Topic: Obesity - greedy cat? (Read 2177 times)

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #20 on:** June 18, 2014, 14:34:36 PM »

We have a similar problem, Cleo is a fussy little grazer, Alfie wolfs everything down. I tried to feed them together, to help their relationship, but it simply does not work. We try very hard to keep Cleo's food away from Alfie - but we are not always successful! I haven't had Alfs weighed for a while, he was 6.9kg last time we did. He is quite a big lad but that is still too much for a cat who is not yet 3 years old

maddercow · « **Reply #19 on:** June 18, 2014, 12:34:22 PM »

That is one big lad!

It is not easy restricting one cat's diet while trying to encourage another to eat. My Izzy is a little porker and Cash tends
to be lean. Is a nightmare stopping her from pigging everything while giving him access to food when he wants it, he is a grazer.

Does sound as though George may be getting fed elsewhere, cats are very good at looking all forlorn and not leaving the garden until they get fed, we had one who used to gawp through the windows until we gave her some dreamies.

The red dot will definitely help, has he got a flying frenzy?

X

sheilarose · « **Reply #18 on:** June 17, 2014, 22:18:42 PM »

A kind benefactor sent me some scales, George weighs a cool stone

and this is after a week on his new regime of lower calorie biscuits and healthy exercise each evening (he has mastered the red dot

) so I think, Leeds, you have the solution. Trouble is, all my cats have in/out access so keeping one guy indoors is not really an option, especially Georgie as he loves his garden.

I'll weigh him again next week and see if he is losing or gaining.

girlinleeds · « **Reply #17 on:** June 17, 2014, 21:52:39 PM »

while bella was out last summer she put on so much weight (she looked like a blimp on legs) even after i'd pleaded with everyone to stop feeding her. since shes been a house cat she has very slowly started to loose the weight again and is just over 3kg now. we struggle to allow jess access to food she needs while stopping bella being a pig, we tend to put jess extra food down while bellas napping upstairs on the bed and it does seem to be working

Kirst · « **Reply #16 on:** June 13, 2014, 23:41:39 PM »

I do think, like hoomans, some cats are more prone to being rotund! No matter what we tried ( and we have tried very hard with diet food, walks with a harness and cat fat club) Gizmo just doesn't lose weight! Even our rather wonderful vet has admitted That he may just be a fat lad

Hippykitty · « **Reply #15 on:** June 13, 2014, 20:15:08 PM »

It's probable that this is caused by him getting food elsewhere. To check this, keep him in for 2 weeks; weigh him at the beginning. During that time, feed him normally, but compensate for the lack of exercise caused by being confined with wand play. Weigh him at the end of the fortnight. If he's significantly lighter, he's getting food elsewhere, but if his weight is the same or heavier, this might just be hypOthyroidism.

I think this is less common in cats than hyperthyroidism, but does happen.

If, however, his weight reduces, you need to seriously tackle your neighbour. There's always the chance he's a hunter or scavenger, in which case you have to decide if his weight is serious enough to keep him in; or perhaps you could periodically keep him in to keep his weight at a reasonable level.

I used to have a scavenger - Samantha - when she first came to live with me she turned out all the bins in the house. If she saw a bin, she had to rummage through it! She'd been a street cat for a short time before someone took her to a rescue, where I adopted her and Polly.

sheilarose · « **Reply #14 on:** June 03, 2014, 17:03:24 PM »

That's what I figured Susanne, he is almost certainly being fed by the mad woman at no7 too even though she assures me she doesn't feed my cats, I know for a fact she feeds other peoples animals

but I only have the low calorie food down whilst I'm out at work now. If he's snacking through the day at least he's not eating high calorie food. Need to get him weighed properly really so I can measure his losses and gains. Actually I'm going to collect some meds from the vet tonight, I might sneak him in for a quick weigh in

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #13 on:** June 03, 2014, 14:18:31 PM »

I think you are going to struggle if there is always dry food down for the older puds. It's ry food that tends to be responsible for weight gain so if George is snacking on that during the day that is likely to be a big part of why he's gaining weight. But if you don't want to change the feeding arrangements as they suit the others, I'm not sure how you can restrict George's access to the dry food.

sheilarose · « **Reply #12 on:** June 02, 2014, 09:52:52 AM »

We increased his exercise regime with more wand play and brought in some Purina light biscuits so will see how he gets on. Initially Beau has taken to the diet food, not good as he is HT and underweight

and George doesn't want it

Dawn F · « **Reply #11 on:** May 28, 2014, 11:13:19 AM »

I had good results with star on royal canin light

emmmy_lou · « **Reply #10 on:** May 28, 2014, 10:41:49 AM »

I don't know about the best dried food, but what about more exercise? Do you think George does go out much?

Evie is turning into a bit of a porker too, and I think its cos she is pretty much a home bird. I think after being left outside, and apparently before her owners abandoned her she was left outside most of the time - now she likes her home comforts too much! I thought maybe George might be the same?

I am trying to give her more play sessions, but its hard cos I dont want to make D & D jealous, and they wont play unless its one on one!!!

sheilarose · « **Reply #9 on:** May 26, 2014, 15:45:58 PM »

Well, back from boliday and George has definitely gained weight

So, diet it is, best dry food for overweight cats? He already likes James Wellbeloved Senior that we feed the old guys, and they love, but I'm now thinking he may be a candidate for raw. Keeping him out of the biscuits will be the issue now

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2014, 15:28:35 PM »

thanks fb, Alfs hasn't been weighed for a while, so we will eventually see whether his weight has stabilised. Mind you, he's obviously a bit off colour today, I suspect he has scavenged something that didn't agree with him.

