Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Desley (booktigger) on August 24, 2007, 07:34:48 AM

Title: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on August 24, 2007, 07:34:48 AM
Lucy had her weigh in last night, and has managed to go from 7.7 to 7.8kg, despite looking as though she has lost some weight (if you stand above her, her back end actually looks like a normal cat now!!), she is carrying most of it on her front end, so much fat round her front legs it is untrue. She got some dry that she doesn't normally get over the weekend when I was sorting out Tiger's biscuits, but other than that, we have been really strict and playing more. I am running out of idea's with her, as the majority of what I did with Tom she wont do, such as eating at the top of the stairs so she has to run up and down them more. I also need to replace the lazer pen, that might help a bit, as although she plays with the other toys, she doesn't run as much. I am wondering if it would be better to home her while she is overweight, in the hope we can find someone who can work more on her, maybe she just needs more time, she could be more active while I am out at work.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Beccles on August 24, 2007, 13:37:36 PM
Desley I wonder if hydrotherapy (making them swim - with a harness for safety) might work? I mean, she'd absolutely HATE it... but it'd get them legs going.

Have all medical causes been ruled out?

She couldn't be pregnant could she?  :shify:
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Millys Mum on August 24, 2007, 17:44:04 PM
Sorry to hear the little butter has managed to put on a 100g, maybe she had a huge poo in there and has actually lost a little bit  :rofl:

Has she had blood tests run?
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: JackSpratt on August 25, 2007, 11:37:26 AM
Gah! She's a stubborn one. :) Hmmm....how to make Lucy excercise when you're out....?
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on August 25, 2007, 12:30:25 PM
Don't think I would try teh hydrotherapy route, even if I had heard it was available in my area. No bloods have been done yet, and there are very few things that cause weight gain in cats, i personally think i would be wasting the rescue's money. Da bird came today, and have never seen her jump and roll over as much, so will see what effect that makes on next months weigh in before I do anything more, so feeling better about the situation today.
No chance of her being pregnant, she has been in our care since Nov
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Bazsmum on August 25, 2007, 18:06:19 PM
Da Bird looks like it could give the laziest cats a great workout  :)

Gosh one cat your upset for the gain....another you are happy (Tiger) dont know how you keep up with them  :Crazy:

You need to record her through the day like (Tiggy's mum) Helen lol!  ;)
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Millys Mum on August 26, 2007, 10:46:14 AM
Hopefully Da Bird will help slim her down.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on August 28, 2007, 11:31:30 AM
I do hope it works, will see what she is like next month and then decide what to do.
ITs all good fun Ruth, I would be bored otherwise!!
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: chrisleitz on August 28, 2007, 14:41:51 PM
Hi Des, I hope Da Bird works for Lucy.  I have the same issue with Pepper.  At the beginning of her obese diet, she had lost 200g in 3 weeks (from 6.3 kg to 6.1kg) and I was really chuffed.  On her 2nd weighting 4 weeks on, she hadn't lost anything.  I then had to reduce her food even further to 40g per day.  We are going for her 3rd weighing tonight, so I hope she has lost some more.  Pepper was initally afraid of Da Bird but now started to play, although she prefers to run after it rather than jump up.   She is very unfit and stops soon, unlike Buddie who is obsessed with it.
Good luck with Lucy.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: chrisleitz on August 28, 2007, 17:54:43 PM
Des, don't be frustrated or loose hope. 
I have just come back from Pepper's weighting and lazy girl has lost another 200g (now she is 5.9kg - only another 1.5kg to go ).  I'm sure Da Bird has helped.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: CurlyCatz on August 28, 2007, 18:43:44 PM
des how old is lucy ?

