Question:
I just took a really cute pic of Scully and realised how good he looks now compared to when we got him. I had to share Scully's journey to 21.5lbs
I don't have many pics of when I first got him in March - but here is one from May when he had been exercising a lot and on a strict diet for about 2 1/2 months. You can still see where the fur had rubbed away on his tummy (which is now all better ) He was basically just a big black & white blob with a pink nose and belly - but so loving we couldn't say no - he would never have been picked at the SPCA if he was taken there.
And to show you that he is all fur - after having a bath in August (at 25lbs)
And here he is a much slimmer and more energetic Scully in September - weighing in at about 24lbs
And after his long day at the pet spa before Christmas (about 22lbs)
And today (at 21.5lbs)
I couldn't believe how good he looked when I took this photo - I see him every day and the amount his has lost didn't really dawn on me until looking at some other pics.

Answer:
Congratulations on the weight loss
Zoee has lost almost 5 lbs. She went from basically 19.2 lbs down to 14.5 a month ago. I know what you mean....I'm amazed by how much healthier and more active she is after losing some weight!!
~Shelly~
http://www.myspace.com/fbodgrl
Zoee, Zack, Lamar & Mateo's mom
and Khan my Pit Bull Terrier
Answer:
congrats to scully! that's an amazing amount of weight to lose for a cat! he looks so cute, and he also looks like my aunts kittie she had at one time (he's now at the rainbow bridge with my previous cat puppett). Congrats again!
~Bekki and daizy~
Answer:
Scully is a cutey!
Am glad for him that he lost all that weight and is feeling and looking better now..
Meet Polo and Lorren!

Answer:
That's fantastic! Now if only I could manage to lose 1/3 my current body weight
Heather
http://www.violina23.com/
Answer:
Wow! He's such a handsome looking cat! Congrats to you and Scully
<3
Roze
Answer:
violina23 wrote: That's fantastic! Now if only I could manage to lose 1/3 my current body weight
Me too He is obviously doing better than I am... but I don't fancy making the move from eating whatever 'my humans' are eating to cat food
I can't believe they let him eat leftovers every night!

Answer:
My vet put Snickers on a low-carb cat food which my daughter calls the "Catkins" diet
What kind of diet is Scully on? I'm curious to know how long Scully has been on the diet and how long you plan to keep him on it. What is his goal weight?
Snickers lost two of his 19 lbs. the first month and definitely looks thinner. I'm not sure how long he'll have to stay on it. The poor guy gets pretty hungry sometimes. He's big-boned so he'll never be tiny!!
Owned by Pepper and Pumpkin RIP Snickers 8/22/00 -- 11/28/06
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

Answer:
Scully didn't really need a special diet - he just needed to learn to
1. not gorge on food (the other cat used to attach him when he ate so when he could eat he ate lots so that he was full in case he couldn't eat again for a while)
2. not be fed human food (his owners had a toddler who used to throw his food on the floor and Scully would eat it - probably for the reason above - so he started getting human food every day as then the owners would give him leftovers too)
He has been on the same food as our cats - although he still sometimes gorges on the food and Magnum gives him a quick whack to let him know he has to share - they are fed a mixture of holistic blend and chicken soup and california natural. (They choose what they want each night - i put a few pieces of each down and one of them (usually Boomer) will 'pick' by eating the one he wants first.
So he hasn't really been on a diet - he has just been eating like a cat should - We got him in March and he was just over 30lbs when we first got him calm enough to weigh him a few weeks later and you could already see he was losing weight by then. We also had taken him off the high card Iams weight control they had been free feeding him and put him on timed feedings - but this didn't go down very well with our other three so they are all on free feeding again - but Magnum keeps them in line if they eat too much.
His weight loss has slowed down a lot - and he looks and is a lot healthier - I am quite happy to keep him at the weight he is now - but he is still slowly losing weight - whatever his body naturally decides it is going to stay at now is OK. It vwasn't so much the weight and his health I was worried about when we took him. Now he plays and seems happy - the vet said his ideal weight (after being so big for so long) is about 19lbs as he will not lose much more weight than that without being a danger to his system.
A lot of people were worried by how much he lost int he first few weeks - I remember BF's sister in law (who owns Scully's sister) thought we were starving the poor thing he droppped so quickly. He didn't really eat for the first few days we had him - but he was so scared - noe he had 3 cats to contend with instead of one! But he has been eating properly the whole time - a lot of it just was him eating too much as the other cat used to attack him whenever he ate.
I would be interested to know more about the catkins diet though - and how Snickers is doing.

Answer:
Thanks for the details on Scully's plan.
Snickers has not been weighed recently, but I would guess he is probably now about 16 lbs. He is on a Hill's prescription cat food (from the vet) which is a low carb, high protein formula. I am feeding him 1/2 cup daily for a 15lb. target weight. He can probably go lighter than that, but I didn't want to push it as we also adopted our kittens around the same time the diet began.
Like Scully, Snickers was at risk for health issues such as diabetes. He is only 4 but of course it's better to head off problems now.
I must say that the kittens are definitely helping in giving Snickers exercise! Snickers runs with them and has become more playful in general, even when he's by himself. The only problem is keeping them from eating each other's food!!!
Owned by Pepper and Pumpkin RIP Snickers 8/22/00 -- 11/28/06
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

Answer:
awww Scully you are looking marvelous.
Good job.. Now if all us humans could do as well
as you have!
Mittens says to tell you he doesnt have
to loose weight as he is just a boned boy.. Im not
suppose to get too inspired by Scully cuz he isnt
going to do it.
Mittens runs around eating everyone else food
too and is putting on the pounds.
Answer:
Mitts & Tess wrote: awww Scully you are looking marvelous.
Good job.. Now if all us humans could do as well
as you have!
Mittens says to tell you he doesnt have
to loose weight as he is just a boned boy.. Im not
suppose to get too inspired by Scully cuz he isnt
going to do it.
Mittens runs around eating everyone else food
too and is putting on the pounds.
Scully told me this too when I put him on a diet - but it didn't work.
He is still a mooch for human food though - i went to fill up my glass of water and there is Scully ready to eat my dinner!

Answer:
Maybe Ill have to start the exercise program
of chase the treat on the string... Ill just tell Mittens
blame Mz Icklemiss
Answer:
Hey, my cat is 16.5 pounds and is 13 yrs old...is there a safe way I can get her to lose weight and live longer ..I want to have her for a long time still . After hearing your stories the chances are good

Answer:
With Scully iy was a bit different as he just needed to be fed cat food rather than human food and to feel more secure so he didn't gorge on food.
But it certainly is possible for her to lose weight safely - it is best if you speak to your vet (mine has free obesity workshops) and make sure he checks her for weight loss related diseases as she loses weight and discuss the best diet for you and her