Need serious and personal advice on putting my 2 overweight cats on a diet...

"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

"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

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

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

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

"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

"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

"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