Cat Weight Loss

Question
I have a few problems with my 2 year old cat at the moment. She was a rescue kitten when we got her and has always been quite a timid cat and as such has been kept as an indoor cat (she runs away any time we open the door so there's no way she would go outside willingly). She is currently experiencing urinary tract problems and has been put on hills feline c/d food, cystaid capsules and hypovase tablets which seem to be helping at the moment. However, no matter what I try I cannot get her to drink water - I've tried different bowls, waters, freshness, where I put her water bowl, leaving taps running and even giving her ice cubes but to no effect. Her other problem is her weight. She currently weighs 3.8kg (I think this is about 8.5lbs) but my vet says she is overweight by about 0.5 - 1 kg. She currently gets feed 1 156g tin of feline c/d at the moment due to her urinary problems. She doesn't get any treats but she is very lazy, what is the best way to get her losing weight? I've bought her lots of toys, alternating them so she doesn't get used to them. I try and play with her for a while most nights but she really is a lazy girl. I would like to get her on a light diet but at the moment that's just not possible and she also has a very sensitive stomach. Can you help?

Answer
Leigh,

The only way to get your cat to lose weight under the circumstances is to feed her less.  At first, her metabolism will slow down to compensate, but, in time, she really will lose weight.

If your cat does not want to exercise, there is no way you can make her <sigh>!  Some people have had luck bringing in a kitten which tends to revitalize the evergy level in most cats having to keep up with their new companion.  I am not sure you want to go to that extreme.

Do you play with her with the toys?  Cats are more interested in toys if they do things "on their own", which is why teases work so well.  

I would not worry about the water consumption.  She gets plenty of water in the wet food.  I would not force her to drink water as too much water consumption can be bad (it unbalances the electrolytes).  An old timey remedy to increase water consumption was to salt the cat's food.  It may be she will eat less because of the salt, but get her to drink more water.

Another couple of things you might do is to (1) Give her distilled water to drink (it has no minerals and a balanced ph, both of which are good for the urinary tract) and (2) see if she will drink cranberry juice (also good for the urinary tract).

If she is overweight, I would not worry about the over sensitive stomach too much.  Sometimes when cast scarf down their food too quickly, it comes right back up.

Good luck and best regards... Norm.