Overweight cat.

[FatCat]

Hello. My cat has a a weight problem. We adopted her from a shelter I'd say about a year and a half ago. When we first got her, I expected her to gain a little weight but she has continued to gain weight with no signs of stopping and now she is up to 18 pounds. Not only that, but she sleeps more- has less interest in playing, and more interest in food. She used to be a pretty well behaved cat, and now everytime I leave any kind of food out of her interest, she tries to get at it one way or another. I don't feed her scraps or give in to her begging. I don't know what to do. She is an indoor cat.
I am considering putting her on diet cat food, the only problem is we have another cat who is at a good weight- and I don't want him to lose weight. Will this effect him?

I've bought her plenty of cat toys, which she will play with occasionally- our other cat won't play with her, and usually hisses at her when she tries (nice huh?). I'm reluctant to let her outside, as my last cat got outside and I haven't seen her since. Any ideas?

Thanks. :)

[steel]

your cat may have a thyroid problem.have a vet check her out.

[Freedom]

Due not leave food out for free feeding. Food goes out, in a measured amount, for 5 minutes or so, and then gets picked up.

Feed the cats in different rooms with the door closed so that they only have access to their own dish.

Feed them either 2 or 3 times per day and that is all.

How much? Depends which diet food you go with. The bag will give you the amount to feed over the full day. Split that up into 2(or3) feedings.

Within 10 days, you will start to see her activity level increase. Getting the weight off, well, just like humans, that's gonna take a while.

I have cats eating in 3 different bedrooms, a bathroom and a hallway. Some get different foods, all get different amounts. If you are afraid that you will "forget" the one locked in the bedroom, either set up water and litter boxes in ther too, or set the kitchen timer to remind you to let the cat out again. (I happen to do both, with this many cats. Some are eating 5 and 6 times per day due to health issues.)

Good for you to get on this before the cat gains even more weight! It can be done, and you are off to a good start just realizing something has to change. Good luck!

[Medusa]

Freedom gave you the best advice but I'd have her checked for thyroid, too. Some cats just get fat, though. My RB Peeka became downright rotund! Still, have her checked and then follow Freedom's advice. That should help.

[mruffruff]

Yes to all of the above. And please don't let her outside.

[Babyboonie]

My eldest cat Louie has always suffered with a weight problem...well according to the vet anyway. To us, he always looked "normal", but every time he went to the vet for vaccinations or general check ups they always said that he was quite tubby for a cat his size. They suggested exactly what Freedom said - cutting down on the amount of food and giving him time slots so that whatever hadn't been eaten in the given time slot, was taken away. This allowed us to supervise what he was eating and over time the weight fell off. Now when he goes to the vet they say he is within the normal weight range for his size.....personally speaking I think he looks too thin, but i'm no vet.

I think Freedom's advice is probably the best possible...and with that many cats, she should definately know what she is talking about!! Might be worth checking out the thyroid suggestion with your vet, just to be on the safe side.

Good luck and keep us updated on her progress.

[FatCat]

Thanks, everyone- Freedom especially, lots of great tips. I already started watching her feeding time and putting her bowl up when she's finished on top of giving her less food instead of completely filling the dish and leaving it out all day. I leave out her water, just not her food. I'll check out diet cat foods, and start feeding the cats seperately if this doesn't prove to be affective.

I don't plan on letting her outside, and she was just at the vet about a month ago for a cold- the vet checked her out for everything, so no thyroid problems!

[DonGato's Person]

:eek: poor kitty!

maybe she

a) has diabetes. I've heard that that can sometimes make people gain weight.
or
b) just feels like being a kitty couch potato. :p

Anyway, good luck!

[columbine]

I've been reading up on vitamin E in cats, and it turns out that in sufficient quantity it's something of an appetite suppressant. Try puncturing a vitamin E capsule and letting her lick it off your fingers (apparently it tastes really good - not to me, but my cat assures me it's delicious). See if she's still such a vacuum cleaner after a few days of that. At least according to this website, (http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&articleid=709) cats haven't been shown to be capable of overdosing on vitamin E.

Love, Columbine (who has a hard time rubbing it on Smudge's ouchies because he wants to lick it all immediately, and he's now refusing even his beloved CET Chews...)

[Babyboonie]

Hi Fatcat...how's she getting on?

[AvaJoy]

How old is she, and your other cat? You may want to consider giving them Senior food, as it is lower in calories.
Due to Cochise being overweight, that is the solution my vet recommended for my multi-cat household.