Overweight cat

Question
QUESTION: I have a 3 yr old female (spayed) cat, that weights 16.5 lbs. I know that obesity in cats could lead to illnesses, so I'm worried. My vet has recommended exercise and a special diet food. We can not afford at this time the food, I play with her everyday (she loves to chase a ball), but after 5/6 runs she lays down. I have another cat 6 yr old, that nibbles all day, because if she eats when she is very hungry, she vomits so I can not restrict the food, and the other cat eats as well, but never eats everything, I never have seen her eat too much.

I feed them 11 oz of canned food a day, and 1 cup of dry food, total for both cats, I don't think it's too much. I tried different dry food, searching for the one with less corn meal and less fillings.

I would appreciate any advice, other than the vet diet food, thank you so very much.

ANSWER: You are correct Maria, obesity can lead to a myriad of diseases. Here are some of them listed:
http://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/cat-disease-weight-management.html

I commend you for caring about your cat's health and for recognizing her condition is a serious one as well as for writing and asking what to do about it.

I know that the food your vet recommended (most likely Prescription Diet R/D) is an expensive food, but it actually costs less then other foods when fed correctly.  R/D helps make your cat feel full while still providing optimal nutrition for your cat. Cats on R/D are extremely shiny and healthy.

It does work too! However, there are alternatives to R/D. Not as good,but will work if you use them properly.

I don't recommend any food except Hill's Science Diet because as a Small Animal Nutritionist I have studied dozens of different diets. I know that people have stubborn ideas about corn meal and other ingredients in some foods, but you have to remember this:

Hills uses ingredients that have proven to be beneficial in wellness foods and for the prevention of  certain diseases, and obesity is one of them. Hills also has over 50 years of veterinary research behind what it makes and sells. Not some corporate flunky that hasn't a clue about animals, but real veterinarians that love animals are the people who create, test and feed trial feedings to real animals to see if they work.

Hill's brand of Science Diet Light is a good way to reduce your cat while still giving her and the other cat optimal nutrition at the same time. Both cats will benefit with shinier coats, healthy, bright eyes and a slimmer body.

There are many light foods out there but only Science Diet is a true light food, with only 315.9 kcal/per cup. That is an 8 ounce cup, like you use for cooking. When measured properly and fed according to weight - or in the case of your obese cat- the weight you want her to be-you will actually save money. Cats need less of SD light because of the nutrient content. Cats eat to fulfill their energy needs and until those are met, they will keep eating. Nutrient dense food like Hill's Science Diet fills those energy needs so they need less food to be satisfied. We have actually had owners come in and think their cats didn't like the food because they weren't eating it all day long. The truth was that they are satisfied with less food. These cats are healthy, active and live a long time. I personally have had two cats live to be 19 and 15 on Hills foods.

Now the canned food you are feeding on top of whatever brand you are feeding is way too much. My cats get a SPOONFUL of wet food in the morning and that is it. I have never had an obese cat. Nor do my cats get sick. Or my dogs! I can only attribute that to Hills foods.

So my recommendation to you would be to get an 8 lb bag of Hill''s Science Diet Light Adult, and slowly wean them over to it over 7 days. By day 7 that should be all they are eating and it has to be measured. For two cats you should not have out more than 1 eight ounce cup of food out. If you are going to feed some canned, get some SD light canned or only give them a spoonful each of the wet food.
That and more exercise and you should see your cat start dropping some weight. Here is the page you can read all about the food. http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-feline-adult-light-cat-food-dry.html

While you are in there, you might want to read about the three bag challenge. You can get some valuable coupons for Hill's Science Diet. Both you and your pet win. By the way, Hill's is the only food out there that doesn't change their forumla from batch to batch, nor do they fill it up with salt and fat, and they are the only food that has a 100% money back guarantee.
So there you go Maria. I hope this helps you decide what to do.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I really appreciate your help, and I will do my best to follow your advice, but if you don't mind just to be clear, you think that a daily diet of 5oz of canned food, plus 1/2 a cup of dry, is too much to feed a cat of around 11 lbs of weight?

Answer
If you feed both cats the Science Diet light and the 11 lb cat looks like she is losing weight, then you can feed her that much wet food. Otherwise, a 5 1/2 can is too much for one cat on top of all that dry. If 1/2 of dry is enough for her daily allowance then you are giving her more than she needs with that much canned.

So stick to a half a can or less with the dry food. As I said, my cat gets about a tablespoon in the morning. If she doesn't eat it, I give it to her later. She eats only Science Diet sensitive skin formula. Her skin was bumpy and her coat sparse on the Senior food I had her on, Science Diet of course, so I switched her to the SS and her coat is thick and soft as silk and her skin is completely clear. She is the healthiest 8 yr old cat around!

She is never sick and my dog is 12 1/2 and has never been sick a day in her life. I have had her since she was 9 weeks old.