# Cat Diet



## MiniGoatsRule (Feb 4, 2020)

Hey guys, me again.

Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.

Any ideas on what to do?

-MiniGoatsRule


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## Beekissed (Feb 4, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Hey guys, me again.
> 
> Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.
> 
> ...



Cut back on feed amounts?


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## MiniGoatsRule (Feb 5, 2020)

That might be tricky since he free feeds. We could try. We have changed to a different food for him that should help a bit, not much, but something is better than nothing


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## Beekissed (Feb 5, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> That might be tricky since he free feeds. We could try. We have changed to a different food for him that should help a bit, not much, but something is better than nothing



Free feeding could be the problem.  Some cats or dogs can free feed and will limit themselves to just what will keep them nourished and no more....and some will overeat to obesity.   I'd measure out a bit less than a cup of feed and give it that and no more.


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## LMK17 (Feb 5, 2020)

I second cutting out the free feeding. Also, I'm a big fan of slow feeders/foraging toys/puzzle feeders for all my animals. Our indoor cats have ball feeders.  I measure their ration into the ball, close it up, and the cats have to bat it around in order to make the food fall out a few pieces at a time. It gives the kitties exercise and caters to cats' instinct to work/hunt for their food. It also occupies them for far longer than just gulping food out of a bowl would. Since a ball would surely go missing outside, our barn cats have other feeding toys that are stationary but still make them work a bit. One is a platform with hollow tubes that the cats have to stick their paws into to fish out the food. The other is a bowl with little soft "spikes." With that one, the cats have to use their paws to maneuver the kibble through the spikes and to the edge of the bowl before they can eat it.


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## High Desert Cowboy (Feb 5, 2020)

I fed my daughters cat Lena a fixed amount and she just got fatter and fatter.  When I cut down on her feed I noticed she still was getting fat, and finally one day I caught her in my dog food!  I can’t say I’ve never known a cat that could self limit on feed.  Make sure you put any feed in a container they can’t get into.  Dog, cat, even chicken feed (I kid you not) now are in closed tubs and Lena has a neck again.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Feb 18, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Hey guys, me again.
> 
> Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.
> 
> ...


Oh my. That would be very difficult... I know those cats will eat anything edible just to fill themselves to the brim, My neighbour's cats even resort to stealing just to eat.


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## LickTheCow (Feb 19, 2020)

You don’t just need to put him on a diet, you need to make him exercise! If you need help with that, I can tell you how...

My housecat needs daily exercise, so I can tell you exactly what you need.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Feb 20, 2020)

LickTheCow said:


> You don’t just need to put him on a diet, you need to make him exercise! If you need help with that, I can tell you how...
> 
> My housecat needs daily exercise, so I can tell you exactly what you need.


How can you make a cat do exercise? If this is real... I'm gonna let my cat do some training


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## Beekissed (Feb 20, 2020)

You can do laser tag with him if he'll chase a laser dot.  If not, you can use a cat toy he will chase and play with him for a prescribed amount of time each day.   Evening/night time is a good time, as that's when cats are generally more active and wanting to "hunt".   When I babysit at my son's house, I do this for his young cat each evening....calms her down and she stops pouncing on the kids so much.   I make sure to make the laser go up and down furniture, making her climb, come down, run across the room, then up and across again....over and over.  

If you can get him to walk on a leash, you can even take them for a walk each day, much like a dog, even if it's just around the yard several times.


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## LickTheCow (Feb 21, 2020)

YourRabbitGirl said:


> How can you make a cat do exercise? If this is real... I'm gonna let my cat do some training



This is indeed real! My indoor cat, Daisy, needs everyday stimulation because she’s a Sokoke mix. (Sokoke cats are extra robust!)

One, I use toys. Toys I can throw. She seems to like it when birds fly, so a flying toy is just as good!
I also use toys that she can play with herself, that dangle from a string and attach to something.
Catnip toys are also good, but some cats don’t like catnip.

Some things I don’t do with her is the running wheel, food-holding toys, etc.

Food-holding toys make your cat work for their food, so they eat slower and even eat less.

The running wheel is... interesting. Your cat has to be toy or treat-motivated. When they first start, it takes a bit for them to get used to the wheel. But, if the cat starts to use it themselves, they’ll be fit in no-time.

