Help for a fat cat getting fatter!!!

[Noramuse]

Hi there! I need help anybody! We (mom, dad and I) just adopted 4 new babies 2 weeks ago and all has been just great, except...
Eclipse (all black) a 1 yr old female, who weighed in at 14.5 lbs when we got her, is probably now about 16 (or maybe more). Her big thing to do all day is to pull, with her little paw(just like a hand!) her Science Diet pellets out of the food dish, one by one, roll them around on the floor and then eat them. She does this for hours, literally. We cannot get her away from the food bowl, and it has become an obsession. With 3 other cats in the house, we can't just take up the food, the others don't eat that much as it is! What should/can we do so that she doesn't just keep eating herself to death, (I'm afraid for her health)? Any replies would be most appreciated. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/confused.gif

[dogncatluvr]

Hi Noramuse,

I am somewhat in the same situation as you. I have 2 elderly female cats (14 and 13 y.o.) that I adopted from the SPCA when they were each about 4 to 5 months old. They are now starting to loose muscle mass, etc. that older animals tend to do. So I have to feed them well, and their food is down all the time. I also have 2 younger males, both 5 y.o. that were adopted through a street cat rescue organization. Jet is a slim black cat but Jasper on the other hand is a rolly polly guy weighing in at about 20 lb. He is a large boned cat, but still is round. When I got the latter 2 cats, Jasper was eating like he didn't know where his next meal was coming from. This eventually slowed down, after a few months, and he now eats less than Jet. But it is hard for me to put him on a diet because of the other cats. And...he happens to like the senior cats' senior cat food.
So he ate a lot when he first came to me (enough to make him round http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif), but it has slowed down.
Hope this happens for your kitty too, once she realizes that there is a regular supply of food.
Another idea...how about giving her more excercise...like chasing a pen light or one of those feather-at-the-end-of-a-stick toys?

[Gio]

I have a similar problem too. I have an 18 year old cat who needs to eat several times a day and I have a 4 your old female who is a food addict (she would eat practically anything, cat food, human food, it does not make a difference - the only thing she is not keen on is fish). I think that sometimes it's just boredom, she is also a bit lazy. Her favourite game is when I throw one of those dried pellet things and she just runs very fast to get there first and eat it (my third cat likes this game too and it's quite funny seeing them race to see who gets there first). This way thought she eats less of them and well, at least I make her run a bit!

[Seville2_2000]

I have two cats Missy and Seville. One is about thirteen and other eight. Seville likes wet food where Missy likes dry so I thought he weighs about 25 lbs and seville 12lbs,it appears Missy likes Seville's food too.Mischief likes to eat his dry one piece at a time for hours also.

[bloomer]

I too am a mom of an overweight cat. Montanna wieghted in at 22lbs.. but he is Maine Coone.. a big cat anyways.. but when we got him (11 years ago) he came with this huge stomach like he swallowed a football, and would eat anything, and lots of it.. for 8 years we tried everything.. diets, exercise.. finally we got this vet who came up with the best advice.. in a multi-cat household, feed the problem cat, and the others will adjust.. so we sent and bought Science Diet Light and a diet senoirs food..all the cats eat the same food... all my cats are very inactive.. sleep atleast 18 hours a day.. now two years later, Montanna is a slim 17 lbs.. (well as slim as a big guy can be) and is a lot more active, he also dosn't hang out around the food dish anymore.. but he does show up at the table looking for treats at dinner.. I give him very lean beef or chicken breast.. just alittle.. so he still feels special.. The other cats have adjusted and will eat more. I leave food out all day, I think they do feel more confident knowing the dish is always there and eat less..

Hope your guy can loose weight soon.. Montanns is happier being more active

[EileenKay]

These are two good threads on obese cats including information and linked articles to help you get your cat back in shape.
http://pub6.ezboard.com/fcatchatatcatstuffcathealthissues.showMessage?topi cID=163.topic
http://pub6.ezboard.com/fcatchatatcatstuffcathealthissues.showMessage?topi cID=166.topic

[conniff11]

I have 3 cats...( 10,9 and 3)
They get fed twice a day (they sleep the rest!) and only get 1/4 cup of food at a time. i always feel a bit guilty not giving them more but they are still on the chunky side so they must be getting enough.
Have you tried light food?
I also feed my 4 dogs twice a day and depending on their size, they get a cup or less. they too are not thin but on the blump side.
i know with a cat being overwieght, you have to worry about the diabetis thing. i had a diabetic cat for about a year. it really wasn't that bad. so they can live with it!
good luck.
Ducky