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Adult male is overweight and I cant find a solution!

I have a male cat, six years old, not sure what breed, but it was a major weight problem. My family and I rescued Tobi when he was abandoned by his mother too young. We took him to the vet and followed his orders to care for Tobi. He seemed to be growing fine and then after two years he has kept growing. He used to get a lot of exercise he played outside chasing bugs and prowling for birds in the back yard. We even taught him how to play fetch!! But now because of his size he has lost all interest in playing or exercising at all. Once we noticed this weight problem in his early years we started to ration his food more carefully and still do to this day. We tried indoor cat food and diet cat food but I actually made it worse. Our vet has no solution to this problem and seems disappointed in our family for letting him get this big as of now Tobi is 24 pounds-fat-and –happy. What should we do? Is there anything we can do?


Asked by Member 937691 on Jan 11th 2010 Tagged weightgain, obese in Food & Nutrition
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Ziggy

Have u been to the vet?


Ziggy answered on 1/11/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Spike

I have a fat cat and have not solved the problem, but I basically know what the answer is. Tobi is a rescue, and probably overeats because he's still not sure when the next meal is coming, or, as in Spike's case, as pleasure eating. Cats must lose weight gradually (or risk liver problems). I would say that you should find another vet, and determine the goal weight, how much time it should take to attain it, and how many calories a day your cat needs to lose weight. Cats tend to overeat on diet foods. Feed him nutritious foods in small portions. No free feeding. And, if necessary, keep him caged or in a separate room until he's lost enough weight. Now I have to follow my own advice...Good luck.


Spike answered on 1/12/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Kagome

try a cup a food a day. i use to feed my cats once in the am and once in the pm but my one started eating out of both bowls and im sure that's why she has weight gain issues. so try a cup a day, i found it to be plenty for grazing throughout the day.


Kagome answered on 1/12/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Izadore (Izzie)

I agree. If you have truly been as proactive with Tobi as you write that you've been and your vet, who can find no solution, has decided to blame YOU, then it's time to say "K. Thnx. Bye!" to this vet and seek out another. There are vets who specialize in just cats, and there might be one in your area. Or, vets within clinics who specialize in cats. A new vet may recognize some Maine Coon in Tobi, in which case he would be larger. (Izzie has to be about 20 lbs.) If your vet didn't do blood tests, etc. on Tobi, you need to have those done or you'll always be fighting a losing battle (no pun intended) with his weight if there is an underlying cause. There could be a very simple solution to Tobi's problem and a new vet could provide you with that solution. Good luck!


Izadore (Izzie) answered on 1/12/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Cleopatra

I have a similar problem, although I am about 13 pounds.... the vets are constantly telling mom I need to lose weight. She has tried everything even down to calorie counting, all to no avail. I agree with the others, if your vet is blaming you and not working with you, find a new vet. I too tried the "diet" foods and I gained on them too. What vets wont say about "diet" foods is that they are FULL of carbs! What do carbs do? Raise blood sugar and make us fat. Has anyone talked to you about trying a wet food diet? Wet food tends to have more protein and good brands will have fewer carbs. Work with a vet to find out ideal weight and calorie intake for a gradual weight loss. Dont lose too quickly as that can be fatal. Also try using a lasar light or flashlight for playing (dont shine it in his eyes), but he may like to play with that. Even if he doesnt move around much, any movement is better than none :)


Cleopatra answered on 1/12/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


Boris

I also agree with the diet food advice you were given. Diet food for cats is horrible. It contains carbs that cats can't digest. I'm dieting now, but our vet said our high protein dry food was fine, so the only real progress we could make was to switch to wet food even if just for one out of two meals a day.

I was really upset about not getting as much kibble as I used to, but I've almost gotten used to the new routine, and am no longer pestering mom for food at all times. Mom is feeding me high protein dry, and as high a protein wet food as she can find (some wet food has carbs and fats too, stay away from those).

The thing is, mom has noticed that I'm getting to be more active now that snacking all day is not an option. So the fact that he no longer plays raises a red flag for me. He might have an underlying condition that is causing the inactivity as well as the excessive weight gain. If your vet is not considering those possibilities, it's time for a second opinion.


Boris answered on 1/12/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 1 Report this answer


Nadia

You got some good answers, and I'll reiterate some of that advice with what I think could help Tobi...

1) More wet food -- higher protein with less carbs. Dry food has a lot of carbs/ grains. Cat can't don't need or use carbs well and it tends to be stored as fat. Also wet food can be more filling and satisfying. As you said, "diet" or "special" foods often don't work, especially if it's dry food.
2) Try to get him moving and exercising. There are some good cat toys that can help cats get moving. One is called "Da Bird".
3)Watch the portions. For wet food, cats need about 4-8 ounces per day depending on the cat.

Here are a couple links with more information about feline obesity:
www.felineoutreach.org
www.catinfo.org

Good luck!


Nadia answered on 1/12/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 1 Report this answer


Buzz Lightyear

I have an easy answer, dont feed him as much. Just because the label on the food bag tells you to feed him a certain amount of food doesnt mean that you have to. Also just because your cat eats all of his food, doesnt mean you have to feel him more. If he overeats, by limiting his food he will learn not to. So limit his food and try to play with him so he'll shed the pounds.


Buzz Lightyear answered on 1/25/10. Helpful? Yes/Helpful: No 0 Report this answer


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