My Cat is Getting Fat

Moe Fwacky

I have an almost 12-year-old gray tabby. Six months ago I moved him from my parents house to my new apartment since my previous apartment did not allow pets. He has eaten from an automatic (gravity-based) feeder for several years now and still does. However, since he no longer gets the same level of exercise he used to, he's started packing on the poundage. I figure the best option here is to remove the auto-feeder and make sure he gets more exercise. The question, how much should he be eating each day and does anybody have any recommendations to keep him active indoors?

Deathwing

I don't have much experience with older cats, but ours (one 3 years old, the other 1.5) eat one can of wet food combined per day each, and they free-feed themselves dry food, all the Wellness grain-free stuff.

You're probably best off asking a vet for recommendations as to amounts for a senior kittah.....I think it's more the formulation of the food that should change rather than the amount, though.

As far as exercise - get some toys. The furry little balls with jingles inside, feathers/fabric/pompom/etc on a stick, anything that you can flip around in front of him and/or that makes noise, basically. Consider getting a cat tree with a couple platforms where he has to climb a little to get off/on.

Animelee

My vet suggested we get our cat (who was only about two pounds overweight, but I was getting scared) special weight loss foods. Not Whiskas (which is usually pure corn and white rice), but something like Science Diet's weight loss foods.

Get 'im some toys, yeah. My guy likes to slide around on plastic bags -- he'll get a running start, jump onto the bag, and slide a foot forward; that's how he gets his exercise. He does the same thing with shoe boxes.

Dunno if your cat is the same way, but if he is...!

Moe Fwacky

My cat will run back and forth and attack strings on the ground (like the loose straps on my backpack). I think the cat tree might be a good idea, as he likes to sit on top of things. Loose toys like mice or furry balls he just ignores though.

Forbe!

I can't recommend a cat tree enough.

Our one cat, duke, can get up this big 12 foot one we have in two jumps. He is built like a Clydesdale because of it.

BEAST!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Fg6KFcOsU

make one of these so your cat gets rewarded for exercise

EggyToast

Typically, higher quality cat food will naturally cause your cat to lose weight, as they'll get more energy from their food (resulting in them tearing ass around a small space, which is doubly entertaining for you).

For many lazy cats, cheap food is equivalent to feeding someone twinkies all day. They taste fantastic, of course, and you'd love to eat them, but they just make you feel lazy. Cheap cat food is mostly grain (corn! woo!) sprayed with chemicals to make it taste like delicious chicken.

Try replacing his dry food with something like Origen; it's not that much more expensive, but is a much better brand of food.

Tucanwarrior13

I don't recommend giving your cat wet food as it can cause tooth decay very quickly; this is especially true of older cats. Give your cat ONE bowl of dry food per day, and get a cat climber with alot of bells, and shinies for him. As far as anything else goes; it is completely up to him to get some excersice. I laugh at the person who tries to get an aged, overweight cat to be active.

onceling

Most packages of food will tell you what the daily allowance is for a cat of each weight. However weight loss foods are better designed to allow your cat to feel fuller while losing (instead of just not giving them the full dose of a regular food).

Every food will have a different 'amount'. Crap foods (as previously mentioned in the thread) like Whiskas, because they contain a bunch of things your cat can't even digest may need 1.5 or more cups per day. A high quality, high protein food might be more like 1/2 - 3/4 depending on the weight of the cat. I have 2 very large breed ragdolls and they are just about 3/4 cup a day (each) on a high quality food. Personally I use Wellness because unfortunately Molly can't eat Evo.

Whenever you switch foods on a cat, do it very slowly. The first day, use the food you have always used and add just a small handful of the new food. Over the course of 1-2 weeks (as your cat's eating dictates) move up the handful to larger quantities until it is the only food necessary in the bowl.

Deathwing

I don't recommend giving your cat wet food as it can cause tooth decay very quickly

While this can be true in some cases, if they get dry food and/or some of the dental hygiene treats like Greenies each day, the risk is minimized. I can say that both our cats have been doing the wet/dry combo for their entire lives, no dental problems yet besides needing a cleaning now and again.

