Maintaining Weight

Now that Hobbes is back to his ol' self, I've got a new problem. His
weight. He's always been a relatively good sized cat since he's part
Maine Coon at around 15-16 pounds.

He used to eat Hill's Prescription T/D and I knew how much to give him
to maintain his weight, but now that he's eating wet food, I'm trying
to figure this out. I recently calculated that he should be eating
about 250 calories to maintain 15 pounds, which means two small cans
of wellness per day.

Err.....I'm REALLY embarrassed to say that I've been giving him
WAAAYYY too much food. And it shows. Naturally I'm very concerned
about this and now know how much to feed him. The problem is, he
whines and begs every time I go into the kitchen. Just for my own
peace of mind, does anyone know if this will go away?

I want my boy to be healthy and happy. He's definitely close, but
I've got to get his food intake under control.

"LauraM" wrote in message
...
Now that Hobbes is back to his ol' self, I've got a new problem. His
weight. He's always been a relatively good sized cat since he's part
Maine Coon at around 15-16 pounds.

He used to eat Hill's Prescription T/D and I knew how much to give him
to maintain his weight, but now that he's eating wet food, I'm trying
to figure this out. I recently calculated that he should be eating
about 250 calories to maintain 15 pounds, which means two small cans
of wellness per day.

Err.....I'm REALLY embarrassed to say that I've been giving him
WAAAYYY too much food. And it shows. Naturally I'm very concerned
about this and now know how much to feed him. The problem is, he
whines and begs every time I go into the kitchen. Just for my own
peace of mind, does anyone know if this will go away?

I want my boy to be healthy and happy. He's definitely close, but
I've got to get his food intake under control.

It can be difficult to calculate comparative varieties of cat food because a
great deal depends on the quality of the food in addition to the number of
calories being fed. In my opinion, the "recommended" amounts are too large
and are unhealthy -- and will probably result in overweight cats. I use
Wellness canned food, which is what you said you are now using, and I stick
to a 12-hour feeding schedule, or as close to that as possible. Each cat
gets 1/3 can twice per day (using 5.5 oz. cans). I open one can for one meal
and use 2/3 of it, divided between the two cats; then repeat the process for
the next meal. This will leave 1/3 can from two separate cans for one meal
the following day. I microwave the portions that have been refrigerated for
a short time to gently warm it. Incidentally, Wellness doesn't cost as
much extra as I expected because my furbabies don't eat as much as when I
used dry food (and free feeding). I was originally concerned because it
seems like such a small about of food. Nevertheless, they always seem
satisfied, and their weight has remained remarkably stable for the 6 years
since I changed to an all-canned diet.

Duffy weighs a little more than 8 pounds, and Holly weighs 9 pounds. You
would obviously need to adjust the quantity commensurate with Hobbes'
weight.

To reiterate: This means that I feed fewer calories than the 30 calories per
pound recommendations that I have read on some sites. It is also less than
the 1 can per day that Wellness says is typical for an 8 to 10 pound adult
cat. Other friends have noticed the same thing with their cats. This may be
because indoor cats do not need as many calories as outdoor cats (although
both of my cats are active and energetic) -- but, for whatever reason, I
think the "recommended" caloric intake is likely to lead to fat cats. For
example, one 5.5 oz. can of Wellness chicken formula has 181 calories. This
means that my cats are getting between 13 and 14 calories per pound per day,
and their weight has remained constant on this diet. Other types of Wellness
will vary slightly, but this gives a reasonable approximation.

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e
Duffy in the Christmas tree: http://tinyurl.com/clal7

Laura,

For a point of reference, my Tucker is about 15 lbs and he maintains
on one can of grain-free Wellness per day. He's 10 and a less-active
cat. Every cat is different, so this is just a general comment FYI.

What I'd suggest is to slowly cut back the amount you're giving him
(as in, shave off a tiny amount of each portion) and add that amount
in water. Do you have a digital scale at home, so you can weigh him? I
bought a postal scale several years ago and it's been a godsend!

Are you feeding him twice/day about 12 hours apart? There might be an
adjustment period to this new schedule. If he was free fed before, and
used to constant access to food, he might be in a "panic" that no food
is available. Stick to your guns and the twice/day schedule. He'll
adjust soon.

Email me if you have any questions,
Rene

Suddenly, without warning, LauraM exclaimed (2/6/2009 11:29 AM):
Now that Hobbes is back to his ol' self, I've got a new problem. His
weight. He's always been a relatively good sized cat since he's part
Maine Coon at around 15-16 pounds.

He used to eat Hill's Prescription T/D and I knew how much to give him
to maintain his weight, but now that he's eating wet food, I'm trying
to figure this out. I recently calculated that he should be eating
about 250 calories to maintain 15 pounds, which means two small cans
of wellness per day.

Err.....I'm REALLY embarrassed to say that I've been giving him
WAAAYYY too much food. And it shows. Naturally I'm very concerned
about this and now know how much to feed him. The problem is, he
whines and begs every time I go into the kitchen. Just for my own
peace of mind, does anyone know if this will go away?

I want my boy to be healthy and happy. He's definitely close, but
I've got to get his food intake under control.

Easy! Don't go into the kitchen! g

Huh. My cat *lost* weight when I switched her to wet (on vet's orders -
she has cystitis). She gets one "tuna can" of food per day, split into
two feedings. There's usually leftovers. My problem is, if I try to
supplement with dry (because I worry when she doesn't eat), then she
stops eating the wet altogether - we're going through that cycle right
now. I put down the wet and she begs and pleads for some dry. My
reaction? I hiss at her g. That works. But that probably won't work
for most cats. Can you just ignore him?

I'd try a "light" or weight reduction formula, if you can find it.

jmc

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 12:14:43 -0600 from MaryL -
OUT-THE-LITTER:
In my opinion, the "recommended" amounts are too large
and are unhealthy -- and will probably result in overweight cats.

That's what my vet said -- the manufacturers want to sell more food.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...