Fat Cat Food
December 22, 2004 9:52 AM   Subscribe

Can anyone recommend a good cat food for our three fat cats? (more inside)

Two years ago, we had two fat cats. Our vet told us to give them half a cup of diet cat food a day each, twice a day. This we did to no avail. A year later, we took the two fatties back to the vet along with our new kitten. The vet lowered their intake to a quarter cup of cat food each, twice a day. This we did and now, a year later, we have two fatties and one little one who is well on her way to fatty status.

As far as I can tell, the three cats get plenty of exercise chasing each other around and playing with us humans (one website I consulted said to play with the cats five minutes each day, and we definitely cover that). They don't get any table scraps, and they get treats maybe once every two weeks (five little treat nuggets per cat).

After doing some online research, I think one problem is the food we use. We feed them Iams low-calorie dry cat food, which has a lot of carbohydrate fillers in it (among other problems--we were planning to switch to another food when this bag was gone anyway). Most websites suggest a high-protein, low carb diet for kitties. I called the office of our soon to be new vet (we've moved) and they sell fat cat food, but recommend a prescription diet that would require a check up. I'm all in favor of taking the cats in to the vet, but I would like to wait until spring when they are due for their shots and yearly check up anyway because they were given a clean bill of health (except for the fatness) right before we moved and extra vet visits for three cats can be quite costly. (Obviously, if any of the three start exhibiting ill health as a result of their obesity or any other cause, he or she will go to the vet without delay.)

I intend to address their weight with the vet come spring, and see what the vet can offer as far as prescription diets are concerned, but in the mean time, have any of you in the CAT CABAL had any luck with any particular food?
posted by jennyb to Pets & Animals (26 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I bet the cats might be finding other sources of food. Do you let them outside at all?
posted by shepd at 10:11 AM on December 22, 2004


Some cats seem to get along just fine as "fat cats." A cat my vet ALWAYS said needed to lose weight died recently...at age 19.

I'd say 19's pretty good.

I'd say if you're not seeing ill effects, you may actually be fucking up their metabolism with a quarter cup of food. Cats generally don't eat more than they should eat. If they're overweight, exercise 'em some more - if they don't lose weight, don't force the issue. Plenty of fat cats live two decades - both me and my friends have seen this in action.
posted by u.n. owen at 10:18 AM on December 22, 2004


My cat is svelte and happy on his Medi-cal Preventive Formula dry food. He has an autofeeder so he eats as much as he wants and the vet loudly praises him as being the "perfect weight" for an indoor cat. It's good quality food that most vets stock (in Canada). No prescription.
posted by some chick at 10:19 AM on December 22, 2004


Oh, yeah, my previous fat cat (20 lbs +) was fat and sassy 'til the day he died somewhere between 23 and 26 years old (he was a stray, so we never really knew how old he was). However, his best friend was fat and diabetic and had to be put down at 13, poor sick boy. So it really depends on the beasties. If they're happy and fat and healthy, I wouldn't stress out about it other than to switch to a better food than Iams - it's notoriously poor since they got bought out by (I think) Purina.
posted by some chick at 10:21 AM on December 22, 2004


My fatties used to eat Science Diet. We switched them to Eukanuba hairball control and the doctor said to give them one cup a day (they'd previously been on free feed.) I think they're slimming down a bit, but of course you don't want them to lose too much.

But the fatter of the two, she's just a big fat cat. Hee. She's never gonna be all slim, but she's otherwise healthy.
posted by sugarfish at 10:24 AM on December 22, 2004


For the past 5 years, we also struggled with the hefty weight of our cats. They've been on the entire product line of Hill's Science Diet, including the "weight loss" selections, with no noticable weight loss.

However, we just switched our cats to Newman's Own Organic cat chow. After looking at all the scary ingredients in the junky dry food they'd been eating since they were kittens, we worried that our cats were eating unsavory animal by-products, as well as chemicals that altered their metabolism. The big drawback of Newman's is that my cats are not so crazy about it, but eventually end up eating the food when they get hungry enough...which i guess is good for weight loss, eh?
posted by naxosaxur at 10:24 AM on December 22, 2004


My vet put Peanut on a diet --Science Diet prescription-- to slim down since and Peanut would have none of that.