You should also consider that wet food contains a lot of water - if you give your cat 100% dry food, it's even more essential that you have a constant source of clean, fresh water available.

For many lazy cats, cheap food is equivalent to feeding someone twinkies all day. They taste fantastic, of course, and you'd love to eat them, but they just make you feel lazy. Cheap cat food is mostly grain (corn! woo!) sprayed with chemicals to make it taste like delicious chicken.

This is absolutely true. Before we knew any better, our girl had the Fancy Feast canned, and ate 2 full cans a day, plus dry food. After switching to the various Wellness grain-free canned food flavors, she eats half that amount. Even our massive 15+ pound boy (they're both Siberians, large forest cats) is satisfied with only a bit more than that.

Trowizilla

Well, what does your cat like to do? If he likes those feather-on-a-stick toys, get one of those and go crazy. If he's generally laid back, try making goofy noises and chasing him around the apartment; you can tell if he's actually getting scared (which means lay off) or if he's just trying to figure out what you're doing.

You could also try getting him a harness and taking him for walks. Be aware that walking a cat isn't like walking a dog; you don't lead him around, but you can let him wander at his own pace while you follow along. Note that this is also very much a people-magnet, so be prepared for a lot of "Wow, you're walking a cat?" Some of these people will be attractive, though, so that's not a bad thing.

Moe Fwacky

My cat does not like wet cat food. Never has he ever even cared to eat it when offered. Right now he's eating Friskies Indoor Delight. He's still pretty active, bouncing off the walls here and there. I just think he's still eating the amount he did when he has access to a yard and friends to play with. Now he's just got the walls to bounce off and me to box with, which isn't quite enough to keep his weight down, given his intake. He's not obese yet, just getting there. The more I think about it, the better and idea the cat tree seems to be.

He loves to climb and attack things that don't move or pose him any threat. We box on occasion, and like I said before, he bounces off the walls as much as he is able. I'm going to check the bag of food and see how much I should be feeding him.

BetelguesePDX

If it is dry food, 1/4 cup twice a day of weight loss formula is recommended.

EggyToast

Moe Fwacky wrote: »

My cat does not like wet cat food. Never has he ever even cared to eat it when offered. Right now he's eating Friskies Indoor Delight. He's still pretty active, bouncing off the walls here and there. I just think he's still eating the amount he did when he has access to a yard and friends to play with. Now he's just got the walls to bounce off and me to box with, which isn't quite enough to keep his weight down, given his intake. He's not obese yet, just getting there. The more I think about it, the better and idea the cat tree seems to be.

He loves to climb and attack things that don't move or pose him any threat. We box on occasion, and like I said before, he bounces off the walls as much as he is able. I'm going to check the bag of food and see how much I should be feeding him.

thing is, activity level doesn't affect cats all that much (at least, not like it does people). an active cat fed crappy food can still get fat, same as a marathon runner can eat hostess cupcakes all day and get fat. Friskies is pretty blah food -- see if you can source some higher quality (no grain) food near you, and try to transition to that. A big bag of Origen is only $20, so it's not like it'll break the bank.

phoxphyre

As somebody who is going through a 'weight-loss' program with their 90% indoor cat, let me put in my 2c

In my experience, buying a high-quality indoor food will help with weight-loss. You will find that putting 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food down (talk with a vet nurse, they're free) will make a difference most of the time.

I currently have two cats -- an extremely thin energetic one, and a lethargic "festively plump" one. Lily needs to loose 1.2kg. They were both on dry food 100% of the time (Hills), and were getting one cup a day to share. To help Lily loose weight, we put down 1/2 cup of a Hills Indoor/Diet mix. Lily grazes on that during the day, and Oscar grazes on his food which is up high where only he can leap.

In her first month, Lily lost 300g. This is with almost no activity change -- we play with her, and she is encouraged outside for a couple of hours in the afternoon (which she then spends sleeping :P )

But your cat should definitely have toys and a scratching pole!

tldr; Buy a good indoor / diet food, and some toys (+ scratching pole). The high-quality food will help with weight-loss if managed.

Pheezer

Not only will high quality food result in weight loss, it will extend your cat's life significantly and improve its quality of life significantly.