They need to lose 20 pounds

Okay, maybe not 20 pounds.  Maybe 5, or even 7 though… Chelsea and Derek have turned into manatees.  I’ve cut back their food time and time again hoping to see some gradual weight loss, and it isn’t happening.  By my calculations, they’ve spent the month eating 123 calories of food each day, the amount of food recommended for “maintenance” of a 5 pound cat, and they haven’t lost an ounce.  Granted, they’re pretty sedentary, (although their activity level has increased since the kittens were released into the general population), but I don’t like how heavy they’ve become, and I know it isn’t healthy for them.  I don’t need any diabetic cats to add to our pet health woes.

Now that I’ve got a month’s worth of good “eating data” in hand, we’ve got a vet appointment Friday afternoon for both of them.  It’s been a challenge since the kittens were weaned to try to keep everyone’s food separate, and I’m hoping to find a food solution via vet consultation which will allow us to feed everyone the same thing most of the time.  Right now, the adult cats eat Waltham Urinary SO (canned and dry), because Derek needs it, and the kittens eat Royal Canin and Merrick canned food.  I’m hoping the vet will allow me to experiment with feeding the all the cats the Merrick canned food once a day, with free-feeding of a reduced-calorie kibble like Innova.  That will give the adult cats a lot of moisture in their diet (from the cans), but will still allow them to pick at kibble if they’re hungry during the day.  I’ll be able to give the kittens extra feedings of wet food to ensure they get enough calories to grow up strong and bothersome.  If I make sure every room has the same kibble, I won’t catch Derek in the kitten’s room, eating 450-calorie-per-cup “Babycat”.  I’d of course have to keep an eye on Derek’s bladder and take him in for regular urinalysis, but I’d like to see if there’s an alternative to feeding the prescription diet all the time.  It obviously just doesn’t agree with Derek and Chelsea (although they like eating it), and maybe there are some other food options we can explore.  My last cat, Sweet Pea, was just “free fed”, and although she was slightly heavy, it was nothing like what these two are.

For the record, neither Chelsea nor Derek have any symptoms of hypothyroidism, which I know is rare in cats anyway.  They weren’t nearly this heavy when I was feeding them regular Innova kibble last summer, so I think something in the prescription diet is messing with their metabolism.  I hope to have some conclusive answers by Friday evening.  By the way, the Merrick canned food rocks—if you’re looking for a good-quality canned food for your cat, this stuff is wonderful.  It’s not cheap, but it’s got good quality ingredients, is “low glycemic”, and the cats really seem to enjoy it.  I’ve offered the kittens a few brands of wet food, including Eagle Pack, Felidae, and Science Diet, but they jump on their hind legs when I put a bowl of Merrick down for them.  Mmmm, Grammy’s Pot Pie…

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 03/22 at 10:53 PM

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  1. I just ran across your journal by “accident”.. not that there are any, in my opinion. I have been using Wellness Cat food for my kids, and have been really pleased with it. I have stopped ALL dry food, since the kitten from hell ( Lucyfur)gets diarrhea from the smallest amount, and finally we have had an amazing reduction in “hurls” from all of them. I feed 4 times a day so they don’t “starve” to death, using the same amount of food in smaller portions that I would use feeding twice a day.

    I love what you have been doing on your journal. I will be linking it to mine. I also have another journal or two-
    http://journals.aol.com/hpmiou/TheMondayandFridayMewsGazette/

    and http://journals.aol.com/kneadstoknow/TheLightSideOfCatKeeping/

    As far as I am concerned ” cheap food” is expensive in the long run. Providing high quality food certainly boosts the health of our pets, thus preventing serious problems down the line… not only in financial cost, but suffering and illness which may be avoided. But..it is hard to convince folks to do this. I am by no means a weatlthy person, only rich in the company of three delightful felines. Two are Oriental Shorthairs which I adopted as they were not “show quality” and had special needs. My third furkid is Lucyfur, who I adopted from my vet as a three month old runt.. boy has she grown..

    I love what you are doing here, and I am SO glad I found this.

    Jo

    Posted by Jo  on  03/23  at  06:42 AM

  2. What I want to know is, how someone like you who ISN’T EVEN OBESE can dare PURPORT to know when a cat needs to lose twenty pounds?!?

