Am I a bad kitty mom???

[shais_mom]

I fear that I have fallen into the pool of all those parents who feed their 'kids' to make them happy.
Kind of like millions of American children that sit on the couch and watch TV and eat dingdongs or twinkies....
Kylie is so overweight. The last time she was weighed she was 18 pounds but I bet she is closer to at least 20 now. She looks like a marshmellow with legs.
I know what the problem is -- to many treats and not enough exercise. I try playing with her, I do NOT have room for a climbing tree, I have tried taking her out on her harness but she is too fat for that!! And she doesn't really enjoy being stuck on a leash, if she is outside she would rather make a mad escape.
So I am realllly going to try to cut back on her treats. The problem is she is so darn obnoxious when it comes to them. She sits in front of the cupboard where I keep them and bangs on the door until I pay attention to her.
She has been on light food for probably close to 2 years.
I have recently switched her to Iams reduced calorie hairball formula. I hope it works better. Since she is long haired she needs the hair ball formula. The other time I had her on light food she started getting hairballs, so I had to buy the light and the hairball formula (Royal Canin) and mixing them together. But that didn't work either. So I am going to stick with this formula.

I hope noone blasts me for having an obese cat, I feel horrible enough already. It isn't b/c I don't love her, its b/c I love her to much......

[Tonya]

Don't feel bad, I know you love your kitty! We made that mistake with Ron too. He was a poor skinny cat from the pound, so we spoiled and free fed him. All of a sudden, we woke up one day, and he was a BIG fatso! It happened so quickly. Ron doesn't get any treats, he is no longer free fed, and he eats light food. He's still a big cat, but he's lost alot of weight.

[jazzcat]

No blasts coming from here. Have you gotten a good look at my rolly pollys? Ripley is a little bigger than he should be and Scout looks like a sausage. She weighed almost 8 pounds at the vet last month and he said her tiny frame should be no more than 6 pounds. I try to cut back on treats and portions but it is so hard.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Staci, you're not a bad kitty mom. You just have a cat that loves to eat too much.
I also used to free feed but now I have 2 piggy kitties named Sky and Cirrus so I can't do this any more. I was lucky and caught it in time before they both weighed 20lbs. They only get a few treats on the weekends and sometimes some catsip during the week. They also only eat 1/2 cup of food per day and I feed them 1/4 cup 2 times a day. Now they're more alert and playful too.

Maybe you should talk to your vet about Kylie's weight problem. I know that cats shouldn't lose weight too quickly or this can cause health problems. Good luck and please keep us updated.

[rg_girlca]

No blasts from here either. Take a look at my RB C-Fer at 25 lbs.


He was on Science Diet/Light with very few treats in between. His lowest weight was 22 lbs.

You will have to be strong and try to slowly cut back on her treats.
I hope the Iams formula works.
Good luck and don't worry, you ARE a good mommy for being concerned and caring.

[kimlovescats]

I am getting a few fatties around here too! Smokey and Boots, and Grace , and... well, a few of them! It's very hard, so don't beat yourself up .... just try a few gradual changes!

Kim

[jenluckenbach]

My little Amber is up to 12 pounds because of steroids and I do NOT free feed. Sometimes it just happens.

Has she has bloodwork done at all? It may be an imbalance as well as too many treats. If she gains weight on light food, I'd be suspicious.

What type of toy does she like? A feather or tinsel teaser wand is usually great! When she begs for treats try to get her interested in the toy for a while. And if you must give her treats, giver her just ONE.

[MULTICATMOM]

I THINK WE ALL CAN RELATE! MY KITTYS CIRCLE LIKE SHARKS AT FEEDING TIME!! I HAD TO QUIT TREATS BECAUSE THE BOYS SNATCHED THEM ALL...THE GIRLS ARE TO SHY.
I HEAR WITH THE BANGING MY OLD CAT WAS GETTING FATTER & FATTER...HE WAS AN INDOOR/OUTDOOR KITTY, WE LIVED IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ONLY HAD ONE EXIT/ENT...LONG STORY BUT THE CAT KNOCKED TO GET IN...2 STREET NEIGHBORHOOD! TURNS OUT MY FAT CAT WAS "KNOCKING" AT MOST ALL THE NEIGHBORS, EATING EVERYWHERE...

