembles Atkins (Catkins). A raw diet is the very best, so long as it's properly supplemented to meet a cat's nutritional needs. There are many raw feeding forums available through Yahoo Groups that one can join to learn more. The next best choice is a good quality canned food (or even a commercially prepared raw diet such as Nature's Variety). These foods will have meat listed as the first ingredient, will not contain corn, wheat or soy, may include organ meats, and will not list "meal" or "byproducts." See the What to feed link for suggestions. Additionally, the brand By Nature Organics is a very good food, and at 150 calories per 6oz can, is a very good choice for weight loss.

What about supplements for weight loss? The addition of L-Carnitine to a cat's diet may assist with weight loss. 250-500 mg per day can be added to assist with weight loss. It is probably best to start with a lower dosage until you see how your cat reacts.

How much should my cat lose?  If possible, have your vet set a target weight for you.  But if your cat is obviously obese you don't need to do that before getting started.  In fact, if you're feeding dry food currently it's also a good idea to make the switch as soon as possible, even if only a few pounds need to be lost.  You can also consult this chart to get an idea of how overweight kitty might be:  http://www.placervillevet.com/feline%20b...  

How soon will I see results? Cats need to lose weight slowly, at the rate of no more than 1 pound per month, and often less. This is because rapid weight loss may cause hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) which can be fatal.

Why is this info different from what my vet told me?  Many vets haven't been properly trained in feline nutrition.  They may attend basic small animal classes, but the only cat-specific training they receive is sponsored by Hills.  Not surprisingly, they are taught to reach for a bag of Hills __/d when a cat presents with a particular problem (k for kidney, d for diabetes, etc.).  I am not a nutritionist but I've gathered this information from people who DO know what they're talking about.  (See links below).

So what should I do?  The solution is to switch the fat cat (and any others in the household as well) to a good quality grainless canned food (or research raw feeding). 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.

How much should my cat eat?

This varies. Average cats may eat between 20-30 calories per pound per day. But note that that is IDEAL pounds. Using 25 calories per day for example, an 8 pound cat could eat 200 calories per day. By the same token, a cat who weighs 20 pounds but should weigh 10 could eat 250 calories per day. You multiply the ideal weight by the calories to arrive at that figure. When working toward weight loss, it's perhaps best to start at the lower end of the scale (20).

How do I find out how many calories are in cat food? See the link "Values in canned food." If it's not listed there, you'd need to contact the manufacturer.....I believe that link provides some help there as well.

How will I know it's working?  Because this takes time you probably won't "see" any results for quite a while.  You may not even be able to feel them.  If dragging kitty off to a clinic to be weighed once a month is not an option, then you might want to consider buying a baby scale.  The best scale will also list ounces in addition to pounds, so you can really see what's happening.  But if that's not an option, just jump on the human scale yourself and note your weight.  Add cat and repeat.  Then do the math.

That's all there is to it!  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: Sophie lost 2 pounds in a year following this plan.  She was already at a healthy weight but the new diet fine tuned her.  Poppy lost 5 pounds the first year which wasn't bad.  The following year when I switched her from canned to raw she gained back a few pounds but that was due to a number of different factors - all of them user error on my part!  But she's almost back down to where she was, and THEN it's only 4 pounds to go!

Answer 9

Cut out the t*t bits & either shrink the portions or cut out a meal a day.  Also don't leave human food about or easily accessible for your feline friend.  

Answer 10

When I started feeding my cats a homemade diet of meat instead of commercial cat food I had three who went from 16 lbs down to 12 lbs in about six months.

Go to: http://www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled "The Right Weight Loss Program for Cats".

Answer 11

Good for you.  You've realized that your cat will live a longer, healthier life if it is in tip top condition.  A great website for felines is www.maxshouse.com  There are many links and the one on nutrition, while technical at times, is excellent.

1.If you are feeding your cat dry food exclusively, stop. There are far too many carbs in dry food, which leads to obesity and diabetes.

2. Find a good wet food that is animal protein based. Cats are obligate carnivores - they must eat meat. Too many companies list corn meal, wheat gluten, or rice as one of the top three ingredients.  Put those cans back on the shelf!

3. Ignore the feeding suggestions on the can. They're in the business to sell cat food, so they recommend overfeeding.

4. If you are home during the day, try feeding it four small meals a day to start with when you switch to wet food. If you have a standard breed sized cat ( not a Maine Coon, Rag Doll, etc.), serve your kitty 1/4 of the 5.5-6 oz. can each time - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime snack.  Stand firm when it complains. This isn't the way a cat normally eats, but it will keep its metabolism going all day which will jump start weight loss.

5. If you are away most of the day, give your cat 1/2 can at breakfast and 1/2 can at dinner.  Cats are "feast or famine" animals, that's to say, it's in their nature to go a long time between meals.

6.Now the hard part. You MUST engage your cat in active play several times a day. After a cat eats, it's full of energy, so plan to play with your cat in the morning after breakfast, even if it means you have to get up early. What to play? Here's a few ideas:

*Tie a milk carton ring to a long, sturdy piece of ribbon (I use 1/2" grosgrain ribbon).  Dangle it in front of your cat and let it bat it around, then run through the house with your cat in pursuit. Sit on the stairs, several steps up and flip the end to the bottom stair. Dance it up a stair or two until your cat pounces.  Play tug of war and then do it again.

*Make a stockpile of very small paper balls, preferably from shiny paper from the ads, copier paper, or fliers from the mail. Get your cat's attention and then slide one across the floor.  When that one gets stuck under the fridge, stove, hutch, etc., toss another one. Remember to get the lost ones out with a yardstick later. This activity will give you a breather too.

* Open a paper grocery bag, lay it on its side and let your cat go in.  Use a ruler, your foot, anything that will make scratching sounds on the outside of the bag.  Most cats will pounce at the movement and get really involved, though some find it a little frightening.

*Get an old box and use it as a kitty hideout.  If it's big enough, cut a hole in one side that the cat can get in and out of. Dangle string toys and watch a paw dart out to catch them.

*Use a 5-6' step ladder as a kitty gym.  You can sometimes find old, dried out ones at garage sales.  It's not safe for you to stand on, but is fine for a cat. Wrap sisal rope around the uprights, staple on some bits of carpet on the stair treads, tie safe, dangly toys to it.  Sprinkle catnip on the top piece. Don't put the ladder where the cat can jump to a higher, unsafe perch. If you need to make it more stable, use 2 2x4's and bolt them to the front and back uprights, one on each side. Remember to tape the ends of the bolts.

*Get down on the floor and play "gonna get you."  Never make it threatening.  Smile, laugh, and stroke your cat when you catch it.

If you play two to three times a day, you might be in better shape too!  Check with your vet to see if your cat needs a special weight loss formula food. And remember, NO people food. Well, maybe a few bits of turkey at holiday time. : ^ }