"Christina" wrote in message
oups.com...
My 6 year old, 18-lbb cat has come off of his PZI insulin, and Strasti
has been holding pretty steadily on his own with his BG. However, now
I need to get his weight down. :-P He looked and behaved really
beautifully when he was about 14 lbb. At 13 lbb, he looked horrific,
but 14 was decent. I have looked into the Fancy Feats canned foods
that are high-protein/zero carbs, which I'd rather pursue than the Rx
foods from the vet. I've also been trying to figure out a diet plan
for Strasti, but he seems to be continually hungry.

Per the calorie formula for his weight, he's supposed to eat about 300
calories a day, and per the varieties of Fancy Feast I've purchased
(from 55-89 calories per can), that's 3-4 cans a day! I'm trying to
get him on a schedule so he'll be used to it by the time school starts
up again...one big hitch is that I am a teacher, so I leave early in
the morning & I return late afternoon (around 7 am to 4 pm) and I am
unable to come home midday, nor is there anyone else available to do
feedings. Right now, I have him at 1 can with pumpkin at 6:30 am,
another at 4 pm, and then a final can at 10 pm. I'm trying to also
coordinate with his BG. Should I add another can at 7 pm? I hate the
idea of leaving a can of cat food out during the day as it's fish
based...or does that take awhile before it spoils?

So, I'd like to know: when & how much do you feed your diabetic,
overweight cat?

Thanks!

Christina

A normal, neutered, moderately active cat has daily caloric requirement of
about 45 kcals (calories) /kg. A safe weight loss program would be about
70-75% of his daily energy requirement or about 31-34 kcals/kg/day or about
14-15 kcals/lb/day. This is only a guide or starting point- you'll need to
fine tune the diet so he loses no more or less than 1 pound/4 weeks. Before
you make any changes in his caloric intake, run it by your vet first since
he knows your cat.

Good luck,

Phil