To go from being free-fed to being on a set feeding schedule was one thing she just didn't go for. Plus she'd puke the expensive diet food up [bulemic kitty?]. She was on Iams diet/hairball a year or so ago and it seemed to make her a little chunkier.

The worst part was whenever she was hungry --like about 4am-- she'd jump on me until I would get up and feed her. It was a battle of wills and she won.

I got her as an adult cat and her weight has been about the same [17lbs]. Her previous human said the that some vets said she was too fat, others said not to worry about it.

Now, I'm feeding her [and her cat roommate -- that is underweight] some food that is healthy and good for her urinary tract [Nutro Indoor Formula]. She seems to like the food, has fewer UTIs and lets me sleep.

I actually tried to put her on a leash to take her for walks to get more exercise [which I need too] but no. Peanut will not go on a leash.
posted by birdherder at 10:47 AM on December 22, 2004


Response by poster: We live in a city that has pretty strict cat licensing requirements, in a neighborhood with lots of dogs and three very busy streets, in an apartment with an "indoor only" lease provision for cats, and with one cat whose adoption required we agree to keep him inside. So... indoor only for these guys. Unless they are finding a magical food source within the four walls of our apartment, they are only eating what we feed them.

As for fat happiness, I'm only really concerned for the health of the biggest, our 20 pound boy. He has dandruff (skin conditions are often a side effect of obesity in cats) and can't reach his own butthole (although I suspect this stresses us humans more than it stresses him) and he makes such a monstrous thud when he jumps from things, I'm worried that he will eventually develop some joint, muscle, or skeletal problems from the stress of flinging his ponderous bulk around.
posted by jennyb at 10:48 AM on December 22, 2004


Three months ago, I switched our three fat cats to Nutro Natural Choice® Complete Care Indoor Adult Cat food. Now my once lazy, couch potatoes are slim and trim, with shiny beautiful fur and boundless energy.

We also changed our fat dog's (12 yrs old) food to Nutro. She also experienced the same change in her weight, fur and energy level as the cats.
posted by lola at 10:48 AM on December 22, 2004


The cats in question. The black one is definitely fatter now, this was taken about 2 months ago.
posted by corpse at 10:53 AM on December 22, 2004


corpse, they don't look so bad.

Also, hairball food should make cats weigh LESS, not more: they are mild laxatives.
posted by u.n. owen at 11:13 AM on December 22, 2004


My wee beasties are on the same stuff as lola's. They've eaten Nutro since day one (they ate the kitten forumula as, well, kittens). There was a brief foray into Science Diet. Why brief? They shat more and whoo boy, did it stink! Nutro seems to keep the smell and waste down.

Eating Nutro they're healthy, at a good weight for their respective sizes, their fur is beautiful, eyes are clear, they're active, etc. I won't use another food evah!

Another plus is that Nutro uses human grade ingredients. None of those icky and mysterious "by products".

And yeah, corpse and jennyb, they don't look bad to me either.
posted by deborah at 11:50 AM on December 22, 2004


You might want to give them a glucosamine supplement (e.g., Cosequin for cats) to help their joints. Omega 3 fatty acid (e.g., salmon oil - don't worry that it says for dogs, cats can take it too) is good for joints, coat, general health, etc.

My apartment-indoor cat is big-boned and was about 16 lbs after living on the street before the shelter I got him from, and is now quite sturdy, somewhere between 18 and 20 (I haven't weighed him lately).
posted by matildaben at 12:07 PM on December 22, 2004


Innova is great stuff. Available usually at local health food stores or markets.
posted by Shane at 12:08 PM on December 22, 2004


My former cat, now my mom's cat, went on the Nutro and lost some weight -- not as much due to human foibles, ie, feeding him table meat (baked/grilled chicken) due to his incessant whining. Seems like a good diet food, anyway.