My fraser has been on r/d a couple of times in his life and just now doesnt need to lose but he still looks beefy in the front end tapering at the back, I put this down to muscle wastage as hes getting older (getting on for 14 i think)
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Mark on August 28, 2007, 19:11:34 PM
I ordered Kylies 2nd bag of r/d today so she has been on it for about a month. I can't see any visible weight loss - I have seen her pinch willow's food a couple of times. I have to let willow graze otherwise she will waste away. I will take a view after the 2nd bag. If there is no noticeable loss I will try her on the other obesity food (the metabolic one) it is frustrating  >:(
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: CurlyCatz on August 29, 2007, 07:50:26 AM
a month isnt long at all for a cats weight loss Mark so maybe you'd be better giving it abit longer after this bag incase chopping and changing the type puts her off.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on August 29, 2007, 07:53:49 AM
Lucy is 7, I didn't rate r/d when I last tried it, so haven't gone down that route yet, she is on wet food only, although it isn't working as well as with Tom, but he was more active, despite being twice Lucy's age!! Will see what happens after a month of Da Bird I think, but if she isn't losing much more, it might be better to home her overweight if she will go to people that have more time
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: CurlyCatz on August 29, 2007, 07:59:57 AM
ah right so she's not really in frasers catagory then regarding age and shape.

Good luck ,  getting lazy cats to excercise is such hard work.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on August 29, 2007, 08:02:48 AM
No, defo not - Ginger had that problem though. She is bigger at the front than the back, never known a cat wiht so much flab round their front legs, so hopefully the jumping up for Da Bird will help.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on September 01, 2007, 11:10:20 AM
Am going to have a word with the rescue lady today and see if she will agree to me putting Lucy up for rehoming now - it will be a very strict vetting process though, so it might take a while to get the right person, but I do think she would be better with someone who is around more than I am.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on September 01, 2007, 19:40:09 PM
Well, the rescue lady agreed, so Lucy is now on the CC rehoming page, and will get Kelly to put her on the website asap. Fingers crossed that we can find the perfect person who can do more for her weight loss than I can. She's a lovely cat though, and I know that even when I rehome her, she will niggle at me, cos I have failed to get her to lose enough weight before doing it, and I will have to trust a stranger to do it instead. According to the rescues vet, she is relatively the same obeseness as the people who were prosecuted for having an overweight dog.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Bazsmum on September 01, 2007, 20:02:11 PM
According to the rescues vet, she is relatively the same obeseness as the people who were prosecuted for having an overweight dog.

Gosh sounds shocking  :scared: Great news though that she is now on CC's re-homing page  ;)
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on September 02, 2007, 12:45:25 PM
I know, I hope a home doesn't come up for a while for her, as I am slightly reluctant to rehome her while she is still so obese, but she has only managed to go from 8.05 to 7.8 here, and she has been here since the beginning of March, she has managed at least two months where she has either stayed the same or put son, which is worse than I had with Tom (and had more cats in at the time!!), so I think deep down I know she needs to be somewhere else, just feels like I am giving up on her - but, most rescues dont have the capacity to keep a cat like Lucy and do the work to get her to lose weight, so I suppose if she had gone elsewhere, she could have been homed at her heaviest. Vet did warn it would be harder though as she has more to lose. I will still work with her though, and she might get to go a bit lighter than now!!
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on September 06, 2007, 08:02:43 AM
She has got bored with Da Bird already!! Didn't bring it out on Tues night hoping she would be more interested last night but no!! Couldnt get her interested in anything except the treat ball last night though.
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Bazsmum on September 06, 2007, 15:09:34 PM
Dear me....she has a real food fettish  :scared:
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on September 06, 2007, 19:21:18 PM
Yep - I confused her yesterday, I closed the hole on her treat ball until she had played more!! She couldnt' understand why nothing was coming out of it!!
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on September 06, 2007, 20:40:03 PM
I have found that mine only play with da birdy for about 5 mins and now only bring it out every other day. Sasa still loves it and she looks like she is loosing weight!
Title: Re: Frustrated
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on September 07, 2007, 07:47:45 AM
I am going to hide it all weekend and see if it gives her interest in it again. We had some slight success with balls of tin foil last night!! Glad Sasa looks like she is losing weight.