? Need advice..civvie weight loss since stopping dry food

[Govies mom (Karen)]

Hello I have a question about my one civvie. Approx 2 months ago I weaned my 3 cats off dry food and feed only can now. They always have had can food while on the dry, so they are used to eating it. My problem is that my one civvie seems to have lost a bit more weight than the others. He now is really vocal when getting treats, whereas b4 he would just sit there quietly while I handed out the treats. I mean he really carries on, meowing like he hasn't eaten in weeks. I just got a bag of grain free dry food to perhaps try and see if giving just him a bit will make a difference. My question is how do I reintroduce a little bit of dry to him because I really feel if I put a bowl down hill gobble the whole thing. Now, he does eat the wet with everyone else, but I figured I might put him in my room with a little bit by himself. Any input would be appreciated as I don't want to really mess with their food but he just is losing a little too much weight for my liking and acting too hungry

 

[Lillie]

My cat lost quite a bit of weight when I switched him to wet food only. He needed to lose some anyway but I had to start feeding him more. At first he just wouldn't eat enough of the canned to keep his weight up but after I started feeding him more often he's maintaining a good healthy weight that keeps him slim. He was a 'porker' when he was eating all dry and also came down with transient diabetes.
Some here use the Young Again dry food, so you may want to look into that brand . You could also feed him an extra bowl of wet and or the dry Young Again in your room by himself.

 

[Govies mom (Karen)]

My cat lost quite a bit of weight when I switched him to wet food only. He needed to lose some anyway but I had to start feeding him more. At first he just wouldn't eat enough of the canned to keep his weight up but after I started feeding him more often he's maintaining a good healthy weight that keeps him slim. He was a 'porker' when he was eating all dry and also came down with transient diabetes.
Some here use the Young Again dry food, so you may want to look into that brand . You could also feed him an extra bowl of wet and or the dry Young Again in your room by himself.

Thanks for the reply. I just mixed like 5 pieces of the dry food and he ate just about all that was on the plate. I had to put it in the refrigerator the bag of dry that is, because as I was told from here the other cats will smell it even if it's closed and sure enough they did LOL. I will look into the young again brand. The problem was he was eating when I put the food down just a few bites and then walking away. Don't want to keep giving them tuna because they said not to give a lot of seafood. I only want to use the dry as a gimmick if you will, to get him to eat a little better at each meal time. But this is a start

 

[Lillie]

My cat Leo was/is a dry food addict. If he hears a bag rustle he still thinks it's his dry food and goes crazy. He also does not eat all the wet food at one time and always leaves some and comes back later to finish. He didn't do that with the dry so I'm assuming that the wet food is more of a hassle to eat all at once. I feed him several times a day now and use an auto pet feeder at night. My cat loved the Young Again dry but due to his IBD he can't eat any dry food at all. It's harder when you have more than one cat though because they may all eat at different paces. My Leo is an only child so it's easier.
Putting a few pieces of a good dry food on top of his wet food sounds like a good idea to get him to eat.

 

[Lillie]

There's also Forti Flora that actually is a probiotic but I use it as an appetite stimulate since most cats love the smell and taste. I sprinkle some over his wet food that has his pulverized medication in to make sure he eats everything with the med in it. It may work to get your civvie to eat more of the wet food at one time.

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

I am going through the same thing. My problem is I didn't know exactly when Tanner's weight loss started because he saw the vet in September 2016. I switched to all wet end of April 2017. Tanner saw the vet in July 2017 and had lost over 1 pound. I started watching him closer. I brought him back in a month later to do the pancreatitis test and his total loss was 1.5 pounds from the beginning. He did test positive, but he didn't exhibit any classic symptoms besides weight loss. I decided to start feeding raw. He's gaining a little now. I wish I know when it started!

 

[Govies mom (Karen)]

I am going through the same thing. My problem is I didn't know exactly when Tanner's weight loss started because he saw the vet in September 2016. I switched to all wet end of April 2017. Tanner saw the vet in July 2017 and had lost over 1 pound. I started watching him closer. I brought him back in a month later to do the pancreatitis test and his total loss was 1.5 pounds from the beginning. He did test positive, but he didn't exhibit any classic symptoms besides weight loss. I decided to start feeding raw. He's gaining a little now. I wish I know when it started!

Well it seems to me he was losing about a half a pound a month since April when you switch to all wet. That being said one of the things they said to do is feed more or more often instead of going to the dry. Now mine went from a pretty heavy cat to where I can feel his backbone now and he's always looking like he's really hungry that's a little more rapid weight loss than yours given the time span. Irregardless, it's always trial-and-error huh LOL

 

[Lillie]

Regular high carb dry food can really put the weight on. And they don't even need to eat a lot of it either. My cat was up to 20lbs when eating just dry food. He's now down to 15lbs and the vet feels it's a good trim weight for him. I have to just keep putting out the wet food several times a day to keep him at the weight he is.

 

[Mandy & Rex (GA)]

Well it seems to me he was losing about a half a pound a month since April when you switch to all wet. That being said one of the things they said to do is feed more or more often instead of going to the dry. Now mine went from a pretty heavy cat to where I can feel his backbone now and he's always looking like he's really hungry that's a little more rapid weight loss than yours given the time span. Irregardless, it's always trial-and-error huh LOL

He was at a good weight before. Now you can feel his backbone and hip bones. I always feel bad if I need to comb him because I know it rubs on the bones. The weird thing is my two 11 pounder cats stayed the same or gained. My diabetic cat Rex lost a little, but he needed it. It seemed like Tanner was eating the same amount as the others.

How much has the civvie lost and in how long?

 

[Govies mom (Karen)]

He was at a good weight before. Now you can feel his backbone and hip bones. I always feel bad if I need to comb him because I know it rubs on the bones. The weird thing is my two 11 pounder cats stayed the same or gained. My diabetic cat Rex lost a little, but he needed it. It seemed like Tanner was eating the same amount as the others.

How much has the civvie lost and in how long?

As I explained they always did get wet food along with the dry but I took the driveway completely probably just under 3 months ago

 

[Govies mom (Karen)]

Regular high carb dry food can really put the weight on. And they don't even need to eat a lot of it either. My cat was up to 20lbs when eating just dry food. He's now down to 15lbs and the vet feels it's a good trim weight for him. I have to just keep putting out the wet food several times a day to keep him at the weight he is.

They were eating Purina DM dietetic management because I have one diabetic cat..it's just that the one civvie lost more weight than the other two

 

[Lillie]

Like people they may each react differently to what food they're eating and how much it effects their weight. I was alarmed at how much weight my cat lost after stopping all dry but he is maintaining now with extra feedings and he's used to the fact he will not get the dry food, although I know he's not real happy about it.