Cubby kitty

Question
My youngest cat is four years old.  Over the last two years he has gained weight.  I asked my vet and she said to feed him "diet" catfood.  So, I do and I play with him often, he gets enough excercise, but still remains chubby.  At first I thought it was depression from being separated from his sister who moved away with my roommate when we graduated.  Wouldn't that have passed by now? What else can I do to help him maintain a normal weight?

Answer
Hi, Denise.  Are you following the recommended serving amount on the food label?  If not, that could be your problem.  Overeating is overeating.  So even if he's on diet food, he can still stay overweight.

If you are following the food instructions carefully, maybe it's time to consider a different approach.  Sometimes cats who don't lose weight on a low-calorie diet (those available over-the-counter) need to be placed on a low-carb diet, instead.  Cats really need very, very little in the way of carbohydrates.  Their bodies use fat and protein much more efficiently.  If you think about it, where are carbohydrates in a cat's natural diet?  They're carnivores.  All they eat is fat and protein, along with a tiny amount of partially digested carb-rich food found in their prey's stomach.  Unfortunately, though, most dry cat food contains way too many carbs to be healthy for a cat, thus resulting in the "fat" epidemic we're seeing in pet cats.  Switching to a mostly canned food diet may help.

There is a new diet food on the market available through most vets, called Hill's m/d.  It's high protein, lower carb.  People are finding it works much better with certain cats than traditional diets.  Those who have been struggling for years have had success when feeding this food.  I would definitely ask your vet about her opinion on this one.