My oh-so-sensitive baby is on Hill's Science Diet for Sensitive Stomach, and has less issues than before, and his sister, who is chubbier, likes it as well. Vet said it was a good switch from the Prescription Diet he was on for a bit. I would actually recommend Hill's Science Diet - you might look at the Light Adult formula. You may also want to increase the water intake -- we've found that our cats drink more water (which is good for them regardless) with this contraption. (We have a slightly different model, as I ran into it for cheaper on Drugstore.com).
posted by Medieval Maven at 12:12 PM on December 22, 2004


I've recommended Nutro's indoor cat food in other cat threads here. It's great. Also thumbs up on the running water. I have a Drinkwell fountain.
posted by Caviar at 12:37 PM on December 22, 2004


I too have to wonder about whether a diet higher in carbs might be part of the problem. Cats are carnivores. Some high quality cat foods I like are Wysong, Innova, and Felidae.
posted by lobakgo at 12:52 PM on December 22, 2004


Nutro here too, it's slimmed down my cat a little. That food does everything!
posted by kindall at 12:59 PM on December 22, 2004


Maybe it's time for Catkins.
posted by rschroed at 1:53 PM on December 22, 2004


i recommend royal canin calorie control, only available thru' your veterinarian. it's worked brilliantly for several of my cats over the years.
posted by t r a c y at 2:04 PM on December 22, 2004


Response by poster: Thanks for all the recommendations! I will take a list to the pet place down the street and see what I can find.

We used to have a pet fountain but it was hard to keep clean, what with all the small parts, cat hair, and dissolved food. (They liked to put food in the fountain. Not in their regular bowl, mind you, just the fountain. Weirdos.) Two of them have a long drink from the sink each morning--I turn the faucet on to a dribble before I get in the shower. The other one is a water cat and likes to drink and splash around in the bowl.

u. n. owen and deborah, next time we get the "your cats are unhealthily fat" lecture from our vet, I'll tell her you said they look fine. ;)
posted by jennyb at 4:01 PM on December 22, 2004


I use Royal Canin Indoor Cat formula. It seems to be good for my fat cat. You can get it at PetsMart.
posted by ch1x0r at 6:54 PM on December 22, 2004


The lowest calorie Science Diet (excluding the prescription food) is the Hairball Control and the Hairball Control light. I just got a bag of harball Control light for my little monsters about two months ago and am mixing it with their regular Science Diet light until I run out of the old stuff, and just to get them used to it.

My one cat, Dignan is a chubby fella. But Cyril is pretty slim and trim. My vet keeps nagging me about getting Dignan to lose weight, but he is pretty healthy and active. I still would like to get him to drop a few pounds, so I'm trying out the Hairball Control light. Personally, I think Dignan is just a bit stocky, and that's the way he is.

I have noticed two things since swtiching the diet: One, the litter box is *quite* full. I think it has to do with the extra fiber. Those cats are pooping like crazy. And finally, I also thought it was "Hairball Control" becuase the extra fiber would help the cats digest it better or something. However, I *swear* that both of my furballs are not shedding nearly as much anymore. Especially Cyril who is usually like a porcupine with his hair and leaving a trail of it wherever he goes...
posted by punkrockrat at 7:12 PM on December 22, 2004


I've had my fat cat on Science Diet Hairball Light for years. I always thought it just kept him from getting bigger, but over the years, he's gone down from a high of 25lbs. to a low of 19lbs. The good thing is that our petite cat (around 7-9lbs.) eats the same food and still maintains a healthy weight.
posted by gokart4xmas at 1:29 PM on December 23, 2004


One thing on the hairball food, and maybe someone here can substantiate (or not) this for me/us -- I've heard/read that the hairball food isn't good long-term. Something on the line of it effects the cat's ability to absorb certain vitamins/minerals. As I said, I'm not entirely sure on this point, but thought I'd throw it out there.

It's rather funny, I think, that we (apparently) have no vets here.
posted by Medieval Maven at 2:09 PM on December 23, 2004


The Royal Canin link t r a c y gave above says:

Many weight loss diets contain elevated levels of dietary fiber. Some claims have been made that dietary fiber is a bulking agent which helps to control hunger. Cats are carnivores, and they have very short digestive tracts. The high levels of fiber in some weight loss diets make these diets inappropriate and unappealing to cats. Overweight cats that refuse to eat are at risk of developing feline hepatic lipidosis. Cats that do eat the high fiber diet are at greater risk of developing feline lower urinary tract disease. High fiber intake means increased stool volume with increased fecal water losses. Due to increased fecal water loss, urine volume is decreased. A reduced urine volume results in a more concentrated urine, increasing the risk of urolithiasis. High fiber weight loss diets are not a good choice for cats at risk of hepatic lipidosis or FLUTD.
posted by lobakgo at 4:18 PM on December 23, 2004


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