obesity problem

[catwhisperer]

My older cat, Flory, is a female with an obesity problem. Despite trying to keep her on R/H which my vet recommends I try to see she gets exercise, but she continues to grow in size and now has trouble reaching her bottom to clean good. I have to give her baths weekly and help her clean herself by wiping her. We have been fighting the weight thing now for over a year. She is going on 13. This has probably come up many times on this forum but I am new and would sure appreciate suggestions, etc. Thanks. presently and unpleasantly perplexed. .:(

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

I am sorry I have no advice for you but I am sure someone will.
WELCOME... I am sure you will like it here there are a lot of helpfull people!! Flory sounds just wonderfull!! How many cats do you have.:)

[popcornbird]

Welcome to Pet Talk!!! I'm sorry, I don't know much about cats. I have two pet cockatiels (birds). How many pets do you have? I'm sure you'll love it here. Everyone's so nice and helpful. There are lots of cat owners here so I'm sure someone can help you! :D

[catwhisperer]

Hi, Sara and Popcornbird - I have three kitties. Flory, Gracie, and Taylor. 13, 3, and 2. One is a Calico, one is a Maine Coon, and one is just a cute boy cat.

I had a cockateil for about eight years. Thought it was a girl for seven years and then found out it was always a boy we called Vivian. And I am an enthusiastic birdwatcher. Nice to receive welcomes. I look forward to posting and am glad to have found the site. :) :) :)

[Karen]

Do you feed the cats separately? Could she be eating some of the others' food? Has she been to the vet to rule out any illness?

[sasvermont]

Keeping the kitty very active will help, honestly! Give it a try, although you will have to spend time with the cat, to make sure it IS getting the exercise. Cats don't need that much food when they are older and if they are inactive, well, they will never drop the excesss pounds. Keep us posted.

[lovemymaltese]

Welcome to Pet Talk. Maybe you should try playing with your games with you cats (string, mouse etc..) they probably need more exercise.

[catwhisperer]

Only one of my cats has the problem. We have exercise with them all regularly.(mouse, toys, etc.) and a special porch with running boards on the walls which she, of course, can't jump up to play on because of her problem. Yes, I have been to a vet about this, but maybe I should try another. I think the problem might be more than what the vets say like maybe diabetes. Does anyone have a cat with diabetes? Thanks for the tip about the food. She might be stealing one of the other cat's food when I am asleep at night. Have separate food dishes in different rooms too, but when I think she is sleeping she could be sneaking into the other room and stealing her friend's food. She dislikes the diet food. May change if I close the door, but then might have to get a litter box for each room which is do-able. Thanks so much for the tips and welcomes.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to Pet Talk catwhisperer. I'm sure you'll love it here. I also have three cats and one of them has a slight weight problem. I feed all three of them a weight management formula and I measure the amount I feed them. Pepper is the one with the slight weight problem. He's 17lbs but he's a very large big boned cat. I used to worry about his weight but he was very sick last year and lost a lot of weight. He was only 12lbs and I could feel his tailbone. I think his ideal weight is about 14-15lbs so he's not too much overweight. Feeding them in different rooms and measuring their food is a good idea. If the cat is very inactive then they don't need as much food. Good luck. :)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

I know one good game cats can't resist!!! Do you have a laser pointer or flashlight? I don't have a laser pointer but cats loooove to chase the red dot!! It is good exercise for them! The hubby had a flashlight out the other night and Tinky and Jupiter both were chasing the light all over the place they were panting... they had so much fun!!

[Nomilynn]

At the vet today I got some samples of something called Medi-Cal reducing formula. She said it's the only food she has ever heard of that actually causes weight loss, rather than weight control. It wasn't expensive; the big bag is around $30 which is what I pay for the Iams. The vet recommended mixing the medi-cal with the iams (because Bassett needs hairball control food). I brought home the samples and when it's supper time tonight I'm going to give it a try :)