Hanna Watermelon :*(

[boscibo]

Something has to be done. I have always called Hanna 'Hanna Banana' but the other night Jeff noticed that lately she has been looking more like a Hanna Watermelon. :( She started piling on the pounds within the last year. I don't know her current weight, but last vet visit she was 14, and I know she's heavier now.

I have multiple cats and I think separate feedings would be best, I have been free feeding SD dry, and feeding Hanna, Bo and Isabel canned twice daily. They don't get a lot of canned - one 5.5 oz. can split six ways (three splits twice a day), so I suspect it is dry food & Whiskas Temptations that are doing it.

Bo & Isabel need more - He's 16 and at a good weight (and I want to keep him there) and Izzy is a growing kitten. Abby is round (but she is a rounder cat), and she will not eat anything BUT dry.

So Abby & Hanna are my weight problem cats - Hanna moreso than Abby.

How should I do this? How do people with multiple cats deal with different dietary needs?

[catmandu]

Everyone hear gets the Nutro Complete Care Indoor Senior,and then The Kittens get Extra Canned Kitten Food.
Its the only thing that I can think of as I have 3 Kittens about a year,then the Next Cat is 9 Years Old.

[jenluckenbach]

I feed measured feedings twice a day. Each cat gets the amount and the type of food that they need. All cats are separated. This is done by putting 11 of them in carriers and the rest in separate areas where they can't reach each others food. I close them up and when I let them back out I know that they ate the right thing and I know how much (especially important to figure out is someone is on a hunger strike.

It is not really as hard as it sounds and you would be surprised how quickly a new cat will adjust to the system.

[boscibo]

Jen, how did you figure out how much each cat should get? I know that by looking on the side of cat food bags/cans IMO they recommend way too much food! I was reading a can the other day and they were rcommending 3 cans a day for a cat Hanna's size!

Since they have been free feeding I don't have a good grasp on how much each eats. I want to allow Hanna enough food to feel satisfied, but to slowly lose some of her chub. I'm going to post a picture of Hanna in a second....

[boscibo]

Hanna from above:

http://home.comcast.net/~patti76/hanna_above.jpg

And here she is with Izzy:


http://home.comcast.net/~patti76/hanna_izzy.jpg

I love Hanna so much and I want her to stay healthy. She gets exercize chasing (and being chased) by Izzy, plus when the weather is nice she and I go out in the mornings - she just usually sits and looks at birds, but it is something,

[jenluckenbach]

To be honest, I can't remember how I originally figured it out. It is a prescription food, I may well have asked the vet.

They all get almost the same amount.....1/4 cup of dry twice a day. The smallest cat gets a skimpy 1/4 cup, the bigger ones a "heaping" 1/4 cup. They do not lose and they do not gain weight, that is how I know it is enough.