Another thing to exercise your cat, is to walk it on a leash. Personally, I haven’t been able to do that with Daisy, but all cats are different.

One last thing to help your kitty to exercise or loose weight, is to give it some places to climb around the house. Some cats prefer not to climb, those cats often hide more, but others love it! My cat prefers to climb, so she has a cat tree. She has to go up on the cat tree in order to get treats, so it gives her something to look forward to and motivate her to go up.

Hope these help exercise (or “train”) your cat!


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## YourRabbitGirl (Feb 25, 2020)

I tried having my cat on a leash, he never did like it, but I really like him in it, he seems more behave and doesn't litter too much. I think I'll let him stay in it for a while.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Feb 26, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Hey guys, me again.
> 
> Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.
> 
> ...


What is the best cat food for weight loss?
Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Blue Buffalo Weight Control Natural Cat Food at Amazon.
Best Raw: Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Grain-Free Cat Food at Amazon.
Best High Protein: Nulo Freestyle Duck & Lentils Dry Cat Food at Amazon.
Best Wet Food: AvoDerm Natural Indoor Weight Control Formula at Chewy.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Feb 26, 2020)

LickTheCow said:


> This is indeed real! My indoor cat, Daisy, needs everyday stimulation because she’s a Sokoke mix. (Sokoke cats are extra robust!)
> 
> One, I use toys. Toys I can throw. She seems to like it when birds fly, so a flying toy is just as good!
> I also use toys that she can play with herself, that dangle from a string and attach to something.
> ...


I hope you can send me a kitten if you have s spare, I really like exotic cats. TIA!!


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## YourRabbitGirl (Feb 27, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Hey guys, me again.
> 
> Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.
> 
> ...


Blue Buffalo Weight Control Natural Cat Food is what we usually feed our overweight furball before, It seems to be working well. he doesn't look weak, he is so used to eat too much.  he can't even jump like normal cats!!


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 5, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Hey guys, me again.
> 
> Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.
> 
> ...


My neighbor's cat, He always does that, I really hate him for that .. hahahahaha... I sprayed them with water too. run pussy cat run!!


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 9, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Hey guys, me again.
> 
> Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.
> 
> ...


My cat actually successfully gone through a very very tough diet. Now She can move like a cat needs to move, Before, She's just a part of the rug.


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## MiniGoatsRule (Mar 9, 2020)

LickTheCow said:


> This is indeed real! My indoor cat, Daisy, needs everyday stimulation because she’s a Sokoke mix. (Sokoke cats are extra robust!)
> 
> One, I use toys. Toys I can throw. She seems to like it when birds fly, so a flying toy is just as good!
> I also use toys that she can play with herself, that dangle from a string and attach to something.
> ...


Tiggy hates all toys and will actually frocking murder me if I as much as look at him while holding a leash... I've tried it before and somehow live to tell the tale.


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## MiniGoatsRule (Mar 9, 2020)

YourRabbitGirl said:


> What is the best cat food for weight loss?
> Our Top Picks
> 
> Best Overall: Blue Buffalo Weight Control Natural Cat Food at Amazon.
> ...


I will see if we can try the Blue Buffalo stuff, I like the brand a lot. I would use it for my dog if he wasn't gluten free and could eat more than 7 brands of dog food prescribed from the vet, not including Blue Buffalo or most Purina stuff, sadly


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 10, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> I will see if we can try the Blue Buffalo stuff, I like the brand a lot. I would use it for my dog if he wasn't gluten free and could eat more than 7 brands of dog food prescribed from the vet, not including Blue Buffalo or most Purina stuff, sadly


Yes... go ahead an try it. It is really the best for your cat. Tested it myself and its showed great results.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 11, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> That might be tricky since he free feeds. We could try. We have changed to a different food for him that should help a bit, not much, but something is better than nothing


Changing feeds would be of minimal help. as she can really eat anything in his path. The servings might help. Try minimizing it.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 13, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Hey guys, me again.
> 
> Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.
> 
> ...


Hello! How's Tiggy? How's he doing? I hope he's in good shape now? what are you feeding him?


