If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
New cat question & weight question
Hi all. I am finally getting a new cat on Sunday from a shelter. I took my
Randi to the vet for shots yesterday. They said he is too fat - 15.75 lbs! And that he has a very slight heart murmur, which is more reason to make him lose some weight. It was hard when Elvis was here to distinguish who was eating what, but now it appears Randi is eating 2 or 2-1/2 3 oz. cans a day and very little dry food. The vet said to cut him down to one small can a day and two cups of dry. But he doesn't eat that much dry food. How much do your cats eat? He is a big cat, not just fat. When I get the new cat (an adult female) after I take her to the vet right away for bloodwork, when she gets the clear and I can bring her home, I need some suggestions for introducing them to each other. With Randi, he was only 9 weeks old and Elvis was mad at me for a day and then he mothered him. I kept Randi in a separate room for a couple days and then they were fine. Just would like to get your suggestions. Thanks, Carol Oh, and my vet has KITTENS available in a couple weeks! They aren't ready yet but I think I am going to get two. Or three. lol |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
"ElvisRocks" wrote in message ... Hi all. I am finally getting a new cat on Sunday from a shelter. Good! :-) I took my Randi to the vet for shots yesterday. They said he is too fat - 15.75 lbs! And that he has a very slight heart murmur, which is more reason to make him lose some weight. It was hard when Elvis was here to distinguish who was eating what, but now it appears Randi is eating 2 or 2-1/2 3 oz. cans a day and very little dry food. The vet said to cut him down to one small can a day and two cups of dry. Two cups of dry/day, in addition to the 3 oz. of wet food!? Holy mackerel, but that's a LOT of food! 3 oz. of wet, plus 1/2 - 3/4 cup of dry, maybe... IMO/E, for that size of a cat. I had an overweight medium-sized cat who weighed 13½ lbs. The vet put her on a diet of 1/2 cup Science Diet Light/day. That was it. She very slowly (as is advisable) lost weight over the next few years on that diet - to 9½ - 10 lbs. I also fed her *tiny* little treats - a few shreds of cheese, a Tbs. or 2 of milk, some cantaloupe cubes, etc. Enough to give her occasional treats, but not to wreck her weight-loss diet. Cathy But he doesn't eat that much dry food. How much do your cats eat? He is a big cat, not just fat. When I get the new cat (an adult female) after I take her to the vet right away for bloodwork, when she gets the clear and I can bring her home, I need some suggestions for introducing them to each other. With Randi, he was only 9 weeks old and Elvis was mad at me for a day and then he mothered him. I kept Randi in a separate room for a couple days and then they were fine. Just would like to get your suggestions. Thanks, Carol Oh, and my vet has KITTENS available in a couple weeks! They aren't ready yet but I think I am going to get two. Or three. lol |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
I'm thinking she meant 1/2.
Don't you think? "Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message ... "ElvisRocks" wrote in message ... Hi all. I am finally getting a new cat on Sunday from a shelter. Good! :-) I took my Randi to the vet for shots yesterday. They said he is too fat - 15.75 lbs! And that he has a very slight heart murmur, which is more reason to make him lose some weight. It was hard when Elvis was here to distinguish who was eating what, but now it appears Randi is eating 2 or 2-1/2 3 oz. cans a day and very little dry food. The vet said to cut him down to one small can a day and two cups of dry. Two cups of dry/day, in addition to the 3 oz. of wet food!? Holy mackerel, but that's a LOT of food! 3 oz. of wet, plus 1/2 - 3/4 cup of dry, maybe... IMO/E, for that size of a cat. I had an overweight medium-sized cat who weighed 13½ lbs. The vet put her on a diet of 1/2 cup Science Diet Light/day. That was it. She very slowly (as is advisable) lost weight over the next few years on that diet - to 9½ - 10 lbs. I also fed her *tiny* little treats - a few shreds of cheese, a Tbs. or 2 of milk, some cantaloupe cubes, etc. Enough to give her occasional treats, but not to wreck her weight-loss diet. Cathy But he doesn't eat that much dry food. How much do your cats eat? He is a big cat, not just fat. When I get the new cat (an adult female) after I take her to the vet right away for bloodwork, when she gets the clear and I can bring her home, I need some suggestions for introducing them to each other. With Randi, he was only 9 weeks old and Elvis was mad at me for a day and then he mothered him. I kept Randi in a separate room for a couple days and then they were fine. Just would like to get your suggestions. Thanks, Carol Oh, and my vet has KITTENS available in a couple weeks! They aren't ready yet but I think I am going to get two. Or three. lol |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Yes, he probably did. But he only eats a few mouthfuls of dry a day.