[Randi]

When Fister started putting on weight, I changed his Hills S/D to W/D and within a few weeks he started to get slimmer. Perhaps it's also a good idea to feed her 2 or 3 times a day - and not let her talk you into extra snacks.

Good luck!

[catcrazylady]

No harsh words coming from here! I think we can all relate very well. I have thin cats that need to eat because they are very young and active and then I have a few who are getting older and starting to put on the extra pounds. I have no idea how to handle the whole thing either. The thin ones eat very small amounts but periodically through out the day and the heavier ones really don't eat that much but are just older and heavier (I can understand how that happens!) Magoo is really packing it on and I need to get a handle on him now because he is getting huge! He doesn't eat that much either and I think a lot of his is because he was recently nuetered. I have cut way back on his treats because in the beginning I felt so sorry for him since I knew he had been hungry for so long.
As we all know they can make your life miserable when they don't get what they want!!! With the multi cat situation I don't know what to do either. I think for me I'm going to wait just a little longer to let the youngsters get another year older and then I'm going to switch food and see if that helps. I'm feeding so many though I can't afford anything very expensive.
It is a very trying situation isn't it? Maybe you could find some health food treats that would be good for her and try those instead. I wish I was more help but I'm in the same situation!!

[catmandu]

Ceratinly,no blasts from the Found Cat Feeder,wher JJJ3,Moose and BoBo,are too tubby. the Rest are heavy,except for Diane,Precious and Rocca! Is not sure,where his next meal,will be there ,or not!Until they get used to the fact,athat they will never go hungry again!

[auggie]

Staci, I had to stop giving Phoenix treats when he had urinary crystals.
It was very hard on me at first, having to listen to his whining and begging.
I stopped buying treats all together and after a while he got used to it.
I try to compensate with catnip and also play with him more.
My cats are seniors and don’t play as much as they did when they were younger, but there is one game that makes them act like kittens again: Wiggle a peacock feather under a few sheets of newspaper.
Or you could adopt a playmate for Kylie.

[Tonya]

Originally posted by MULTICATMOM
I THINK WE ALL CAN RELATE! MY KITTYS CIRCLE LIKE SHARKS AT FEEDING TIME!! I HAD TO QUIT TREATS BECAUSE THE BOYS SNATCHED THEM ALL...THE GIRLS ARE TO SHY.
I HEAR WITH THE BANGING MY OLD CAT WAS GETTING FATTER & FATTER...HE WAS AN INDOOR/OUTDOOR KITTY, WE LIVED IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ONLY HAD ONE EXIT/ENT...LONG STORY BUT THE CAT KNOCKED TO GET IN...2 STREET NEIGHBORHOOD! TURNS OUT MY FAT CAT WAS "KNOCKING" AT MOST ALL THE NEIGHBORS, EATING EVERYWHERE...

Hahaha, that sounds like something my Ron would do. Since we've been trying to sell the house, he tries to get every prospective buyer to feed him. They must think I starve him to death.

[Equus217]

You are not a bad mommy, if you were you wouldn't even be concerned about them. My RB Lola started to get quite a belly, untill I stopped letting her eat at will. I think a big problem is indoor cats have a tendency to turn to food rahter frequently as a source of entertainment, stimuli, favorite pastime etc. It will be an adjustment though....and It's tough. Just stick with it and he'll get used to it! Good luck!

[shais_mom]

Thanks everyone!!!
I really appreciate the support.. (Kylie thanks you too!!)

It was the positive support I needed

My goodness rg_girlca what a BIG beautiful kitty C-fer was!!!