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#21
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"jjmoreta" wrote in message ... snipped for brevity They've both been allowed to have all the dry food they've desired most of their lives, Free-feeding rarely, if ever, works for weight loss or for maintaining ideal body weight after a cat has lost weight - even with the best light or low-calorie diet. For a weight loss program to be successful, its absolutely critical to know how many calories your cat is consuming. Thise can only be accomplished with measured portions. The next step is to deternime how many calories your cat needs to maintain her present weight. The general guide for adult, neutered, moderately active cats is ~45 kcals/kgBW/day. For example, the daily energy requirement (DER) for a 5.5 kg (12 lbs) cat is about 247 kcals/day. The next step is to determine how many calories you cat needs to maintain her ideal body weight. For example, if your cat's ideal body weight would be 4 kg (8.8 lbs), her DER would be ~180 kcals/day. .. . In this example, a *safe* weight loss program would be a 25 to 28% reduction in caloric intake or 180 to 185 kcals a day and allow no less than 4 weeks for each pound of weight loss. *Never* reduce your cat's caloric intake to less than 70% of her present caloric intake or allow her to lose more one pound in 4 weeks without explicit instructions from your vet. Cats can develop a very serious liver disorder if they lose too much weight to rapidly. This is a "generic" weight loss program that may or may not be appropriate for your cat. *Before* beginning this or any weight loss program for your cat, please discuss it with your vet. Some cats have an underlying condition (e.g., heart, metabolic) that may be responsible for weight gain and require a special program. time. Now, I'm willing to endure more inconvenience to get my old playful kitties back. Weight loss programs for two or more cats in the same household are indeed problematic. The only two solutions that I know of are feeding the cats separately or finding two foods of which each cat only likes one so they don't eat each others' food. The later is risky. Sometimes food can be placed inside a box with a small entrance through which only one of the cats can fit. But this technique doesn't stop the smaller cat from eating the larger cat's food. The same shortcommings apply to placing food in a high area that only one cat can get to. Again, the climber can still eat the others food. So the only tried and true method is feeding the cats seperately. Diet and feeding plan are only two factors for successful a weight loss program. The other two factors are critical, which are owner commitment and consistency. You must commit yourself to following you cats' weight loss program and you must be consistent. That means no "rewards" unless their caloric value is included in your cats' total DER and no deviations from the program. Noticing gradual weight loss (or gain) in cat you see every day is difficult - especially in long-haired cats, so its very easy to get frustrated and feel you're not making any progress. If your finances permit, I highly recommend purxhasing a good pediatric scale with claibrations down to at least 1/2 ounce. A scale will not only help you monitor you cats' progress, its also an early warning indicator of disease. A scale will alert you to subtle loss before it becomes obvious. A good pediatric scale is one of the best investments you can make in your cats' life-long health care. Good luck. Phil |
#22
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"jjmoreta" wrote in message ... snipped for brevity They've both been allowed to have all the dry food they've desired most of their lives, Free-feeding rarely, if ever, works for weight loss or for maintaining ideal body weight after a cat has lost weight - even with the best light or low-calorie diet. For a weight loss program to be successful, its absolutely critical to know how many calories your cat is consuming. Thise can only be accomplished with measured portions. The next step is to deternime how many calories your cat needs to maintain her present weight. The general guide for adult, neutered, moderately active cats is ~45 kcals/kgBW/day. For example, the daily energy requirement (DER) for a 5.5 kg (12 lbs) cat is about 247 kcals/day. The next step is to determine how many calories you cat needs to maintain her ideal body weight. For example, if your cat's ideal body weight would be 4 kg (8.8 lbs), her DER would be ~180 kcals/day. .. . In this example, a *safe* weight loss program would be a 25 to 28% reduction in caloric intake or 180 to 185 kcals a day and allow no less than 4 weeks for each pound of weight loss. *Never* reduce your cat's caloric intake to less than 70% of her present caloric intake or allow her to lose more one pound in 4 weeks without explicit instructions from your vet. Cats can develop a very serious liver disorder if they lose too much weight to rapidly. This is a "generic" weight loss program that may or may not be appropriate for your cat. *Before* beginning this or any weight loss program for your cat, please discuss it with your vet. Some cats have an underlying condition (e.g., heart, metabolic) that may be responsible for weight gain and require a special program. time. Now, I'm willing to endure more inconvenience to get my old playful kitties back. Weight loss programs for two or more cats in the same household are indeed problematic. The only two