R&R's vet visit - fatty, fatty two by four

[jazzcat]

I took Rocky and Rumor in for their annual vet visit and vaccinations. I had been putting it off a little because I was busy and mainly because I dreaded it for them. They were both so wiped out after their final kitten vaccinations plus Rumor is so timid and afraid of other people.

Rumor was and still is traumatized. Poor little girl just shook and cried the whole time. On top of that I was told my little girl is too fat. Can you believe she weighs 11.9 pounds. Rocky, who is tall and over all a larger cat, only weighs 10.6 pounds. Other than that they are both very healthy.

My vet said she understood that indoor only cats are overweight, she said she has 6 at home with weight issues right now. She told me to try switching them to a weight management food or at least one of the new Indoor Cat formulas. She also said since I free feed that I need to put out a measured amount once a day and when it's gone, it's gone. She said to do this at bedtime so they won't keep us awake. I've already tried this once last year and the cats drove me so crazy that I went back to keeping their bowls filled most the day. I'm so weak!

Any other suggestions on how to do this? I free feed and have failed miserably at trying to feed everyone in their own bowl at a certain time so I just need tips on ways to reduce their amounts yet still free feed to keep the harmony.
Here's a couple of pictures of the poor little kitties from a few days ago.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Maybe you could put down 1/2 in the morning (or whenver is convenient for you in the day) and leave 1/2 at night, so they don't wake you up, begging for more?
My old cat (she passed away last year at 17) would sit next to your head at wee hours of the morning so when you woke up, her face was right there. My mom's cat (who has some weight issues too, although she weighs 15 lbs despite attempts to reduce her weight) will walk over her in the morning to get fed- and believe me, you feel it!

[AlleyCat]

I can relate! We can't free-feed Millie anymore, she peaked at 20 pounds at just one year old. She's been on a diet for several months now and has lost 2 pounds (with vet-prescription Purina OM) so it is gradually working. But our other 3 girls, we free-feed them. We've done it so long that they don't seem to pack on any extra pounds, so it works for them. But Cleo, she's a pig even though just 5 months old, and we didn't want a repeat of what happened with Millie. So about 2 months ago, for about a month, anytime we saw Cleo eating at the bowl, we'd let her eat for a minute or so and then take the bowl away until she left the room. We'd put it right back so the other girls could eat. It seemed to sink in with Cleo by doing that and now she eats moderately and does not have any weight issues. So this way we can still free-feed all but Millie (and the bowl is out of reach for Millie - she's too fat to get to where it is!!)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

I feed T and J once in the morning and again around 6 or 7 in the evening.
I only cover the bottom of their dishes though.... I dont' feed them a whole lot.

Jupiter is the only one I think might have a weight issue. He is 16 pounds. But I think he is just big boned. Last time he was at the vet they didn't even mention him being overweight.

Tinky kat is only 10 pounds.... she is a little shorty though... I think she looks bigger than what she really is cause her legs are so stubby....


FAT CATS!!! MAKES ME JUST WANNA HUG EM!!!

[catmandu]

Thier weight issues have been eliminated as I feed Nutro Complete Care Indoor Senior ,and Science Diet Senior Light,and the Tubby Cats have now knocked off a few Pounds.
Maybe I should crouch and try some as I am stuck around 215 Pounds.
Moose is now a slim 15.8 Pounds!

[Laura's Babies]

I LEARNED.... LEARNED good, feed them 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 after dark or I get woke up early in the mornings by hungry cats! I only do the free feeding when I know I will be gone overnight and then I worry they will over eat or one not get any... (Ya have to remember Samantha eating habits when I first got her, she'd run bowl to bowl until all of them were empty)

It is mainly how you raise them and what they are use to. I can put their full amount down in the morning and it isn't all eaten until the next morning. Try the 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 in the evening and see how it goes. I DO use seprerate bowls because they do not like to eat alongside someone else and Amy's tendency to fall over into her bowl.

I can go in my kitchen 100 times a day and nobody notices until dark when they all come running. These little sweeties KNOW they get treats when it is dark and everytime I go in there after dark, here they all come, running and begging... They are just so cute!

[lv4dogs]

A 2 bodied cat? Boy your right... he could loose a few pounds. LOL LOL (they really don't look that chubby to me)

[Craftlady]

I spread the food out during the day. They get measured amounts 3 x a day and in between a couple morsals (very small handfuls) for treats. All in All they are getting like 1/2 cup total each kitty.
This routine seems to work for us.

[catnapper]

I too have the dilemma of how much to feed and how to keep them happy while feeding them less to keep their weight down.

This is what I'm doing and seems to be working: I got a measuring cup from the vet (basically a regular cup with lines on it) and read the back of the weight management food. I figured that with all the cats, they'd need a little over 5 cups a day (Allen & Harry need more, Abby & Flutter lots less) I simply cannot get them to agree to their own bowls, so That 5 cups a day goes out and whoever is quick enough to eat it first gets it. But thats not been a problem because all 5 kitties are at the feeding table at the same time, so its not as if Abby and Flutter can pig out on Allen's food while he's not there.

Anyhooo..... Hubby puts out 3 cups in the morning. I come along two hours and divvy out another 1/2 cup (which amounts to just a snack for them) Then I divvy out another 1/2 cup in the afternoon when I'm home at lunch. Then at dinner time they get one cup while we hoomans attempt to eat in peace. Lastly, they all get a can of wet food thats spread out between all 5 kitties (and Nicki gets some of that too ).

So, in short the feeding schedule is now as follows:
5:30 AM = 3 cups
7:30 AM = 1/2 cup
12:00 PM = 1/2 cup
5:00 PM = 1 cup
8:00 PM = 1 can divided as a treat among all kitties

This routine is working very well because they still get food throughout the day and don't feel like I'm starving them (though Harry's got a strong opinion on that one ) I already see a difference in all of their weights, and its only been a month or so that we've been doing this.

[christa]

We have some fatties here too. Josie is excused becuase of her "condition" but Brodie is catching up with her.

I'm just glad that Rocky & Rumor are healthy & happy. They sure are fluffy! They look beautiful in their pics! Glad to see you posting pics of them again! Great update!

[Edwina's Secretary]

I have nothing to offer but empathy. I am going through this as well. The E's are on a hi-protein, lo-carb food (Catkins... ) and eat it like they are starving and beg, beg, beg!

[shais_mom]

Kloe is 12 pounds and my vet said while she was overweight he wasn't going to worry about her. Course Kylie's appt is tomorrow and I am NOT looking forward to it!

but any hints you get I'll be sure to check out myself!

[orangemm]

I'm dreading taking Archy to the vet. He's really porked up in the last year or so. He's not really FAT, just very solid around the middle. You don't notice until you pick him up, then it hits home. He's a small cat, so I'm sure the vet will have something to say about his weight!

Jeff calls him Mr. Chunky. I try to "exercise" him more, using the laser pointer.

[Craftlady]

This is what I'm doing and seems to be working: I got a measuring cup from the vet (basically a regular cup with lines on it) and read the back of the weight management food. I figured that with all the cats, they'd need a little over 5 cups a day (Allen & Harry need more, Abby & Flutter lots less).

I'm only giving 1/2 cup total for each of my gang a day (little more for Cindy). Eleanor grips a little but that is normal. LOL

[AlleyCat]

Same here, Millie only gets 1/2 a cup a day with her diet.

THe other girls are free-fed so I don't know how much they eat, but I just fill up their blue bowl (it is a 2-cup bowl) and it is usually gone by the end of the day so between the 3 girls that are free-fed, they share it all.

I assume that the 5 cups is shared among all the kitties, not for one kitty.