diet tips for fat cats please?
Friday, June 25th, 2010 at
10:25 am
my cat is seven years old and hes always hungry, hes also quite overweight. what times should i feed him? diet tips?
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Hi there…generally, it’s first recommended to discuss an appropriate weight loss guideline with your vet. Sudden changes in dietary requirements can be distressing to a cat and could contribute to other health problems. Cats who have dramatic caloric intake or are starved can suffer from something called fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis) http://www.peteducation.com:80/article.cfm?cls=1&articleid=217 which shuts the liver down and is fatal. Therefore, before beginning any weight loss plan, please be sure to get approval from the vet to make sure this will not cause any other un-necessary health problems for your cat. Some cats can be overweight as a result of thyroid problems so this should be checked as well.
In the wild, animals will naturally eat what they need and no more. The task of searching for food and other basic necessities involves lots of exercise and so wild animals remain naturally fit and healthy.
The food available to them in their natural habitat is perfectly designed to meet their needs in an environment that has not been tampered with.
Domestic animals are provided with food which they do not have to hunt for and which is not always suited for their bodies. Cats who are free fed as well as given table scraps are more noted to have obesity problems because they eat out of boredom. In addition, they are often exposed to a lifestyle which contributes to sluggish metabolism, underactive thyroids and livers which are not able to remove toxins or eliminate unwanted fat from their bodies.
Most commercial grade cat foods contain corn, corn meal which are fillers (carbohydrates) that bind the dry food together as a way of keeping foods lasting longer. Try finding cat food products which are devoid of these ingedients. The first ingredients should show chicken, chicken meal, etc. Most show the first ingredients as corn on the ingredient labels. IAMs, Science Diet, Purina, Whiskas, Friskies …all have corn listed as the main ingredient. Cats who eat these tend to always feel hungry because the carbs don’t metabolize fast enough and cats are obligate carnivores so they need a diet devoid of these types of carbs. Products such as Innova EVO, Nature’s Variety Prairie, James Wellbeloved (UK), are premium brands. Most cats who eat these find that they do not eat to eat as much because their appetite is better satiated.
Additionally, it’s important to schedule feed a cat so you can monitor servings taken in during the day. This is ideal when you have a multi-cat household as well so you can monitor every ones measured portions twice a day (e.g. morning and evening). Each product lists the recommended servings based on a age and weight. For an overweight cat you would be reducing the intake gradually by 10% each week that the vet recommends is an appropriate caloric intake. Cats who are switched from a free-fed diet shoudl be fed multiple times a day (if permittable) such as once in the morning, mid-day, and then evening before your bedtime.
When switching to a new brand of cat food it is also important to note that sudden changes can cause sever bowel distress. Cats have very sensitive digestive systems so the quick change will cause bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting. Any vet can confirm this fact. Cat food should be changed gradually by mixing the current brand with the new brand over the course of several weeks. For example you would take 3/4 servings of the old cat food to 1/4 servings with the new for one week…then the next week 1/2 to 1/2…then following 1/4 of the old to 3/4 of the new in the third week before completing the switch in the final week. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?articleid=100
Furthermore, some cats can take off the weight faster by feeding a canned food diet. For some reason the hydration in the canned products helps metabolize food better and are also completely devoid of carbohydrates, which is more optimal for the feline’s body. When cats eat raw meat in the wild they get hydration from the fresh meat juices as well as some roughage from the animals who are natural herbivores. A mixture of canned and dry are always best for cats in the long-term, which many people are unaware of. We are have been exposed to so many commercial ads regarding dry food for cats, but in reality it’s the manufacturer’s who benefit rather than the cats. Cats are not naturally designed to eat dry–the products were designed for convenience for the owner.
Here’s an article about commercial cat food; dry vs. canned, proper nutritional needs, etc: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/cat-food/review.html
Finally, most cats become bored with toys quickly. It’s important to rotate them by hiding them and then bringing them back out again so the appear to be like new toys. Interactive toys are the best ones to use to get a cat moving such as a laser light. Most cats love chasing the light. The goal is to get the cat to move back and forth at least for 5 minutes to begin as some tire more easily than others especially if they are overweight. You can increase play time more if they enjoy it. Some cats love chasing feather teasers tied on a string too. Experiment to what gets your cat moving. Just please remember most overweight cats tire easily so keep the sessions short and fun. Interactive toys are the best ways to get your cat to exercise rather than leaving toys for them to play with. They only bat at those and really don’t move enough. Not only does the interactive toys work better, but it’s a bonding experience for both of you as well.
make sure you put him on a good diet food by a good brand, like iams, for overweight cats. put your cat on a specific feeding schedule, feeding him two times a day, one and a half cups of food each time the cat is fed. don’t leave the bowl out for the cat so he/she can get any extra food. lay of the cat treats, because they are un-natural.