solutions that I know of are feeding the cats separately or finding two foods of which each cat only likes one so they don't eat each others' food. The later is risky. Sometimes food can be placed inside a box with a small entrance through which only one of the cats can fit. But this technique doesn't stop the smaller cat from eating the larger cat's food. The same shortcommings apply to placing food in a high area that only one cat can get to. Again, the climber can still eat the others food. So the only tried and true method is feeding the cats seperately. Diet and feeding plan are only two factors for successful a weight loss program. The other two factors are critical, which are owner commitment and consistency. You must commit yourself to following you cats' weight loss program and you must be consistent. That means no "rewards" unless their caloric value is included in your cats' total DER and no deviations from the program. Noticing gradual weight loss (or gain) in cat you see every day is difficult - especially in long-haired cats, so its very easy to get frustrated and feel you're not making any progress. If your finances permit, I highly recommend purxhasing a good pediatric scale with claibrations down to at least 1/2 ounce. A scale will not only help you monitor you cats' progress, its also an early warning indicator of disease. A scale will alert you to subtle loss before it becomes obvious. A good pediatric scale is one of the best investments you can make in your cats' life-long health care. Good luck. Phil |
#23
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jjmoreta spaketh...
I have two cats and they both need to lose some weight, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I switched my cat over to diet cat food, didn't change the portion size at first and he slimmed down fairly quickly. He also became much more active, like a kitten almost. He cried and hollered at first, I don't know if the food was more bland or what, but he was always hungry. After a week or two he settled down. -- McQualude |
#24
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jjmoreta spaketh...
I have two cats and they both need to lose some weight, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I switched my cat over to diet cat food, didn't change the portion size at first and he slimmed down fairly quickly. He also became much more active, like a kitten almost. He cried and hollered at first, I don't know if the food was more bland or what, but he was always hungry. After a week or two he settled down. -- McQualude |
#25
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jjmoreta spaketh...
I have two cats and they both need to lose some weight, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I switched my cat over to diet cat food, didn't change the portion size at first and he slimmed down fairly quickly. He also became much more active, like a kitten almost. He cried and hollered at first, I don't know if the food was more bland or what, but he was always hungry. After a week or two he settled down. -- McQualude |
#26
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"McQualude" wrote in message ... I switched my cat over to diet cat food, didn't change the portion size at first and he slimmed down fairly quickly. He also became much more active, like a kitten almost. He cried and hollered at first, I don't know if the food was more bland or what, but he was always hungry. After a week or two he settled down. You're luckier than I! I was hoping my cat would get used to smaller portions (she's been on a diet for about 1 year now) but she always wants more. She has lost weight very slowly (just 4 pounds in one year) but she is more active now and that's a treat to see! I suspect she is truly a member of the family (though she was adopted rather than raised from kittenhood) since she loves to eat! rona |
#27
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"McQualude" wrote in message ... I switched my cat over to diet cat food, didn't change the portion size at first and he slimmed down fairly quickly. He also became much more active, like a kitten almost. He cried and hollered at first, I don't know if the food was more bland or what, but he was always hungry. After a week or two he settled down. You're luckier than I! I was hoping my cat would get used to smaller portions (she's been on a diet for about 1 year now) but she always wants more. She has lost weight very slowly (just 4 pounds in one year) but she is more active now and that's a treat to see! I suspect she is truly a member of the family (though she was adopted rather than raised from kittenhood) since she loves to eat! rona |
#28
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"McQualude" wrote in message ... I switched my cat over to diet cat food, didn't change the portion size at first and he slimmed down fairly quickly. He also became much more active, like a kitten almost. He cried and hollered at first, I don't know if the food was more bland or what, but he was always hungry. After a week or two he settled down. You're luckier than I! I was hoping my cat would get used to smaller portions (she's been on a diet for about 1 year now) but she always wants more. She has lost weight very slowly (just 4 pounds in one year) but she is more active now and that's a treat to see! I suspect she is truly a member of the family (though she was adopted rather than raised from kittenhood) since she loves to eat! rona |
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