cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

Cat is 18 lb. Should be 15. How many calories a day does he need to
attain and maintain 15 lb.? I think he needs to be on senior food
too.

He's 11 years old, neutered, not too active. Won't go outside unless
door is open for quick retreat - can't do that in the summer with the
a/c on. No health problems, tho.

Thanks.

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

"Kalmia" wrote in message
...
Cat is 18 lb. Should be 15. How many calories a day does he need to
attain and maintain 15 lb.? I think he needs to be on senior food
too.

He's 11 years old, neutered, not too active. Won't go outside unless
door is open for quick retreat - can't do that in the summer with the
a/c on. No health problems, tho.


Don't know about calories, because my vet did not put it that way. My cat
was 18 lbs and needed to be about 9 lbs. She lost 9 pounds in a year by
switching to canned food 12 hours apart instead of free feeding "diet" Iams
dry. He basically said, "cut her food back by 1/4. When she plateaus, cut it
back again." She was also older, about 10-11.

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

My fat, I mean fluffy boy O T probably should be a bit thinner but vet
hasn't said so....yet. Anyway when I had dogs, started by decreasing their
food about a quarter amount. Did this for three months then cut back
another quarter. Worked and they were satisfied as it didn't all disappear
at once. Just my 2 cants worth, don't see why it wouldn't work with the
cats.
"cybercat" wrote in message
...

"Kalmia" wrote in message
...
Cat is 18 lb. Should be 15. How many calories a day does he need to
attain and maintain 15 lb.? I think he needs to be on senior food
too.

He's 11 years old, neutered, not too active. Won't go outside unless
door is open for quick retreat - can't do that in the summer with the
a/c on. No health problems, tho.


Don't know about calories, because my vet did not put it that way. My cat
was 18 lbs and needed to be about 9 lbs. She lost 9 pounds in a year by
switching to canned food 12 hours apart instead of free feeding "diet"
Iams dry. He basically said, "cut her food back by 1/4. When she plateaus,
cut it back again." She was also older, about 10-11.

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

Kalmia wrote:
Cat is 18 lb. Should be 15. How many calories a day does he need to
attain and maintain 15 lb.? I think he needs to be on senior food
too.

He's 11 years old, neutered, not too active. Won't go outside unless
door is open for quick retreat - can't do that in the summer with the
a/c on. No health problems, tho.

Thanks.

My Burmese boy Monki reached 23 years old and never weighed more than
5kgs - generally around 4kgs in Summer. Living in Sydney with 40+ degree
heat in Summer and high humidity the aircon was on, however i had a cat
door that worked ok. he was fed 100g of dry food in the morning and
about 250g of fresh meat in the evening. Longevity and health is weight
related as it is in humans. So cut the food intake and enjoy healthier
and many more years of company.

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

The feeding recommendations are usually on the can or bag. I think
that canned food would be better as it isn't filled with carbs. Cats
don't eat carbs in the wild. Carbs make them fat. Usually 1 6 oz.
can per day is the recommended feeding.

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

Suddenly, without warning, Kalmia exclaimed (7/3/2009 8:15 PM):
Cat is 18 lb. Should be 15. How many calories a day does he need to
attain and maintain 15 lb.? I think he needs to be on senior food
too.

He's 11 years old, neutered, not too active. Won't go outside unless
door is open for quick retreat - can't do that in the summer with the
a/c on. No health problems, tho.

Thanks.


As others have said, for cats we don't talk about how many calories,
only how much food.

If you're free-feeding him dry, stop or slowly reduce the amount. Make
good quality canned food (grain-free if he's not a carbivore like my
cat) the basis of his diet.

As in people, fast weight loss isn't good. Gradual changes in diet, and
gradual weight loss.

Also, try to get him more active - a string or laser pointer is good to
start, you can try different toys to see what he likes - see if you can
get him to play about 15 minutes per day.

Good luck, your cat may not appreciate it but you're doing the right
thing. Stick to your guns and don't let him tell you he's starving to
death :)

jmc

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

On Jul 4, 7:36*am, jmc wrote:
Suddenly, without warning, Kalmia exclaimed (7/3/2009 8:15 PM):

Cat is 18 lb. *Should be 15. *How many calories a day does he need to
attain and maintain 15 lb.? *I think he needs to be on senior food
too.

He's 11 years old, neutered, not too active. *Won't go outside unless
door is open for quick retreat - can't do that in the summer with the
a/c on. *No health problems, tho.

Thanks.

As others have said, for cats we don't talk about how many calories,
only how much food.

If you're free-feeding him dry, stop or slowly reduce the amount. *Make
good quality canned food (grain-free if he's not a carbivore like my
cat) the basis of his diet.

As in people, fast weight loss isn't good. *Gradual changes in diet, and
gradual weight loss.

Also, try to get him more active - a string or laser pointer is good to
start, you can try different toys to see what he likes - see if you can
get him to play about 15 minutes per day.

Good luck, your cat may not appreciate it but you're doing the right
thing. *Stick to your guns and don't let him tell you he's starving to
death :)

jmc

I measured his food for a year - and still he gained 1/4 lb. I tried
the diet food - hated it and picked it out. (I'd mixed it with his
regular dry food). I've tried alternating wet and dry, giving wet
every third day.
Now he eats it as fast as he can. He had a recent physical, but no
trouble found. One other thing - he poops outside the box every once
in a while - esp. If I don't get up in time to scoop it to his
liking. I'm not about to get up in the night to clean a box.

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

"Kalmia" wrote
jmc

I measured his food for a year - and still he gained 1/4 lb. I tried
the diet food - hated it and picked it out. (I'd mixed it with his
regular dry food). I've tried alternating wet and dry, giving wet
every third day.
Now he eats it as fast as he can. He had a recent physical, but no
trouble found.

Feed him all canned. You'll be amazed at the change in him. Two portions 12
hours apart.


One other thing - he poops outside the box every once
in a while - esp. If I don't get up in time to scoop it to his
liking. I'm not about to get up in the night to clean a box.

Come back and talk to us when you figure out who is in charge.

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

Tonight starts his new regimen. Half a cup dry in the morning. Half a
can (not that itty bitty size) in the evening, but doled out in two
smaller portions. I may try to integrate some adult dry in with his
Iams regular dry.

We got out his toys and played a bit. He still loves 'mouse under the
pillow'.

Get on the floor with a wide, stiff leather belt and a small throw
pillow. Push the belt under the pilllow and out toward the cat. It
might look like a snake to him? You can move it fast, slow, from a
lot of angles - cat has no idea were it's coming from next and tries
to bat it. Why he can't figure out that it's ME pushing it....well,
he's a cat. (Maybe he DOES know.....)
He also love his 3 white feathers on a fishing pole.

Thanks for the suggestions.

cat needs to lose weight - calorie question
 

He KNOWS it is you, just doesn't want to spoil YOUR fun!
"Kalmia" wrote in message
...


Tonight starts his new regimen. Half a cup dry in the morning. Half a
can (not that itty bitty size) in the evening, but doled out in two
smaller portions. I may try to integrate some adult dry in with his
Iams regular dry.

We got out his toys and played a bit. He still loves 'mouse under the
pillow'.

Get on the floor with a wide, stiff leather belt and a small throw
pillow. Push the belt under the pilllow and out toward the cat. It
might look like a snake to him? You can move it fast, slow, from a
lot of angles - cat has no idea were it's coming from next and tries
to bat it. Why he can't figure out that it's ME pushing it....well,
he's a cat. (Maybe he DOES know.....)
He also love his 3 white feathers on a fishing pole.

Thanks for the suggestions.