Cat won't eat obesity management food

Guess_Who

As the title of the post suggests my cat has piled on the weight since being neutered & needs to lose over a kilo in weight.

The vet reccomended am obesity management food that the cat won't go near. So I'm a bit stuck for what to do.

It's only been 2 days so do I persevere & when he gets hungry enough he'll eat it. Or are cats really that stubborn that he'd rather starve than eat something he doesn't like? I could make a small amount of his normal food available but would this negate the weight loss efforts?

Nody

Cats not eating for 24h puts them in danger of poisoning; if you're sure he's not eaten for 48h then you directly need to put out a bit of an alternative food! Once he's had something try to find something to mix it in with, for example tuna brine, salmon oil etc. that he'd consider eating. Alternatively you simply need to feed him less of his normal food and play more (and use activation toys) to ensure he eats less and exercise more then before.

Guess_Who

Thanks. I had topped him up with small amounts of his normal food, just wasn't sure if I was undoing any efforts with obesity stuff since that's been untouched for 2 days.

I'll try mixing some tuna in with it to see if that makes it more appealing.

Appreciate the response

morgana

Another option trying to entice them to eat food they don't really want is getting the whiskas treats (or any treats he really likes). I powderise them in an old blender (alternatively put them in a bag and take a hammer/tenderiser to it :P) and then sprinkle some of the powder over the unwanted food. It might work for a while .. :P

Pumpkinseeds

I'm never really sure about these obesity products. I think something like a grainfree food would do a better job of making a cat feel fuller and would be more appealing. When you think about it a high protein low carb diet works best for humans wanting to loose weight and cats are obligate carnivores. Often cat food is full of fillers and very little protein. Of course finding toys that appeal to the cat to get him/her running around make a big difference too.

Guess_Who

Thanks Pumpkinseeds.

Is there a grain free brand that you would reccomend? I had a look on Zooplus & thought the Feringa stuff looked good but I'm so used to Royal Canin & Science Plan that I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

Really appreciate the advice guys. It's my first time having a cat & 2 years in it seems I've made some mistakes along the way

morgana

Is it the dry or wet food you are using?
We had to change one of our cats (well all of them now by default) to a grain-free diet and did extensive trials of what is available on Zooplus :P.
Our lot is reasonably happy with Orijen and Purizon dry foods (Porta & Applaws were rejected by all).
On the wet food side we are currently eating Animonda Von Feinsten pate and Carny 200 g tins (a bit hit and miss, sometimes popular sometine poohoo), Similla 200 g tins.
We tried most of the other wet foods like Feringa, Catz, etc. none of which proved popular with our lot (spoiled rotten :P).

Guess_Who

I've fed him predominantly dry food for the last few months between Science Plan for neutered cats & Royal Canin Indoor Cat. I used to give the occasional pouch of whiskas as a treat but stopped that about 4 months ago.

He's an indoor cat due to an injury he had when he turned up at our house. A missing front paw, so he's a little less active due to that. We play with his mouse on a string & he'll run up and down the stairs after other toys so I need to increase this activity.

The vet has said I'll get quicker results with his weight using wet food but that he needs dry food for his teeth. He's got gingivitis which he shouldn't have at his age so they are testing him for FIV & FELV because he was a feral kitten. So it's just all happening at the moment.

Pumpkinseeds

Guess_Who wrote: »

Thanks Pumpkinseeds.

Is there a grain free brand that you would reccomend? I had a look on Zooplus & thought the Feringa stuff looked good but I'm so used to Royal Canin & Science Plan that I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

Really appreciate the advice guys. It's my first time having a cat & 2 years in it seems I've made some mistakes along the way

We used Applaws dry food,the chicken one as they didn't really like the fish one and we buy Bozita canned wet food. With the tinned Bozita we get the chicken, salmon and prawn cans, I tried the beef but it's very sloppy. The Bozita is 97% protein and is human grade meat/fish. A tin and a half feeds our 4 for a day, so while it's not cheap it does go a long long way and a pack of lower grade food like Felix pouches would cost almost 7 euro in the supermarket.

Orijen dry food and the animonda and Ferringa wet foods were popular with ours for a while, until they got bored. Try typing in grainfree cat food on Zooplus and it should bring up all the grainfree foods they have.

ferretone

Mine are full-time indoor and neutered too. I also go grain-free, feeding Applaws dry in the morning, and raw in the evening. To be honest, I find that, apart from playing with them lots, portion control is really the most important factor. Mostly they are close to perfect, but seasonally their needs can change a little, so if they start to get a bit tubbier, a small adjustment to their portions sorts it out pretty quickly.

