putting my 13 pound cat on a diet.

[meme]

Hi, I was wondering how much food a day I should feed my cat, "Bella", she is very sweet and fat. I have been giving her 1/3 cup for breakfast, and if she and my other two cats don`t eat their 1/3 cup of food I give it to them at lunch, and at dinner I give them another 1/3 cup. I am feeding them about 2/3 cup a day. I was just wondering if I should give them a different amount of food.




Thanks,

 

[freemotion]

Switch her to a grain-free diet and she will lose the weight. It is a bit more expensive but she will ultimately eat less and you will save on vet bills in the long run. Just remember that cats should not lose weight quickly, they need to lose it slowly.

I make my own catfood because of serious health issues with my two older boys and the fat one lost weight and plays more and more as he gets older. He never played much on the "good" foods.....Iams and Science Diet, full of corn. Cats were not designed to eat corn and soy, or any grains. They are obligate carnivores, and need a diet that consists mostly of meat.....good meat, not by-products.

My cats haven't needed a vet in years. The one that got us started on the good diet was to be put down, and we went to one last vet for one more opinion before euthanizing him. That was about nine years ago. He is still going strong. This amazing lady vet was the first one who suggested we make the food ourselves. The others put him on prescription diets, which did not make a difference.

This is cheaper, too. More work, but cheaper.

 

[meme]

I agree completely! All three of our cats and our two dogs eat Taste of the Wild (it's grain free). They are doing great on it! I wish I could switch to a raw diet, but my parents aren't interested in spending the extra time and money. They are all very healthy, but our one cat tends to over eat. I am still uncertain about how much to feed her though. Thanks for the help!

 

[carolinagirl]

years ago a vet told me to switch half the diet to canned green beans. This works for cats and dogs. It's a slow weight loss, but it works and the animal feels full without excess calories.

 

[christy_was_here]

Cats are obligate carnivores and really should not be fed vegetables or grains- they just aren't equipped for digesting such.

I agree that a grain free food is great! Find a good grain free diet, follow the feeding instructions on the bag and adjust accordingly. I think when they eat a more complete and nutritious diet, they won't need as much either because they're getting more from less.

I feed one of my cats Newman's Own organic because he is terribly allergic to regular cat foods. He was actually underweight when we started but he looks better than ever now.

 

[patandchickens]

I totally agree that it is best to feed a high quality food.

That said, it does not matter how many cups of food -- ignore the label, feed by EYE. That is, measure each meal carefully but adjust according to how the cat is doing. If she is fat at 2/3c a day of <whatever> food, then clearly she needs less of that food. Try going down to a rounded 1/2c per day for a month and see where that puts you.

Pat

 

[meme]

Thanks so much everyone! I will work on "eyeballing it". I might try the green beans too.

 

[Animalfreak]

Ok 1 dont feed her/him 3 times a day.
I did not read the hole post but do u live on land?
If you do she has plenty of things to hunt in the day, if you don't WELL if you have mice she/he is fine if you don't well just feed her/him extra at night
We live on a farm and our cat survives until the night if she/he is meowing at like 5.00PM or 6:00 PM well feed her/ him.
Hope it helps
She/he is probally fat cause you feed her/him to much
BUT!!!!! are you giving her dry or wet food. Keep dry food in her bowl sometimes(when of diet)

 

[meme]

I live way out in the country, and my other cat got eaten by a mountain lion. So I got 3 indoor cats, but one is really fat.



Thanks,

 

[Animalfreak]

I live way out in the country, and my other cat got eaten by a mountain lion. So I got 3 indoor cats, but one is really fat.



Thanks,

CRAP!!!
You have mountain lions!!!!!
KILL ME!!! I would not have any animals if there was mountain lions around. Sorry I cant help ya here