Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Kirst on August 19, 2013, 19:06:38 PM

Title: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Kirst on August 19, 2013, 19:06:38 PM
Gizmo has always been a little on the *ahem* larger size but despite my best efforts I can't seem to get him to slim down! He is on special diet biccies
 from the vet and goes to cat fat club every fortnight, and although he's not gaining he's not losing either! The problem is, for a fat lad he's a bit of a stealth ninja where food is concerned and steals everybody else's given half a chance! And if there's nowt about he's not above catching himself a little snack ( tho at least that's exercise!) :tired:

I try to get him to play with da bird and his
laser toy but the little fluff all is bone idle! None of the others have this problem, in fact Beavis is too skinny! Help!
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Kay and Penny on August 20, 2013, 11:10:24 AM
you're not alone - Tiffany has weighed more than 6kg for years now, and I can't get any of it off her - I've even had to resort to buying a wheeled buggy to get her to the vet, as I find her too heavy to lift in a carrier :-[



the problem with her though is that she doesn't overeat - around 30gms of dry food a day and perhaps 50gms of wet is all she wants

she is now 11 but  can still jump to a good height - evidence below - but for how much longer?



   
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Dawn F on August 20, 2013, 11:19:59 AM
 :naughty: love that photo!  I used royal canin light for star and got about half a kg off of her but she isn't naturally greedy just had been fed kitten food
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 20, 2013, 12:24:19 PM
I think some cats are just pronre to this..............Misa and Sasa!

Sasa looks like Tiffany!

Misa we will not discuss cos sure he has put weight on this year and like Gizmo he cant walk past a dish without trying it!
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Lyn (Slugsta) on August 20, 2013, 16:00:27 PM
Alfie is also a little on the heavy side. He is very 'food driven', possibly as a result of fending for himself for a little while before he came to us. It is even worse recently because food is the only real way I have of rewarding him for being in the same room as Cleo!

It's not too bad at the moment as he is still young and fit, but I know it will be worse for him as he gets older. I did try to cut down his portions but he was genuinely miserable. I will have to look into some of the 'light' foods available.
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Susanne (urbantigers) on August 21, 2013, 08:30:41 AM
You could try reducing or ditching the dry food and feeding wet only or raw.  Dry food is higher carb than pure meat and light foods tend to be the worst culprits.  Its hard for cats to get fat on meat only.  It's usually the biccies wot do it!  ;)  I know that if Mosi starts looking a little chubby (rare but I have, on occasion, noticed him put on a little weight) it's because Ive overdone the biccies so I reduce those and he's gradually drops the little extra he's put on.
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: fluffybunny on August 21, 2013, 13:43:09 PM
This is Geoffrey too...the best success I have had is with RC obesity management, which got him down from 7.3 at his heaviest to just over 6kg (vet still thinks he should be nearer 5).  However recently I have had to swap him off RC as my other cat has developed an allergy to the ingredients and so I've put them both on bozita wet and orijens dry...both high meat content and grain free, but he has still regained and is now back to 7.1kg, sigh.  My biggest problem is that my other cat is a fusspot and will eat a couple of mouthfuls and wander off, so he often has two dinners/breakfasts etc.  It gives us issues on days we are out as if Milly turns her nose up at breakfast, she won't get any food all day unless we leave some biscuits down in the hope that she will get at least some of it.  I'm not sure which is the lesser of the evils!
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 21, 2013, 14:59:35 PM
Sasa almost only eats biccies now and also Misa, the just wont do meat much. Lupin is eating better and not just the jelly and doesnt really like biscuits.

But he has put on some weight at last.

Misa will gobble jelly and then immediately upchuck it...........sigh
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Lyn (Slugsta) on August 21, 2013, 15:23:18 PM
Cleo is just over 3kg, she will like off the jelly and leave the lumps of food behind. We have found that she will eat 'pate' style foods, particularly 'Whiskas supermeat' which, fortunately, seems to be the only thing in the world that Alfie will not eat!
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Sootyca on August 21, 2013, 16:15:05 PM
Sky was 7.5kg a month ago  :Crazy: :Crazy: :Crazy:

She was put on Hills metabolic biscuits and has lost .3kg in a month, we have seriously limited her food and been very strict.  Supervised meal times and no little extras like Dreamies.  The vet said metabolic food is fairly new and better than the calorie controlled ones as it works by speeding up their metabolism so they lose weight quicker.   

She likes the biscuits and we mix them with wet food and so far, touch wood, most of the time she doesn't seem hungry.

May be worth a try?

Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Kirst on August 21, 2013, 20:21:09 PM
Glad I'm not alone in this! Gizmo weight 7.5 k, although he is a BIG cat anyway, but there is definitely way too much Chubb! We did get excited a one weighin where it looked like he'd lost loads............then realised he didn't have his back paws properly on the scales! :tired:   :shify:
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 21, 2013, 22:52:47 PM
Misa also about 7.5 kilo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Kirst on August 21, 2013, 23:04:07 PM
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk165/kirsty1712/image.jpg) (http://s280.photobucket.com/user/kirsty1712/media/image.jpg.html)

The fat lad himself!
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Kay and Penny on August 21, 2013, 23:30:38 PM
I'm beginning to wonder if there is something in the ginger gene which predisposes to fat :shify:

handsome lot though, ain't they :Luv2:

Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Kirst on August 22, 2013, 09:02:37 AM
Thing is, his brother  is a right little slim Jim! Well, slim Jerry actually! I wonder if any of the others in the litter are predisposed to porkiness? Sharon Canterbury Cats, are you still on Purrs?  :shify:
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Lyn (Slugsta) on August 22, 2013, 16:32:16 PM
Oh my, what a handsome lad he is! Alfie is all black, BTW.
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Sootyca on August 22, 2013, 19:30:04 PM
Meet Sky....when we got her she was very underweight.....I think we/she has overcompensated. :)

Gizmo is gorgeous by the way. Looks perfectly proportioned :)
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on August 23, 2013, 13:19:43 PM
Love the new Sky LOL Looks a bit Misaish  ;D

Also love Gizmo, maybe its the longer fur  :shify: :shify:
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: fluffybunny on August 23, 2013, 23:16:30 PM
I'm beginning to wonder if there is something in the ginger gene which predisposes to fat :shify:

My vet has 2 ginger cats too and she says they're both fat (which is great as she can't tell me off :P).  We have discussed before whether there really is a gene which predisposes gingers to greediness/fat, or whether it's just that they're soooo gorgeoussss that we can't resist their pleading little faces and feed them too much  :naughty:
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Skiddaw on August 24, 2013, 14:37:56 PM
Well, the Munchkin is a big ginger & white boy and he's certainly a bit on the chunky side. Previous cat (Uncle M) was also ginger and large but despite being far more of a gut-bucket (there was nothing on the planet he wouldn't eat given half a chance) he remained long and lean all his life. I think, like humans, some cats are just meant to be a bit on the cuddly side  :Luv:
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: CuteCats on August 24, 2013, 16:43:02 PM
Your cuddly cats are certainly lovely looking anyway!  :Luv:

Maybe some are meant to be that way.  Blackie who I lost in April, was a lovely cuddly puss too.  He had a very long body and tall too, but pretty agile.  Ironically, the only time the vets thought his weight was better was when he started to get ill.  :(  Personally I don't care for these weight loss clinics, but do use Light dry foods for the older ones here.  If they make a little difference it's better than nothing. 
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: emmmy_lou on August 24, 2013, 23:45:00 PM
I don't know, I was wondering if there was something in the way people fed their cats? That doesn't really explain how you have one overweight and one under tho  :shocked:

I always leave dried food out, but give them wet food twice a day. Denzel does the licking the sauce off thing too... Dexter is the greedy  :censored: and is a ginger too! 
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: blackcat on August 25, 2013, 06:23:25 AM
mine are all a little tubby with Smidgen being the worst offender. They are indoor cats for all but about half an hour a day when they go out for a hunt and nibble at some grass. They are on a prescription diet which is allocated to them at the rate of one cup per day between them. This is of course entirely fictional as the large black lump to the left frequently scoffs whatever is in their bowl and unless i have checked it recently, I have no way of ensuring that the supplementary foods are of a similar proportion... and as you can see, they don't get much exercise really ...

and yes - that is the dog's bed which as you can see is well-used ...
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: girlinleeds on August 25, 2013, 19:46:09 PM
Since weve had bella shes gone from about 2kg to 3kg and she looks round, we've cut her food back but shes managing to convince neighbours shes starving and has 2nd breakfasts/lunches. Ive told everyone i know not to feed her as i worry the extra weight cant do her heart murmur anygood but not sure whos stil feeding her. We did really well and got her down to 2.5kg but then its crept up again even though shes eating the same at home.
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Lyn (Slugsta) on August 25, 2013, 20:23:40 PM
Crikey, that cat on the left is big!!   :rofl:

How old is Bella? 2.5kg sounds tiny, Cleo is 3.4kg and is very small.
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: girlinleeds on August 25, 2013, 21:12:33 PM
bella is about 2 years ish (shes a stray from a rescue) and she is a tiny cat, i think thats why people feed her as she looks small (not thin by any means) and has the worlds most pathetic meow it sounds like a squeak. Last time she was at the vets the vet said she was the right weight for her size so she really is too big now, just dont know how else to stop other people feeding her apart from attaching some sort of sign saying please dont feed me

bella just after she started going out
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/299832_10151299095817724_581147686_n.jpg)

Bella no quiet at her heaviest
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/943588_10151419294047724_1551542221_n.jpg)

just a slight gain  :-[
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Lyn (Slugsta) on August 25, 2013, 21:56:57 PM
Little Cleo has quite a deep, gruff miaow whilst big, butch Alfie has a very high pitched little cry!
Title: Re: Help, I can't get Gizmo to slim down!
Post by: Susanne (urbantigers) on August 26, 2013, 10:52:01 AM
I'm beginning to wonder if there is something in the ginger gene which predisposes to fat :shify:

handsome lot though, ain't they :Luv2:

Jaffa and Mosi are both ginger (don't tell Mosi I called him that - he prefers "red") and neither are overweight.  Jaffa has always been a very slender cat and now that he's older he's lost a bit of muscle tone and verging on skinny.  It's harder to tell with Mosi as he has such fluffy fur but when i explore underneath the fur  :shify: he's definitely a slender cat with very little fat around his middle.  Like I said earlier, he has on occasion felt like he was putting on a teeny bit of weight but that could just be my imagination (or his indignation at me feeling around his middle  :shify:).  If I ever feel that I pay attention to his dry food (he has grain free dry sprinkled on his wet) and make sure Im not over doing it.  he's never been what you would call overweight.

I guess I am just lucky to have cats who don't seem to have a predisposition to be overweight and/or will eat set meals (so no bowls of dry food down to nibble on).  I'm sure portion controlled food that is predominantly wet (100% wet in Jaffa's case and about 60/40 in Mosi's) is a help.  My Magpie wasn't the slightest bit overweight either (Jaffa's brother so shared some  of his genes).