SOME ONE HELP ME WITH MY FAT CAT!

Erin_goBrahScience

I give her and her "brothers" 1/4 cup of purina indoor cat food at 530 am and one at 6 pm .. none of them eat table food. the other biggest cat I have, Gypsie,(6 years) is 17 lbs, he was 22 lbs!!

I've had this problem with my kitties.

Cats are obligate carnivores, something I didn't know until a year or two ago. That means they have to eat meat; it isn't optional. They cannot survive on a vegetarian diet.

I used to feed my cats only the Purina indoor dry cat food. Even though I measured out the amount the vet said to give them, a couple of them just got fatter and fatter. The ones that stayed trim were the ones that went out and hunted (we live in the country).

Once I found out about meat-eating being required, I switched them to canned cat food (almost entirely meat) for their evening feeding. They've all stopped gaining weight, and the heaviest one has lost a pound or two. Their coats are softer and shinier, instead of being rough. If I could afford to do it, I'd drop the dry food altogether and go to canned food for both feedings, or ideally feed them unprocessed meat. But this has helped some.

I agree with the above poster.

The number one ingredient in the Purina Indoor is corn, which is a filler.
Purina Ingredients:

http://www.catchow.com/Products/Indoor-Formula

Why corn is bad for your cat:
http://www.examiner.com/article/why-corn-is-bad-for-your-cat-s-health

We started our little guy on Blue Buffalo (dry), and then he had issues about a year later. Then we had him on the Wellness brand (dry) which he was fine with for a while. Then he started throwing up more frequently than he should have. We switched him to a wet food about two years ago (Nutro Max Cat - Indoor Adult) and he's not had an issue since.

He gets one can per day (he's 8-9 lbs). We found that we don't need to feed him multiple times a day. He self regulates though the day. I can tell you that he is almost as active and playful as when he was a kitten. I say almost because he tires more quickly now. But after a quick breather he's good to go four another round of play.

JNettie73

10 pounds is a normal weight for a cat. Cats will lose weight when you feed them wet food and gain some weight when you only feed dry. If you are concerned about your cat, ask a vet to look at her. Again, 10 pounds is NOT fat! 3 pounds is the weight for a kitten. 17 pounds is overweight, 22 pounds is VERY overweight.

My thoughts exactly. Thank you for this. :flowerforyou:

You didn't mention how old your cat was when you got him/her spayed. If your cat was younger when you did this, it is only natural that your cat would gain weight as it is growing. Is this something that you have taken into consideration?

You cat's weight depends on the cat's frame and breed. Some breeds tend to be larger cats, so naturally they should weigh more. I have 2 very petite cats, one being a torti. They are between 7-8 lbs each. My vet says they are a perfectly healthy weight for petite cats. Petite being the key word here. I have a friend who has 4 cats that weigh much more than mine. All 4 of her cats, who also receive regular vet checkups, are a good weight for their body frame.

If you are truly concerned about your cat's weight I strongly urge you to scrape up the money and get your cats to the vet for regular check-ups. Also if the cost of vet bills is a concern to you, you may want to consider investing in pet insurance.

Good luck to you and your cats.

JNettie73

I just need some input on my cat as I don't have the money to go to the vet.

You mean right now, right? Please say you mean right now because I can't understand how someone could have animals if they don't have the money to properly care for them.

You really should talk to your vet about your cats weight and what sort of food she should be on.

And this. Thank you for this too! :flowerforyou:

JNettie73

thank you all for your input. I would put pictures up but that I do not want to have to publicize the obesity epidemic in my own home yes I know my kitties are fat , I get it and no I've never read labels but if I'm going to be more health conscious about myself and my son and my soon to be husband and I guess it's time for me to really start being health conscious about my cats. I do have a cat toy mouse pointer but the problem is my cats are too big for them to actually use it. Lol especially dustyy! She can't run, barely jumps.. I'm going to look into some better brand foods

That last line about Dusty you may want to read over a few times and really process it. She can't run, barely jumps...
UHM...This is not normal feline behavior. Please bring her to a vet!!! Maybe you can speak to your vet and work out some sort of payment plan.