Feed your cat based on their activity. Is your cat an active cat or does it to lay around the house all day waiting for its next meal? If your cat is overweight and not very active at all, leaving a bowl full of food is probably not the best idea. It is at this point that you should begin to manage how much you feed your cat, what you feed your cat, and how often. By taking charge of your cat’s feeding habits, you will be able to increase the life and longevity of your cat by making this simple and easy choice. A simple "Here kitty kitty kitty" will make your overweight and hungry feline run for the bowl to eat your rationed healthy amount of cat food.
Watch the weather! Simply put, the environment in which your animal lives directly affects and influences their energy needs. Extreme hot or cold weather can increases a pet’s energy needs and drinking habits. Make sure that on hot days water is readily available and that you feed your cat more canned food then dry. The water content within the canned food will help the cat retain water if it is not able to get to the water dish on a regular basis. If the weather is cold, make sure that you are feeding your cat very nutritional cat food that is not full of filler so that your cat will have more of the necessary nutrients to digest to ensure that it stays healthy.
Cat feeding times. There is much to say about having a specific feeding time for your cat. Not only does this allow you to feed your cat nutritional canned food, you will also know that it will not be left in the open. Preservatives are nice, but let’s not take any chances with the food left out.
Also, by having specific feeding times, this allows you to monitor your cat’s diet by providing the food at regular times. It is a kind of portion-control feeding, however, most cats will simply eat until they have what they need.
Bottom line: keep a bowl full of a regular dry cat food and monitor the intake of canned food to ensure that your cat does not get overweight and is as healthy as it can be.
Buy the best. Though this sounds economically wrong, the truth of the matter is this: cheap cat food usually is cheap because of the added fillers that are put into the food.
As a general rule, cats need a daily regimen of protein found in meat, fish, or poultry. They also need an essential amino acid called Taurine and various other vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.
If you have looked at a label for cat food, you will notice that wheat, rice, and even corn is used as filler for both canned and dry cat foods. Make sure that the cat food that you choose has the proper amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals and not as much filler. The price of the cat food usually justifies its quality. And, as an added benefit, cats usually only eat as much as their bodies need. Therefore, your cat will probably eat less of the expensive of cat food because it contains more of the nutrients that it needs and not as much filler.
Avoid food addictions. Cats are said to be finicky animals. Whether this is true or not, cats have been known to develop a certain affinity toward particular brands and types of food. This could become a problem, especially if your cat develops a food allergy to certain ingredients and preservatives that may be contained within that cat food.
In order to avoid this, it is recommended that early in a cat’s life that it gets used to having different varieties of cat food and different flavors. This way, the cat is less likely to develop an affinity for a particular brand which may inevitably lead to the cat developing a food allergy because of the lack of variety in its daily diet.
Overall, by avoiding cat food products that have chemical preservatives like BHA, cornmeal, and other carbohydrate fillers, you should be able to maintain your cat’s health at an optimal level.
My Sister"s cat is also very overweight and has become diabetic,so you should try now to get his weight down before this could happen.. Your vet usually has a good quality of food for your cat , you can ask him and he can advise you according to the age and weight of the cat how much to feed. My Sister’s cat is 9yrs old and gets 1 -1/8 cups a day, divided throughout the day, but this depends how overweight your cat is. It is usually very hard to get weight off of a cat….good luck
My stinky is about 20lbs but we love her anyway. It is so hard to not feed them when they beg and beg and beg. She even knows how to get the cupboard open and will do this in the middle of the night. We found a cat food she hates and put it in her bowl. She goes over and will sniff and walk away, only eating when she is really hungry. She is slowly losing weight. It might be worth a try. We went thru alot of different brands before we found one she hated. (Bless her fat little heart, she will eat just about anything). Good luck.
Solid Gold Katz n Flocken is the best dry food. petco stores carry it. Or google it for your area.
Feed him only twice a day and not a whole cup full. Look in the stores for a cat food that will help your cat loose weight. An overweight cat is like an overweight human. Its very unhealthy.