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 18, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Hey guys, me again.
> 
> Remember Tiggy, my mom's cat, from my cat spraying thread? Well, our vet said he needs to go on a diet.
> 
> ...


hows his diet? Is doing well now. keep me posted please, thanks.


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## LickTheCow (Mar 20, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Tiggy hates all toys and will actually frocking murder me if I as much as look at him while holding a leash... I've tried it before and somehow live to tell the tale.



If none of that will work for him, stop free-feeding now. I know Tiggy doesn’t like toys, but make him work for food and he will play.

At this point, please remove his bowl as well. Completely replace it with a toy that holds food. Show him food comes from the toy, and if he wants it, he will work for it. If he doesn’t eat, he doesn’t eat. 

If he doesn’t eat for a long time (a week, to the least, two for the most.) You can let him have a bowl again, but only give him a quarter of a cup* twice a day *(Once in the morning, once at night.). He doesn’t have a shut-off switch when it comes to food, so you _cannot _free-feed Tiggy. If you feel bad about feeding him so little, you can switch to a can of wet food once a day. Preferably diet wet food.

Once as he has lost some weight, you can attempt my previous advice.


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## MiniGoatsRule (Mar 21, 2020)

LickTheCow said:


> If none of that will work for him, stop free-feeding now. I know Tiggy doesn’t like toys, but make him work for food and he will play.
> 
> At this point, please remove his bowl as well. Completely replace it with a toy that holds food. Show him food comes from the toy, and if he wants it, he will work for it. If he doesn’t eat, he doesn’t eat.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much! I will give that a try. It sounds like, despite being such a weird cat, that that will work. We will go toy shopping for Tiggy


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## LickTheCow (Mar 22, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> Thank you so much! I will give that a try. It sounds like, despite being such a weird cat, that that will work. We will go toy shopping for Tiggy



And, if the toy never works out, replace the bowl with a slow-feeder.

Here’s a slow-feeder recommendation: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/33037041484.html

Here’s a food-holding toy I found: https://www.cdcsup.com/products/pet...ning-toys-for-dogs-and-cats-tumbler-container


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 23, 2020)

YourRabbitGirl said:


> Changing feeds would be of minimal help. as she can really eat anything in his path. The servings might help. Try minimizing it.


Although kittens should be fed up to three times a day, once a cat is an adult (about one year of age) feeding once or twice a day is perfect, says the Cornell Feline Health Centre. In addition, feeding only once a day should be appropriate to the majority of cats.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 30, 2020)

Beekissed said:


> Cut back on feed amounts?


hahaha! That would be very bad news for her surely. I bet shes gonna be very very mad!! hahaha!!


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## MiniGoatsRule (Apr 17, 2020)

YourRabbitGirl said:


> hahaha! That would be very bad news for her surely. I bet shes gonna be very very mad!! hahaha!!


I wish we could just do that, but the cat will kill us, and we are often out of town, so he free feeds. How do you cut back on his amount of food for free feeding? He will NOT rasion his food...


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## Beekissed (Apr 18, 2020)

MiniGoatsRule said:


> I wish we could just do that, but the cat will kill us, and we are often out of town, so he free feeds. How do you cut back on his amount of food for free feeding? He will NOT rasion his food...



But _you_ can.   Just leave enough feed for him to have an appropriate amount each day and then no more...if he eats it all the first day, so be it....then he goes hungry for the remaining time.   Won't kill him at all.   

We do the same for the dogs when we go out of town...and they gobble all their food the first day and go hungry the next 2-3 days, sometimes 4 days.   Tough luck, they've had the appropriate nutrition for those days and can live on those calories for the prescribed amount of time.  

It works.


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## MiniGoatsRule (Apr 18, 2020)

Beekissed said:


> But _you_ can.   Just leave enough feed for him to have an appropriate amount each day and then no more...if he eats it all the first day, so be it....then he goes hungry for the remaining time.   Won't kill him at all.
> 
> We do the same for the dogs when we go out of town...and they gobble all their food the first day and go hungry the next 2-3 days, sometimes 4 days.   Tough luck, they've had the appropriate nutrition for those days and can live on those calories for the prescribed amount of time.
> 
> It works.


I had no idea that worked, but now that you talk about it, I could actually see it working out really good. Thanks, @Beekissed!


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