overweight cats

Question
QUESTION:  I have several cats, 2 of which are overweight. I have heard  it is not safe for cats to lose weight too fast,  yet I have also heard about a cat that safely lost weight over 1 years time instead of  2 or 3 years. one cat needs to lose 8 pounds, and the other one needs to lose 4 or 5 pounds. I got the heavier one to lose 5 pounds  in a fairly quick amount of time without any health problems, unfortunately I had to go out of town for a month and he gained it back. Since I have been back I have been trying to get him to lose weight again but haven't had much luck.

can you tell me how much a cat should lose per month, also what kind of dry food do you suggest?  is there a dry diet food you suggest, one that you feel is better than the others? is Purina healthy weight a good one?

how many calories should a overweight cat have per day?

ANSWER: Well you do have to be very careful with weight loss and cats. I have never seen it take 2-3 yrs to lose 5 lbs or so as long as they are on the right food.
I have seen cats lose that much and more in a years time.

There is no grocery store brand that I would ever recommend for weight loss in cats. I have read all the labels and none of them are true weight loss foods.

A true weight loss food will use a lot of fiber but not cut back on nutrition for the cat. They also cut back on some fat but have to have a good fat in there to metabolize vitamins and fat is the safest energy source. Too much protein is harmful to the kidneys after time so having a high protein food is not good either.

I have used Hill's R/D for cats for years to reduce them safely and quickly. As long as that is the only thing the cat eats and it is fed according to package directions, it works.

Another food that works but more slowly is Science Diet Adult LIGHT formula.
It is the only food that isn't prescription that is lower in calories without a compromise of essential nutrients and optimal flavor and quality. I never, ever recommend Purina anything as their food is of terrible quality and is never consistent in the formulation or nutrients.

A healthy cat needs to be fed according to the weight they should be, not the weight that they are at this moment. I think that is where most owners fall down is that they are not told this.

So if your 15 lb cat needs to be 10 lbs, then feed the amount for a 10 lb cat on the bag.
If you use one of these foods and follow it closely with no slips, your cat will lose steadily but slowly. Remember to play with them too, as that helps them burn the calories also.










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

QUESTION: no it did not take 2 or 3 yrs to lose the 5 pounds....

Answer
I did not say that. You mentioned this:"yet I have also heard about a cat that safely lost weight over 1 years time instead of  2 or 3 years."
I simply agreed with you that a cat can lose 5 pounds in less than 2 or 3 years.
I hope that made it more clear.