    Sorry, couldn’t resist. 

    And after the latest mean-spirited attacks you’ve endured, I can’t even tell you about the happy healthy way my precious cat Finnovar lost 5 lbs and returned to a healthy weight.  Because what did it is when I bought my darling dog Sprocket, he forced The Finn to get off his furry behind and play. He actually exercised.  But as we now know that was a horrible, horrible thing to do because Sprocket is a purebred purchased from a (gasp) maniacal Daughter of Satan disguised as a reputable breeder.

    Posted by Helly  on  03/23  at  02:02 PM

  3. Hi Jo—thanks for stopping by!  We’ve tried the Wellness brand with our dogs and it seemed to give them upset stomachs, so I’ve stayed away from it with the cats so far.  The people at our local “premium pet food store” highly recommend it, though, and it was also on the Whole Dog Journal’s list of approved foods.  I think our dogs are just weird about food :p One thing I like about Wellness is that it’s fairly easy to find, which isn’t the same with many other premium brands.

    Your comment about Wellness making your cats “hurl” less was intriguing, because that’s definitely an issue with one of our fat cats.  She never “hurls” the wet food, just the kibble (which is another reason why I’m confused by her weight gain).  Thanks for the reminder to mention this to the vet tomorrow—I’m going to sit down in the morning and make a list of things I need to remember.

    I added your sites to my blogroll, and found them very interesting—I especially enjoy all the photos.  I apologize in advance because I shortened the title of your “Mews Catzette” blog so the title wouldn’t wrap in the sidebar.  I wish I was an anal-retentive about housework as I am about my sidebar.

    In short, thanks saying hello… I’m pretty sure I know how you found me, and I appreciate you taking the time to decide for yourself whether or not I’m a lunatic :-)

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  03/24  at  12:56 AM

  4. Hey Helly—I’m well on my way to becoming obese, but purely for research purposes, of course.  Why wear one of those wimpy “fat suits” when you can wear the real fat?!  Soon I too shall be an expert and will be able to comment without being mocked for merely wearing “size large”.

    I wish having dogs caused our cats to exercise, but it seems to just make them either a) hide under the sofa, or b) hide on top of the cat tree.  It involves a lot of being stationary, except for Derek, who likes dogs a lot and uses them as napping partners.  Perhaps I need to break out the whips and chains to see some action around here.

    Is a Daughter of Satan like a Daughter of the American Revolution?  I’d bet the DAS has much better parties.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  03/24  at  01:02 AM

  5. This is so funny.. both of us posting on our fat cats on the same day.  Yes.. it is a problem.  Bear is actually such a fussy eater.. until he finds something he likes.  He absolutely refuses any form of wet cat food.. and like you.. last year when he was so sick I researched and learned a lot about the various forms and types of cat food.  I too learned the benefits of wet food.  But Bear will have none of it.  So finally I found a high-end cat food (kibble) that he will eat and as of yesterday I am strictly controlling the portion size.  I will give him a couple of months and if there is no evidence of results.. off to the Vet we go.  Good luck in her kitty weight loss journey.  Keep us posted.

    Posted by Simply Coll  on  03/24  at  07:57 AM

  6. Yup, Leigh-Ann.. you know how I found you!Thanks for linking my blogs to yours. I really appreciate it a lot. Getting the information out is so important.

    For any of your Florida readers, who live in the Central Florida area near Orlando or Daytona Beach, I would love to recommend two veterinary clinics who are super with felines. Of course, one is a Cat Only vet,
    http://www.kittydoctor.vetsuite.
    By the way, the cat she is holding in the picture on her website is my beautiful Hush Puppy, Oriental Shorthair kitty, from a very reputable breeder in NJ. So I guess I love to brag about him..

    And the other one is Florida Wild Veterinary Hospital in Deland,Florida, Dr. Erin Holder.
    http://www.floridawildvethospital.com/com/default.asp

    She treats all kinds of pets, and specializes in birds and exotic pets.

    One of the things that also has been helping my kitties to slim down, is to try and exercize them each day with a feline flier..a feather on a string kind of thing. They love it.. and it wears ME out.

    Jo

    Posted by Jo  on  03/24  at  11:07 AM
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