I did, of course, mean to get a 'Dont feed' collar for Alfs, not a 'Don't feel' which is what I typed

fluffybunny · « **Reply #7 on:** May 05, 2014, 21:50:58 PM »

Geoffrey definitely put some on during the transition, when there was both raw and other foods being given, and then for a short while afterwards too. I was pretty much on the verge of thinking that this wasn't going to work for him when suddenly he stopped demanding food all the time and it has subsequently settled nicely. I think it can take a while for old habits to work their way through the system and to work out what is the right amount of food to give, as he definitely needs less food - and yet doesn't beg for as much.

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #6 on:** May 05, 2014, 14:16:28 PM »

I switched ours to raw in the hopes that it would slim alfie down - after that he put on another lb! I suspect he is/was getting food elsewhere, keep meaning to get a 'don't feel' collar...

fluffybunny · « **Reply #5 on:** May 04, 2014, 23:38:38 PM »

Doesn't solve the logistical how-to-feed-multiple-cats problem but I have recently completed the switch from mixed wet/dry diet onto a complete raw diet. I've found that Geoffrey, who has been obese for years and who would constantly beg for food and get under your feet in the kitchen, no longer does so. He clearly loves the food, so it's not that he doesn't like it, it just seems to fill him up better. I assume the lack of carbs means that he doesn't get the sugar/insulin spike which then makes them hungry when it wears off, so he is more content with meals at mealtimes and doesn't beg all day.

He has only lost about 200g so far but that's really without cutting down main food, just from no longer giving him a little pinch of biscuits whenever he demanded something as if he was starving (which he clearly wasn't

) next step is to reduce portion size a little...

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #4 on:** May 04, 2014, 23:27:04 PM »

I will watch this thread with great interest for replies as Noni B has same problem as gorgeous George. We had to end grazing when she arrived but she is still a bit of a rugby ball/zeppelin. Looks worse as she is quite fluffy.

She was just the right size when she came from JS

Noni's ideal weight would be around 3.5kgs I'd say as she is a short gal but she is over 5kgs. She does however seem to have settled at that weight so I no longer beat myself up over it too much.

She is locked away at mealtimes with Ruby. Noni gets very little dry fud so I suspect she takes that pretty little face to some neighbour or other, does a little hula dance and bob's your uncle

I've never got around to getting her a "do not feed me" collar.

Like you, we don't have weight probs with the others.

2kgs in 6 months does sound a lot Sheila although part will presumably be down to being a growing lad. It's the zeppelin shape that's the concern I know

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #3 on:** May 04, 2014, 21:18:06 PM »

Alfie was weighed last autumn and was 6.5kg. Too heavy said vet, must go on diet. So I cut down his food here and severely rationed treats ( not even every day), we try to make sure he doesn't eat Cleo's food although we do slip up occasionally. After 6 weeks we took him back for a re-weigh - 6.9kg

Alfie was fending for himself for a short time before he came to us, but it wouldn't have been for long. even so, the vet said that he would probably always be 'food driven' for fear that he has a period of deprivation again. I guess the same thing is happening with George.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #2 on:** May 04, 2014, 19:25:39 PM »

I think that some cats are just naturally heavy............Misa is now 7.5 kgs but has stuck at that weight for a 2-3 years, he doesnt eat a lot really although sometimes I think he does...........its the dry food that puts on the weight but my vet doesnt seem bothered although the previos one was.

They run a chub club so I am not bothered.

Sasa is about 6kgs and zepplin shape as you put it lol.............here its referred as rugbyball shape. I thought she was looking thinner after her op and the various skin things but now she is eating this little bit of tuna she is back to her normal shape

Yes he may have another food source and Misa is a huge cat in pure size and Sasa just like a slightly smaller female version so it maybe just George becoming himself.

sheilarose · « **Reply #1 on:** May 04, 2014, 16:40:18 PM »

George was found wandering near the local tube station, he'd been fed on KFC by the local teen brigade for a couple of weeks (having been declared "dumped" by the RSPCA who had been called by one of the kid's parents) before we came across his plight last October.
He was rough coated and clearly had been outdoors for some time, but was a good weight. We took him home, advertised him locally and on the lost pet sites, but no owner ever came forward. Once neutered, he became part of the Tuftyclub almost straight away being very confident and playful and adopted Kuki as his bessie mate.

Now I know that you eat fast and furiously when you're on the streets, but George calmed his eating habits down pretty quickly once he was established here.
However, despite being a very active and boistrous cat, he's gained a huge amount of weight. From his start weight of 4.5kgs at an estimated 12 months last October, I guess he's now nearer 6 - 6.5 kgs and still gaining. His formerly trim waistline has been replaced by a zeppelin shape in 6 months

We have a constant food source available here for my senior kittizens, but that's JBW Senior, lower calorie dry food. He does snack on this through the day and when the wet food is put down twice daily he's never first at the bowls, and isn't all that bothered about stick treats, Dreamies or chikkun either.

I don't want to change the feeding arrangements here too much as I also have three older cats (16+) who like their routines and prefer to graze in shifts rather than brave the free for all at set mealtimes when the younger ones get their Adult food.

All my other cats are within healthy weight ranges, even Sly has dropped to a trim 5kgs since I switched to JWB Senior, but George is just growing and growing!

George will not be collared, we both work full time and the catflap is always set to free access, so I'm stuck with how to find out where he's getting his extra calories from?

Is there perhaps a medical condition that would lead to weight gain? Could it be he's overfeeding here on JBW or is he, as I suspect, looking elsewhere for his calories

Author Topic: Obesity - greedy cat? (Read 2177 times)