"Karen" wrote in message ... I'm thinking she meant 1/2. Don't you think? "Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message ... "ElvisRocks" wrote in message ... Hi all. I am finally getting a new cat on Sunday from a shelter. Good! :-) I took my Randi to the vet for shots yesterday. They said he is too fat - 15.75 lbs! And that he has a very slight heart murmur, which is more reason to make him lose some weight. It was hard when Elvis was here to distinguish who was eating what, but now it appears Randi is eating 2 or 2-1/2 3 oz. cans a day and very little dry food. The vet said to cut him down to one small can a day and two cups of dry. Two cups of dry/day, in addition to the 3 oz. of wet food!? Holy mackerel, but that's a LOT of food! 3 oz. of wet, plus 1/2 - 3/4 cup of dry, maybe... IMO/E, for that size of a cat. I had an overweight medium-sized cat who weighed 13½ lbs. The vet put her on a diet of 1/2 cup Science Diet Light/day. That was it. She very slowly (as is advisable) lost weight over the next few years on that diet - to 9½ - 10 lbs. I also fed her *tiny* little treats - a few shreds of cheese, a Tbs. or 2 of milk, some cantaloupe cubes, etc. Enough to give her occasional treats, but not to wreck her weight-loss diet. Cathy But he doesn't eat that much dry food. How much do your cats eat? He is a big cat, not just fat. When I get the new cat (an adult female) after I take her to the vet right away for bloodwork, when she gets the clear and I can bring her home, I need some suggestions for introducing them to each other. With Randi, he was only 9 weeks old and Elvis was mad at me for a day and then he mothered him. I kept Randi in a separate room for a couple days and then they were fine. Just would like to get your suggestions. Thanks, Carol Oh, and my vet has KITTENS available in a couple weeks! They aren't ready yet but I think I am going to get two. Or three. lol |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Oh, well, since you are trying to get him to lose weight I wouldn't worry
that he doesn't eat dry. I'm excited about your new kitty. "ElvisRocks" wrote in message ... Yes, he probably did. But he only eats a few mouthfuls of dry a day. "Karen" wrote in message ... I'm thinking she meant 1/2. Don't you think? "Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message ... "ElvisRocks" wrote in message ... Hi all. I am finally getting a new cat on Sunday from a shelter. Good! :-) I took my Randi to the vet for shots yesterday. They said he is too fat - 15.75 lbs! And that he has a very slight heart murmur, which is more reason to make him lose some weight. It was hard when Elvis was here to distinguish who was eating what, but now it appears Randi is eating 2 or 2-1/2 3 oz. cans a day and very little dry food. The vet said to cut him down to one small can a day and two cups of dry. Two cups of dry/day, in addition to the 3 oz. of wet food!? Holy mackerel, but that's a LOT of food! 3 oz. of wet, plus 1/2 - 3/4 cup of dry, maybe... IMO/E, for that size of a cat. I had an overweight medium-sized cat who weighed 13½ lbs. The vet put her on a diet of 1/2 cup Science Diet Light/day. That was it. She very slowly (as is advisable) lost weight over the next few years on that diet - to 9½ - 10 lbs. I also fed her *tiny* little treats - a few shreds of cheese, a Tbs. or 2 of milk, some cantaloupe cubes, etc. Enough to give her occasional treats, but not to wreck her weight-loss diet. Cathy But he doesn't eat that much dry food. How much do your cats eat? He is a big cat, not just fat. When I get the new cat (an adult female) after I take her to the vet right away for bloodwork, when she gets the clear and I can bring her home, I need some suggestions for introducing them to each other. With Randi, he was only 9 weeks old and Elvis was mad at me for a day and then he mothered him. I kept Randi in a separate room for a couple days and then they were fine. Just would like to get your suggestions. Thanks, Carol Oh, and my vet has KITTENS available in a couple weeks! They aren't ready yet but I think I am going to get two. Or three. lol |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
