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-   -   Healthy Weight (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=73604)

catlover19 November 14th, 2010 12:06 AM

Healthy Weight
 
I have a concern regarding weight control food. Here's the history on how my female cat started to pack on the pounds.
When my other half and I moved in with each other, he brought his female cat Tiggs and I had 2 males, Smokey and Bandit who were brothers. Smokey has a urinary issue and is on special food. Bandit was on the same food as well, the vet said it would prevent Bandit from developing the same issue and it was easier than buying two different types of foods and keeping them separated. When Tiggs came into our family we asked the vet and he said it wouldn't hurt if she was on the same food as the boys. They all were on the same food for a while. While at the vet a few months later we were told she needed to slim down. My other half said that Tiggs has always been a bigger cat but her weight has increased and we switched her to a weight control food. She's been on this food for a few months and it seems to be working. She seems to have more energy and we can see a difference. The only concern we have now is that she has lost too much weight.
We have a routine when we feed them, Tiggs goes into the bedroom for a bit with her bowl and Smokey is given his bowl in the kitchen. When she has had enough she meows at the door and by then Smokey is finished too. We have noticed lately that Tiggs sits at the door to the bedroom, her way of showing us that she's hungry. She's been doing this more and more. We are afraid that she's not eating enough.
The bag says the food is suppose to help maintain a healthy weight but I'm worried that it's only making her lose weight. We are thinking of switching her to an indoor cat food, we just don't want her to gain all those pounds back, anyone have any suggestions?

14+kitties November 14th, 2010 12:22 AM

Thing is that there really is no such thing as a healthy dry cat food. In fact it is the dry food that packs on the weight. "Indoor", "Weight Control", "Hairball" and any other foods that are packaged that way are just that. Packaged to appeal to [I]our[/I]sense of doing the right thing for our pet.
Cats are obligate carnivores. That means they need [I]meat[/I]. Not grain, corn, by products of meat, and everything else put into dry food to make it digestable for cats. We can't digest corn. Why would we think that a cat can?
Here are a couple of great sites to read. They will help you understand why cats need wet food (canned or raw) and the health benefits of it.

[url]http://www.catinfo.org/[/url]

[url]http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm[/url]

catlover19 November 14th, 2010 01:05 AM

Thanks for the links :) I forgot to mention that we do give the cats wet food as well. The vet said it's better for male cats with urinary issues and for any cat to help with digestion. I like giving them wet food because it's something aside from the regular dry food they eat everyday and they love it :lovestruck:
I'm always worried that if they only eat dry food they won't get enough nutrients.

14+kitties November 14th, 2010 08:56 AM

That's great - as long as it is a healthy grain and corn free canned and is the [I]main[/I] staple of their diet. If dry is used at all it should only be as an occasional treat. A cat needs water with their food. Not beside it.
I would be concerned if your cat has lost weight quickly. That normally indicates a health issue; not a change to a healthier diet. For a cat to lose 1 pound it's like a human losing 10. Cats should lose weight slowly and consistently. A weight lose that happens too quickly can turn into fatty liver disease which can be fatal if not treated quickly. If you can notice a lose after only a few months on a dry food diet I would suggest a vet visit for a complete health check.

catlover19 November 14th, 2010 06:25 PM

They are both due for vaccinations and a check-up so I will bring that up with the vet. She's the oldest cat we have and we want to make sure nothing happens to her. I will post an update after we have her in to the vet. Thanks again! :)

sugarcatmom November 14th, 2010 11:01 PM

[QUOTE=catlover19;966249]They are both due for vaccinations and a check-up so I will bring that up with the vet. She's the oldest cat we have and we want to make sure nothing happens to her. [/QUOTE]

How old is she? She may not actually need further vaccinating. At the very least, the latest official protocol is vaccinations no more than every 3 years.

catlover19 November 15th, 2010 03:09 PM

Tiggs is 7 years old. Both cats go in yearly for vaccinations and a check-up. However I believe both cats are not given a certain vaccination since they are strictly indoors, something the vet changed within the last year


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