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#1
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Weight Problem
OK here is the deal. We have three cats. Two males and a female. One male
is overweight, the other male is large but ok and the female is the smallest of the bunch. We have to put the biggest male on a diet. Normally we just have dry food out for them all day. Dry is all they get. Now we will begin to monitor how much food we put out for them. I guess I'm afraid the female will get not get her usual amount of food. What is the best way to make she they eat their recommended daily amount? Let me know..... Thanks Dean |
#2
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When my brother had this problem, he had to retrain the cats to a new
feeding schedule: the overweight cat got fed in the kitchen, the other got fed in the bathroom. No more free feed. If the female seem to be losing weight, you might try giving her a higher calorie food, like kitten chow, or, unless you're dead set against canned food for whatever reason, a bit of canned mixed in with her kibble, or as a 'treat' later if she likes it. That's what I did when my Smokey lost weight after most of her teeth were pulled. -- The ONE and ONLY lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)© http://www.geocities.com/the_magic_mood_jeep/ http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep "Dean Rheault" wrote in message . ca... OK here is the deal. We have three cats. Two males and a female. One male is overweight, the other male is large but ok and the female is the smallest of the bunch. We have to put the biggest male on a diet. Normally we just have dry food out for them all day. Dry is all they get. Now we will begin to monitor how much food we put out for them. I guess I'm afraid the female will get not get her usual amount of food. What is the best way to make she they eat their recommended daily amount? Let me know..... Thanks Dean |
#3
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When my brother had this problem, he had to retrain the cats to a new
feeding schedule: the overweight cat got fed in the kitchen, the other got fed in the bathroom. No more free feed. If the female seem to be losing weight, you might try giving her a higher calorie food, like kitten chow, or, unless you're dead set against canned food for whatever reason, a bit of canned mixed in with her kibble, or as a 'treat' later if she likes it. That's what I did when my Smokey lost weight after most of her teeth were pulled. -- The ONE and ONLY lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)© http://www.geocities.com/the_magic_mood_jeep/ http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep "Dean Rheault" wrote in message . ca... OK here is the deal. We have three cats. Two males and a female. One male is overweight, the other male is large but ok and the female is the smallest of the bunch. We have to put the biggest male on a diet. Normally we just have dry food out for them all day. Dry is all they get. Now we will begin to monitor how much food we put out for them. I guess I'm afraid the female will get not get her usual amount of food. What is the best way to make she they eat their recommended daily amount? Let me know..... Thanks Dean |
#4
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"Dean Rheault" wrote in message . ca... OK here is the deal. We have three cats. Two males and a female. One male is overweight, the other male is large but ok and the female is the smallest of the bunch. We have to put the biggest male on a diet. Normally we just have dry food out for them all day. Dry is all they get. Now we will begin to monitor how much food we put out for them. I guess I'm afraid the female will get not get her usual amount of food. What is the best way to make she they eat their recommended daily amount? Let me know..... Thanks Dean I think you will find that the only way to monitor the situation is to eliminate free feeding. Canned food would provide a healthier diet and would also be easier to monitor. I use Wellness canned and Felidae canned. Each cat receives 1/3 can of food twice a day (I use the small 5.5 or 6 oz. cans because I only have two cats). I schedule their feedings for 12 hours apart, or as close to that as possible. Approximately every 3 days, I put out 2/3 cup of Wellness dry food as a "treat" and just leave it until it is gone (1/3 cup in each of two separate bowls, although either cat will eat out of each bowl). Their weight has remained stable on this diet, with very little fluctuation -- and they even have far fewer furballs than they did when they were fed a dry food diet. One cat weighs a little more than 8 lbs., and the other weighs slightly more than 9 lbs. One cat had gained a pound over the last year before I started this diet. She lost that weight and is now maintaining her optimum weight. Depending on how much weight your male cat needs to lose, you might need to use different quantities for awhile. MaryL |
