How to put your cat on a diet??

[sirrahbed]

I also posted at Cat-Health - but so many more seem to post here so I have it both places. I will remove one if I need to. Thanks!!

Can some of you who have been through this tell me exactly how to go about feeding muliple cats when only one or two need a special diet? Eliot is lean and does NOT need special food - Emily is supposed to have only 1/2 cup a day of Hill's W/d and according to weight, I figure Dylan should have 3/4 to 7/8 cup a day. Do you feed this once a day and do they finish it? Do you feed them in separate rooms? 1/2 cup is such a small amount of food - I imagine Emily will be begging all day long!! Also, if they eat it all at once, which they might if they are very hungry - do they tend to vomit?
How about Eliot, who really could keep freefeeding - I can't keep food out, but he needs to eat when he wants doesn't he? I can't figure out how to do this. :confused:
Any suggestions welcome!!
Geez - I have been freefeeding all of them and just top off three big bowls - I guess I have been grossly overfeeding! 1/2 cup?? Good grief!! It looks like NOTHING!!:eek:

[sirrahved]

If you want to diet, just mix the dye in the sink and dip it in!

I would recommend probably not feeding just once a day. Maybe you should wean them down, too? That might be easier for you. They can get used to eating less gradually. If Eliot is hungry, you can shut him in a bedroom to eat for a while.

Pickles is getting a little plump, but I can't imagine trying to put him on a diet. If he gets down to a few morsels in his bowl (it doesn't even have to be empty) he goes crazy.

Good luck, and I commend you for having the patience to get your kitties healthy!

[Craftlady]

I measure out 2 times a day........ 2 cups total for all three.

However only 1 cup is dispensed at a time. (1/2 cup goes into two dishes - 2x a day. )

I have a third dish that I put 2 spoonfuls in to that dish just for snack area.

This is feeding 3 felines.



If you have a really good food with no by products and or fillers they actually eat little less because it takes less to fill them up. When I used Science Diet and Purina One mix they went through allot more food. Thus weight issues. Now that I give them Nurto Natural. We have weight loss at our house :) They aren't going hungry.

[Kirsten]

OMG, I have the same problems here and it's really hard for Lily because she wants to eat what Luna has (Luna is on diet food). When I'm closing the door behind Luna, Lily refuses to eat her own food and she freaks out, screams and will run up and down the entire place as if she's chased by demons.

I'm now giving her a little spoon full of Luna's diet food into her bowl, too, next to her own food, and it seems to make her happy. :)

Kirsten

[CatDad]

First, I would think that you will need to put all 3 on a schedule. Unless you have a palce that only Eliot can get to. Which I think would be highly unlikely.

I would split it up and do at least two feeding a day. I would feed the two 'plush' kitties there diet food and let Elliot have the normal food.

You have not been grossly over feeding them, they have been grossly overeating.:)

I know it doesn't look like alot, but trust me they will survive.:)

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by Craftlady


If you have a really good food with no by products and or fillers they actually eat little less because it takes less to fill them up. When I used Science Diet and Purina One mix they went through allot more food.

Is Hill's considered a really good food? I thought it was the same as Science diet? I know it costs alot so I figured it BETTER be good food:eek: The vet also said this stuff would make them feel full on much less food.
Thanks!:D

[catcrazylady]

When you first posted about Emily's diet I thought about my house. I don't know how in the world I would do it either. I have thin ones that need to eat, average ones that don't over eat, and two that probably should be on diet food. I too free feed and I just don't have the energy to think about what life would be like if I tried to seperate things!! I have no suggestions but you definitly have my support and best wishes!!:D :D http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/biggrin.gif
Good Luck!!!

[Craftlady]

Originally posted by sirrahbed
Is Hill's considered a really good food? I thought it was the same as Science diet? I know it costs alot so I figured it BETTER be good food:eek: The vet also said this stuff would make them feel full on much less food.
Thanks!:D

Sorry, Hills and Science Diet Light are one in the same. Yep cost more than regular food, but read the ingrediants it's full of by products and fillers.
In our case with my gang couldn't get filled up with the Purna One and SDL mix. SDL alone wasn't just same results. They were always hungry either with mix or by itself.

[Catsnclay]

Funny...my Vet just put Lucky on a diet. My "fat boy" weighed in at 21 lbs. way too much for his condition, so its diet time.

The very first thing she told me is to put them ALL on a schedule. I have to admit I was worried at first, but after a few days, they adhere to the feeding schedule and now look forward to feedings.

Since Lucky is also my PITA with new things, I kept his dish in the same place and moved Yoshi & Fluffy into the laundry room, with the door closed behind them.

Give them all enough time to eat, then pick up ALL the dishes until the next feeding time. I also now feed them 4, small meals a day verses 3 meals. We all had to get use to this, I usually fed them dry food in the am, and it was there all day long. Now, if its not eaten, its picked up. Fluffy is the one that hasn't gotten use to it, but then again he is 15.

Give all of you time to get use to the new schedule....it will all work out in the end! Good Luck!! ;)

[sirrahbed]

Thanks to all for the suggestions! The first day went OK but Dylan and Emily are acting like I am torturing them. YES you guys warned me!! They are starving and simply can't survive another day! Everytime I get up, they BOTH go bounding to the kitchen. When I am near the kitchen, they both sit where their bowls used to be and look at me accusingly:rolleyes: This morning, Emily finished off her 1/4 cup and then plopped over on her back and glared up at me. I leaned over to to rub her belly and she ran away. Brat. Several times *I* have headed to the fridge for a snack myself but headed the other way instead so guess it will help Meowmie's diet as well;)

[catmandu]

I know that Moose , JJJ3 and Princess all need to lose weight, no more Whiskas Temptations! JJJ3 is going through withdawal , and does not eat thr Royal Canin , that I am substituting! He is a Cat Treat Addict!

[sirrahbed]

oh NO! It just occurred to me:eek: What about the partee?? Will there be diet dishes or shall we just skip the diet that special day:confused: :D :D