Mishi Gaining Weight too fast

[RedHedd]

Yikes! I took Mishi in for a nail clip yesterday and asked them to weigh him -- He's gained 1.5 lbs in two months and is up to 14.5 lbs! The vet and the techs were shocked, they told me a gain of about 1/2 a pound a month is healthier. He was thin when I adopted him. His papers said he was 12 lbs. on May 5, so he's gained 2.5 lbs. in 4 months. The vet said that's too much too fast and can endanger his health.

They suggested that I stop free feeding and switch to feeding them twice a day. I've always had "free feed" cats who never over-ate - half a cup of dry food each which they nibble on all day and never finish the bowl. How do you schedule their feedings? Both of mine are used to nibbling during the day and now I have to put them on some sort of feeding schedule.

What works? How much do you feed? What times? I've had cats all my life and have never had this problem -- Help!

[jenluckenbach]

I do not free feed, I haven't for years. The first couple days are the hardest on the kitties because they do not realize that they need to eat NOW or wait. But they will adjust quickly, trust me. I feed morning and night, as close to 12 hours apart as my schedule allows. They get a measured amount of food depending on their needs. This will vary between cats and between the different types of food. When in doubt, ask the vet. I personally do not allow the kitties access to each others dishes which would defeat the purpose of measuring, they will just switch bowls. With only 2 you should have no problem separating them. (If I can separate 14, you can do 2). Leave the food down for anywhere from 1/2 to 1 hour then pick it up. Do not be shocked that they do not eat their first meal. And their second meal will also probably only be picked out. But soon they will come to know that they need to eat NOW.
Trust me, it is a very healthy way to feed. You will be able to keep them at a proper weigh. You will be able to feed them different foods if that becomes necessary. And you will know immediately if one stops eating as a sign of illness.
Best of luck.

[RedHedd]

Thanks -- that helps a lot.

[RedHedd]

Heh heh heh -- hungry cats are loving cats. I'm enjoying the extra attention! I'll have to post a pic a bit later that I took of a "starving" Mitzi -- oh those eyes and that sweet little croaking mew of hers, but I'm not bending!

[jenluckenbach]

Yes, it is amazing to see the transformation of personalities right before dinner (am or pm) vs. their "rest of the day" personalities. And believe me......cats CAN tell time!

[jazzcat]

RedHedd - how is it going?

You inspired me to try this with Ripley, Jazz and Scout. They are all overweight and Scout is just plain obese. She was very fat when I brought her home in July but now after 6 weeks of free feeding she is a blob.

I started feeding them a measured amount this morning and they haven't caught on yet. Scout was the only one to eat some of her food. I will feed them the rest this evening and hopefully they will figure it out.

Just curious how your kitties have caught on and are they driving you crazy begging for food?

[RedHedd]

Nope not driving me crazy at all -- yet. I don't think they've really noticed anything's too different, as they slept most of the day Sunday and yesterday when food wasn't available. The only time they came hunting was late in the evening -- around my bedtime. It was hilarious to see Mishi and Mitzi both inspecting the bags of food I had just purchased that day at Petco - they are still sealed and in the Petco bag but I guess they can smell their food. They just drank the water that was available and then snuggled in for the night.

Today is the first day they're alone all day without food freely available while I'm at work. We'll see what I come home to .... although they aren't normally a curious couple and don't go inspecting while I'm not around. They don't jump up on counters either (she's too short to reach and he's not a jumper) so I just put their bowls up on the kitchen counter and know (hope?) they're safe. I know, very strange behavior for cats, but they were semi-feral when I adopted them and are just now getting used to being around a human.

... I'll report in later

[Cataholic]

I don't see anyone mentioning to be extra careful when cutting back kitties food. Kitties can develop fatty liver disease, which is fatal. Please check with your vet about what a SAFE food reduction is.

[RedHedd]

My vet said not to reduce the amount of food or change what they're eating, but to switch them to feeding just twice a day instead of leaving the food out for them to free-feed all day long. She did say that if cats gain weight too fast it can lead to kidney (and other) problems.

[jazzcat]

Guess I should call my vet first thing tomorrow and ask what is the right amount for each cat. I've always just filled two different bowls and let all three eat out of them all day - no measured amount. It never was big concern until we added Scout in July. Now I notice they are all over eating, especially Scout. I know her behavior may be due to living in a shelter for 3 months but she hasn't curbed her eating and she is grossly fat. I compared her to a chart and she was at 9 which was grossly obese. She eats so much more than the other cats. I was going to try feeding them measured amounts and if she doesn't begin to lose the weight I plan to take her back to the vet to see if she may have an underlying problem. Since she is a shelter kitty and I don't know her history there may be something else. I want to try reducing her food first though.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Well I'm going through the same thing. When I took Sky to the vets today, I found out that he's gained 1.11lbs. in about 3 months. The vet said that this isn't good. It may be partly due to his tapeworms or it could be a behavioral problem. He used to be a stray and I've heard that sometimes strays will tend to overeat because they don't know when there next meal will be. Sky always seems ravinous. My vet also said that he only needs 300 calories a day to maintain his current weight. I was free feeding him way more than that and I think he and Cirrus were eating most of the food.

Since I have 4 cats, I can't free feed any more. Sunny and Storm are fine with the free feeding but I also noticed that Cirrus is getting a little chubby too. I took away their food after I got back from the vets with Sky.

When I got home all of my cats seemed to be very hungry. I separated them and measured out their food according to their weight. They ate some of the food but not all. I'm sure it will take a few days or maybe even a week for them to get used to it. Most packages of food have feeding charts that show maintenance feeding or weight reduction feeding. The trick is also to know how many calories are in a cup of the food that you're feeding them.

Good luck everyone.

[RedHedd]

Mishi and Mitzi are doing fine with the new feeding schedule, at least so far. They are more loving and attentive as they are learning that food is only coming at certain times and that I'm the one in charge of that. Gotta be loving to your feeder! They sure were glad to see me come home last night. Neither one is gobbling down lots of food - they do seem to be eating more at one sitting, but then the food goes away.

They seem to be drinking more water as that's all that's available for them to consume - is that okay? They're peeing more too, but that would make sense.

[krazyaboutkatz]

So far my cats haven't eaten very much of their food. Cirrus has eaten the most. I would have thought that it would have been Sky because he's always ravinous. I've also noticed that they're peeing more in their litterboxes. I guess that by eating less, their bodies are absorbing and using more of the food that they are eating so this means that they'll poop yes. I'm all for that. I'm kind of worried about Sunny because he's already very thin and he's barely eaten anything. I'd feel terrible if he got sick. I'll just have to be strong and see how it goes tomorrow.

[jenluckenbach]

Sunny will learn, but just to give him a nudge in the right direction, you can mix a bit of canned food into his dry. this should encourage him to eat a full meal and allow him to get the idea of scheduled feedings.

[RedHedd]

I'm STARVING Mom! Feed me NOW puleeeeeeeeeze?