Another point, I believe the dry-food-for-teeth-and-gums argument is rather outdated, and not borne out by evidence. In fact, iirc, the kibble is more likely to have pieces getting trapped in the teeth than wet, if anything. I don't mince the raw for mine, for example, so they have to chew it a bit, and I find that has been the best thing ever for keeping their teeth and gums healthy. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for your guy, that his bloods come back negative anyway. And all the best with his dieting and exercise plans.

boomerang

OP it's difficult to satiate cats on dry food, I've found. My guys just don't seem to have a stop button with dry food. So they get half and half wet and dry. In the morning they get Bozita (from Zooplus) - the Indoor & Sterilised variety. It's good value and cereal-free.

Then the rest of their diet is made up of Happy Cat Light - also from Zooplus - which they like. I scatter feed, use treat balls or make them chase the kibble pieces. They don't get any dry food for free! It helps keep their weight in check as they are both neutered and both indoor-only.

Hope that helps. If you wanted to see if your cat will eat the Happy Cat Light or the Bozita wet food, I would send you a little sample to see? Both are better quality than other light cat foods such as Hills or Royal Canin.

Edited to add: Chicken necks or oxtail - both raw - are really low calorie treats, would give your cat something to chew on, and really help oral health.

boomerang

PS We have had cats with chronic gingivitis test negative for FIV and FeLV, so there's a chance it's not viral. xx

boomerang

Ferretone my boys have turned into proper hungers in the last week - since it got colder! Am I imagining it or do my two indoor-only peata need extra grub for the colder months?

Guess_Who

Thanks for all the advice guys, looks like Zooplus are getting a new customer 😊 I'll be sure to stick a puzzle feeder in with the order to get him hunting for his dry food

Pumpkinseeds

boomerang wrote: »

Ferretone my boys have turned into proper hungers in the last week - since it got colder! Am I imagining it or do my two indoor-only peata need extra grub for the colder months?

Our 4 are definitely looking for more food since the weathers gotten chilly. I'm also doubling up as a human hot waterbottle for them at night, which is gonna have to stop since I'm exhausted at being climbed on all night. It's nuts, every time I get up to use the loo there's at least 1 cat following me back to bed to lay on my shoulder.:D

ferretone

I find they do! Also, shedding times tend to lean them down a bit extra, calming down once they are fully coated. I just have to watch I don't miss the readjustments when their needs reduce again.

Things are a little less easy right now, as I'm minding my mother-in-laws cats while she is having cancer treatment: things got a little out of hand before her dx, so I have mummy cat, a tiny person whom I just had to get late-spayed, and also the one kitten she managed to raise from the previous time. Luckily my own cats don't tend to go too nuts for the kibble, so I'm getting away with giving them that for their extra meals, and when mine get their raw, wee fella gets that too, while mummy, who won't eat raw, gets some good-quality tinned in a closed room. My younger cat (1 year) always gets her raw in a closed room anyway, as she is a gobbler, and will steal from the 4-year-old if given half a chance! So evening feeding is a tad hectic at the moment, but we are coping

Edited to add: Extra-hectic actually, as we also have a very agile puppy to consider! This evening I was distributing the raw to the 3 cats, thinking it safe to leave Nyssa waiting in the kitchen, where I'd left her food and mummy's on the draining board, as per usual. Unfortunately I'd left mummy's bowl too near the edge, and returned to find Nyssa polishing off the cat food, which she'd knocked to the floor! Will have to rethink my strategy a little!

boomerang

Guess_Who wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice guys, looks like Zooplus are getting a new customer 😊 I'll be sure to stick a puzzle feeder in with the order to get him hunting for his dry food

This one is brilliant! (Cheaper on the German Zooplus site btw)

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/cat_toys/intelligence_toys/145684



But I also close cardboard boxes with duct tape (sp?) and cut holes in the sides. I throw the kibble in piece by piece and they jump in and out to get it. And a big open cardboard box they have to jump in and out of too. They also chase kibble down the hall.

ferretone

Oh, for OP, one more point I forgot to mention regarding feeding only dry: cats do not tend to drink enough, especially indoor cats like ours, who only get a chance at hunting when mice get inside (sadly all too frequently hereabouts Sadly for us that is - the cats think it is great )

So not getting enough moisture in the diet leaves them open to developing crystals in the bladder, a painful condition which can be quite difficult to resolve. Males like your fella are most at risk of this, so I would definitely be sure to give him some wet food of your choice every day.

Edited to add: and kudos to you, by the way, for taking in a more needy, less able-bodied cat, and for your first one too! You are obviously an extra-special cat person who was just waiting for a chance to start an awesome cat-slave career, we need lots more like you!