Businesses Breeders Classifieds Forums Photos Chat News Video Features Events Clubs Books
Reptile & Amphibians Insects Birds Cats Dogs Exotics Horses Aquaria Ponds PetHobbyist PetPress PetSupport RescueNetwork My Account
auctions - advertising rates - site news - help - contact

Looking for a pet? Try a rescue first! Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Columbia Fed. St. of Micronesia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Marshall Islands Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota N. Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Palau Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Alberta British Columbia Labrador Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Nunavut Northwest Territories Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territories Other click here to add your rescue

'Tis the Season for HOLIDAY Pet Photos! Show us yours! Thursday Chats: 9 PM ET Behavior - Pet Loss 10 PM ET Cats Let People Talk - Long Term Illness Support - 11 PM ET Cat Talk

Posted by Martisimo on March 03, 2003 at 09:14:09:

In Reply to: thanks...more posted by Tara on March 02, 2003 at 08:43:48:

Actually, the science diet I was talking about is prescription Hill's diet, called R/D. It's for obese cats who need to lose a lot and it's sold only in veterinary offices. Science diet has a lite food, but R/D has to be sold by a veterinarian. I would check with your vet to see what they think.

If the urinary tract food they're on is a prescription diet from their vet I would definitely not change it. The prescription urinary tract diets do tend to be higher in calories than other foods, but if they need to stay on it because they've had problems, leave them on it and just feed them less. Really, the only way to effectively lose is to take in fewer calories than you are expending, changing the food can help, but it can only do so much. The person doing the feeding actually has all the control.

Let us know.

:Thank you! I told my parents they were feeding them too much. Actually science diet is available at pet stores, I work at NJ pets and we carry that. There is an indoor cat formula I was thinking of checking out. Right now they get urinary tract control since the younger one had a problem with that a few months ago. I'll update you. Thanks again.

::Wow, your kitties are very much in danger of becoming diabetic if they don't lose weight very soon. Indoor cats do not get fat if they don't take in more calories than they expend, just like with people.

::There are many things you can do to make sure they lose weight. If they have food out all the time, that must stop, food dishes up and put away between meals. Buy a measuing cup that will be kept with their food and used to measure their meals each feeding....not just any cup will do, most glasses and cups and mugs hold much more than an actual measuring cup.

::I feed my cats twice daily, morning and evening and measure their food every meal. A average sized adult cat should get roughly 1/2 measuring cup of regular or OTC diet dry food a day, TOTAL. For my people that's 1/4 cup per meal, a little bit less for my smaller framed people. Remember, this measurement is NOT inclusive of any canned food or treats -- if your cats get these then you must decrease the amount of dry food further -- or not give them at all for a bit, which is what I would recommend doing.

::If your cats really are 20 or 30 pounds they are at SERIOUS risk of health problems that can have impact on them for LIFE, even once they lose the weight. You need to speak with your vet about prescription diet foods made for cats that are morbidly obese. Two to try are CNM OM food or Science Diet R/D, they are available only through vets. I would recommend going with the vet-managed program instead of the store bought diet foods since your cats are so seriously overweight. Take them for an exam and have them weighed by your vet -- making sure there are no health issues already existing. Weigh them again in 4-6 weeks and check with your vet at that time to see what he/she thinks about your two cat's progress.

::And yes, they will meow at you and tell you they are hungry. I would tell people I'm hungry if were on a diet too. Be strong for them and don't give in and feed them between meals -- their health depends on you. They won't lose on their own, it's all up to you.

::
:::I have 2 cats, 1 is only 2 years old and is close to twenty pounds. The other is 8 or 9 years old and is close to 30 pounds! I assume this is because they are indoor cats and just do not get enough exercize. But some of my friends have indoor cats who are older than mine and a lot skinnier! My cats are not overfed.
:::2nd, I believe the 30 pound one has some psychological problems, we've had him for almost 10 years and he is still afraid of us! We almost never see him! At least we know why he is so fat, becuse he does not move out of fear.
:::However, I think the 2 year old we can still save, any suggestions?

::
::

:
:

Follow Ups: