my fat cat

by scott
(newton falls, ohio, USA)

her doing what she loves lol

her doing what she loves lol

If you could, tell me how many times a day should i feed my cat? she is a orange tabby and weighs 17 lbs and is 3 years old. im feeding her mostly wet food and no treats (she doesnt seem to care for them) She begs all the time and i hate to ignore her. She needs to lose around 3 pounds according to my vet. she loves to play but usually only if i play with her or she looses interest pretty fast. I try to space out her feedings and give her only a little at a time around 6 times in a 24 hour period. any suggestions? i made a donation because i know your time is valuable. Thanks ahead of time!


Scott

Answer by KAte
Hi Scott
Oh she is a big girl isn't she.
the rule is usually between two and three meals a day. But I know some cats prefer lot of smaller meals throughout the day rather than three bigger ones, (my own cat for example)

With your cat your vet should have perhaps advised if there were any particular lower calorie brands of cat food available, if not then roughly how much she needs to eat to be able to lose weight over time.

Often fat cats find it hard to loose weight because their bodies have got used to the amount of food given (even if it is the correct amount) against the level of activity they do and hangs onto fat.

the key is regular every day running around games with your cat EVERY DAY perhaps just before meal times. if this is kept up over a long period of time the cats metabolism will change and start to burn calories even when inactive (same as us humans).
Always follow the food guidance on the side of the can when feeding.

But Scott you will have to be strong too if she is to loose weight, no more giving into crying and begging and regular playing.

Good Luck

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My Fat Cat
by: m

Hello Scott
What a beautiful cat!
Assisting a cat to trim down their weight is sometimes a difficult task but very necessary for their health as being overweight makes them prone to illness such as feline diabetes and others.
I adopted a cat 3 years ago who was going to be euthanized because he was extreamly overweight and was considered "un-adoptable" because adoptive families feared he would have on-going health problems because of his weight.

I could not allow his life to be taken because he was overweight which was caused by his prior owner keeping him for 5 years in a tiny bathroom and no room to exercise and play.
His name is BIG OZZY and his story is listed here under rescue stories if you want to read it.

Ozzy weighed a whopping 40 pounds when I adopted him. The vet advised me that Ozzy was indeed in jeapordy of health issues including diabetes unless he lost a significant amount of weight.
The vet advised me how much (or how little) he could have daily to help him reduce his pounds.

He also advised me that a cat CANNOT lost weight rapidly or they are prone to fatty liver disease which is sometimes fatal.
He stressed to me the importance of being consistant with his reduction of food, he also advised me about the BEST foods in weight loss reduction (wet food is good in meager amounts as it allows the cat to get proper water content) which is VERY important for a feline.
He told me that many overweight cats are not interested in play time as they are sluggish but told me to still be diligent in trying to get him to play several times a day.
Ozzy was not interested in play time until I bought a LAZER LIGHT.
That light did the trick.
I would sit on the sofa and watch him chase that light all over the room and I laughed so hard it made me cry. I had never seen a fat cat run and jump like that before buying that light.

Today Ozzy has lost down from 40 pounds to 27 pounds (still a big boy) but much healthier than he was at 40 pounds and he has adjusted to his reduced diet and caloric intake and is doing well and still losing (but SLOWLY) to asure that he does not get ill from losing too rapidly.
Your vet will give you all the right pointers on what you need to lower your kittys weight and in what time frame.
But the important thing is SLOW PACE and consistant feeding amounts and feeding patterns until his desired weight is obtained.
Good luck to you and your beautiful cat.
Get that lazer light.
You and your kitty will have hours of fun with it. I guarantee.

Best wishes

Mary in NC, USA

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