"ElvisRocks" wrote in message ... Hi all. I am finally getting a new cat on Sunday from a shelter. I took my Randi to the vet for shots yesterday. They said he is too fat - 15.75 lbs! And that he has a very slight heart murmur, which is more reason to make him lose some weight. It was hard when Elvis was here to distinguish who was eating what, but now it appears Randi is eating 2 or 2-1/2 3 oz. cans a day and very little dry food. The vet said to cut him down to one small can a day and two cups of dry. But he doesn't eat that much dry food. How much do your cats eat? He is a big cat, not just fat. Hiya Carol. How're ya doin'? A neutered, inactive 15.75 lb cat needs about 286-300 kcal/day (figure 40-45 kcal/kg/day). Most 3 oz cans of cat food contain about 85-100 kcals. So, 3 cans 3 oz cans - without the dry food - would be pretty close to his maintenance diet. For him to lose weight *safely*, you'll need to reduce his daily caloric intake by no more than 25% - or to about 214 kcal/day - or about 2 cans. You can leave out about 1/4 cup of dry to fill in the remaining kcals. I could give you a more accurate estimate if you let me know which canned and dry foods he's eating. When I get the new cat (an adult female) after I take her to the vet right away for bloodwork, when she gets the clear and I can bring her home, I need some suggestions for introducing them to each other. Randi has just lost a life-long companion. Are you absolutely sure he's in the right frame of mind to handle the introduction and presence of a new cat(s)? Some cats take longer than others to go through the greiving process - especially if they were very close. With Randi, he was only 9 weeks old and Elvis was mad at me for a day and then he mothered him. I kept Randi in a separate room for a couple days and then they were fine. Just would like to get your suggestions. If you feel Randi is ready, the best way to begin the introduction process is one sense at a time -- let them adjust to each other's scent before actually seeing and meeting each other. Set up a 'sanctuary room' for the new cat. Put her food and water bowls and a litterbox and a *new* scratching post in the room and make sure the room has a few hiding places and cubby holes where she can hide and feel safe when she needs to. You can also put a towel over the carrier and leave the gate open. This allows her to adjust to her new home in security and also doesn't make Randi feel like his tuff is being invaded. Initially, keep the door to the sanctuary room closed. After a few days, switch the cats. Once you see that the cats are adjusting to each others' scent, you can stack 3 gates in the doorway (which you can return after the introduction) so the cats can see each other and approach each other as closely as they feel comfortable. Don't try to force or entice the cats to approach each other - let them approach each other through the gate in their own time. If things get nasty, you can still close the door with the gates in place (just make sure you place the gates on the inside of the door frame. http://www.maxshouse.com/introducing_cats.htm Once you see the cats approaching each other in peace - a few hisses and spits are normal - start placing their food and water bowls on the far side of each room and gradually inch them closer to the gate. When the cats are able to eat with both bowls touching the gates - you can start letting the cats approach each other 'in person' without the gates but closely supervised. Keep a blanket handy in case of a fight. The first few meetings should be short and gradually increase the time together. If you see one or both cats getting nervous or aggressive - put the new cat back in the sanctuary room before a fight develops. A serious fight at the beginning can cause permanent damage to their relationship. I'm sure others can add to this, this was just the basics. Thanks, Carol Oh, and my vet has KITTENS available in a couple weeks! They aren't ready yet but I think I am going to get two. Or three. lol Littermates and young kittens are great to watch grow up together! Many become *very* close and best buds for life. The only problem is that they usually ignore *us* and would rather play with each other! Best of luck. Phil. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Weight loss program for obese cat | [email protected] | Cat health & behaviour | 1 | February 1st 05 02:33 PM |
Mixing Rice with Canned Cat Food | Randabana | Cat health & behaviour | 35 | January 15th 05 11:13 PM |
*sigh* Tucker's weight, again | Rene | Cat health & behaviour | 94 | September 9th 04 09:01 PM |
Need serious and personal advice on putting my 2 overweight cats on a diet... | jjmoreta | Cat health & behaviour | 27 | September 9th 03 01:53 PM |