#5
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"Dean Rheault" wrote in message . ca... OK here is the deal. We have three cats. Two males and a female. One male is overweight, the other male is large but ok and the female is the smallest of the bunch. We have to put the biggest male on a diet. Normally we just have dry food out for them all day. Dry is all they get. Now we will begin to monitor how much food we put out for them. I guess I'm afraid the female will get not get her usual amount of food. What is the best way to make she they eat their recommended daily amount? Let me know..... Thanks Dean I think you will find that the only way to monitor the situation is to eliminate free feeding. Canned food would provide a healthier diet and would also be easier to monitor. I use Wellness canned and Felidae canned. Each cat receives 1/3 can of food twice a day (I use the small 5.5 or 6 oz. cans because I only have two cats). I schedule their feedings for 12 hours apart, or as close to that as possible. Approximately every 3 days, I put out 2/3 cup of Wellness dry food as a "treat" and just leave it until it is gone (1/3 cup in each of two separate bowls, although either cat will eat out of each bowl). Their weight has remained stable on this diet, with very little fluctuation -- and they even have far fewer furballs than they did when they were fed a dry food diet. One cat weighs a little more than 8 lbs., and the other weighs slightly more than 9 lbs. One cat had gained a pound over the last year before I started this diet. She lost that weight and is now maintaining her optimum weight. Depending on how much weight your male cat needs to lose, you might need to use different quantities for awhile. MaryL |
#6
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"Dean Rheault" wrote in message . ca... OK here is the deal. We have three cats. Two males and a female. One male is overweight, the other male is large but ok and the female is the smallest of the bunch. We have to put the biggest male on a diet. Normally we just have dry food out for them all day. Dry is all they get. Now we will begin to monitor how much food we put out for them. I guess I'm afraid the female will get not get her usual amount of food. What is the best way to make she they eat their recommended daily amount? The *only* way to make sure they eat their recommended daily amount is to feed them *separately* and in measured portions. ..Free-feeding may work for individual cats that can self-regulate their daily intake of calories to match their DER, but if your cat could self-regulate his caloric intake you wouldn't have this problem, would you? Free-feeding rarely works for weight loss or for maintenance of reduced weight even with the best weight loss diets. Any weight-loss program is doomed to failÂ*ure before it even begins if you can't or won't feed your overweight cat(s) separately and keep them from eating the other cats' food. Separate feedings may seem inconvenient, but I can assure you that its a helluva lot more convenient than feeding your cat through a feeding tube or checking his blood sugar and giving insulin dosages twice a day. Obese cats are at higher risk for hepatic lipidosis and diabetes. If you're interested in a tried and true weight loss program for your cat, let me know. Phil |
#7
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"Dean Rheault" wrote in message . ca... OK here is the deal. We have three cats. Two males and a female. One male is overweight, the other male is large but ok and the female is the smallest of the bunch. We have to put the biggest male on a diet. Normally we just have dry food out for them all day. Dry is all they get. Now we will begin to monitor how much food we put out for them. I guess I'm afraid the female will get not get her usual amount of food. What is the best way to make she they eat their recommended daily amount? The *only* way to make sure they eat their recommended daily amount is to feed them *separately* and in measured portions. ..Free-feeding may work for individual cats that can self-regulate their daily intake of calories to match their DER, but if your cat could self-regulate his caloric intake you wouldn't have this problem, would you? Free-feeding rarely works for weight loss or for maintenance of reduced weight even with the best weight loss diets. Any weight-loss program is doomed to failÂ*ure before it even begins if you can't or won't feed your overweight cat(s) separately and keep them from eating the other cats' food. Separate feedings may seem inconvenient, but I can assure you that its a helluva lot more convenient than feeding your cat through a feeding tube or checking his blood sugar and giving insulin dosages twice a day. Obese cats are at higher risk for hepatic lipidosis and diabetes. If you're interested in a tried and true weight loss program for your cat, let me know. Phil |
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