Question:
Hi there,

Please help:

I have a 6 year old female named Kiwi who is quite overweight.
I got her from the SPCA a year ago and she only weighed 6lbs now she weighs 16lbs. She's gained 10lbs in a year, it's terrible and i'm afraid she'll get diabetes etc. She was so skinny when I got her, it's almost as if she discovered food for the first time. I tried regulating what she eats but she gets mad and eats plastic and random things she finds around the house. I have a healthy 5 year old male cat and a 6 month old kitten, so it's hard just to feed her. I'm trying my best to feed her "light" food and to regulate what and when she eats but she rebels against me and eats random things. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much in advance

-Morgan
BC Canada


Answer:
We also have an overweight Kiwi You really need to separate her from the others and put her on a diet food. It seems cruel to keep her from her friends and limit her food intake, but it's worse to let her maintain an unhealthy weight.

Can you limit her to one room that you can keep free of dangerous things that she might try to eat? I would do that for now and only feed her a couple of times each day according to the directions on the package. She might not like her food right away and might not even eat it for a day or so, but you've gotta let her get used to that food and not spoil her.

I'd give that a few weeks and if you don't see any improvement, make a vet appointment. She could have a thyroid problem, diabetes, or another condition that's making it difficult for her to lose weight. 10 lbs in a year seems like a lot, so you really don't want her to gain any more.

Answer:
Hi, and welcome! May I ask what you're feeding her? Many commercial cat foods are made up of a lot of filler. It's possible that in order for your cat to get the nutrients she needs she has to eat a lot of food, depending on what kind of food you are giving her.

Answer:
It is very unusual for a cat to eat anything plastic or other things not meant to be eaten.
I would take her to the vet first and then figure out a course of action.
I had a very overweight cat at one time,he was diabetic and eventually died of cancer
One of my cats now,is getting there and I have to be very dilligent with him,while eating his own food,he's keeping an eye on my other 2 cats dishes
It's difficult to deny him,he looks sooo pityful when I take the dishes away,but I remember my poor Peppi and will not let that happen to Vinnie.
I am not a great believer in diet-foods for pets,instead I would buy a good quality cat-food,with no fattening fillers.

Answer:
I agree with the advice chico2 and vfrohloff have given and glitterless I think you are right that she could have a thyroid issue, diabetes or even another issue but I don't think diet foods are a good idea. Also you really can't feed a cat based on directions from a package because each cat is very different. If you or kitty go on a diet that isn't giving you enough of the nutrition you need you create a cycle of starving and binging. This eventually leads to weight gain because the body starts to think it needs to store fat any chance it gets (slows the metabolism down).

Answer:
The cat was probably so skinny when you got her as she was a stray/abandoned and you got her from the SPCA, so chances are she was perhaps scrounging for food, etc. If the cat was found in a built up area, she also may have been eating anything from the people's garbage just to keep alive, which might explain the plastic. I find that cats often have terrible emotional issues when it comes to abandonment and change, and you really don't know any of the cat's history prior to adopting her (nor does the SPCA probably). Cats usually are self regulators when it comes to food, so something is going on since your cat eats anything in sight. I would get her checked out at a vet to rule out any physical health issues. But cat's eating habits are very often related to emotional things. Did she eat like this prior to you getting the kitten? That could be an issue as well.

Answer:
HI there! Thanks for all the replies. I am feeding her Science Diet Light. I started about 1 month ago, so hopefully she will lose some weight. As for her eating because she was starved, I totally agree. I think once she came home to me she realized she had all this "free" food and binged. I am trying my best to limit her food and keep her away from my other cats food. Hopefully, it will work!
Thanks again for all the replies, it's nice to get help here



-Morgan


Answer:
Science Diet is not great, nutrition-wise, you may want to try one of the holistic brands so even if she's eating less, she'll still be getting what she needs nutritionally. I think sometimes cats eat more of the poor quality foods because they aren't satisfied, it's like empty calories (although I agree that Kiwi probably has 'food issues' as a result of being a stray).
Holistic food is more expensive but it is well worth it. You feed less and her overall health will be better.

Answer:
I agree. The premium foods have more protein from meat sources (instead or corn, corn gluten meal, etc.) which is much more satisfying for a cat by feeding less.

Answer:
Lots of good suggestions, there are 6 kitties here and they all have varying eating habits and nutritional needs ( I have a sensitive stomach, a possible allergy, one teetering on underweight and two adorable chubsters). But like you, it was too hard for me to feed them seperately after all I am alone here most of the time (hubby is a trucker). I only have two hands... I'm totally outnumbered at chow time!

My vet had some good suggestions that are working so far. First, she said many diet foods are just a gimmick, you are better off to feed a higher quality food and limit intake. (Ya easy when you have 1-2 kitties, not 6!!!)
But there is a way to do this, pick a time of day to feed and don't leave out any food (I chose dinner time, that way I get some of my own without having to put out my elbows! ), night is best because that's when they naturally like to hunt, so I put it out after canned treats at about 6-7PM and take it back up if there is any left at, well, when I roll my carcass outta bed. Secondly, for overweight cats, find a canned food they like (better of course if this is also higher quality)... and I mean really like and mix it with water gradually until they are eating it at amost the consistency of soup (I need a splash guard my Fagan loves it so much). This fills them up and slims them down. Plus they will go to the dry less.
And of course exersise. I use string on a stick and laser and of course they take care of some cardio and strength training (chasing and wrestling) on their own.

I've done all this for about 2 months now and Fagan has lost about a pound (big deal for a cat) and Buddy has lost a bit too, I see a big difference though in all of them that they are getting more muscular and less "swishy". And thankfully my little one, Smoke has not lost any weight. Of course I think she stays slim to fit under the hutch for escaping the boys...

Hope that was helpful...and good luck.

Answer: