Weight Gain Question

[Nicole & Baby]

When Baby was diagnosed we went to an all canned diet of Wellness.
Her sister Sadi was on canned ProPlan Chicken & Rice prior & Baby ate Dry.
Now both my babies are on Wellness, I looked at the fat content in ProPlan Chicken & Rice compared to Wellness & it has a lot higher fat. We cannot feed the ProPlan anymore becuase it is not good for Baby's diabetes, but when I pick Sadi up she feels like she has gained a lot of weight.. she is heavier in one months time.. how quickly do cats gain weight? I am not worried yet..because she is not overweight.. but soon could be... They both (about a month ago) weighed 11lbs.

How quick can cats gain weight? I know ECID. But could it be that Sadi has gained a lot in a month?

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

We traded houses with a Scottish couple for 3 weeks last spring. They overfed Niko - just treats, not food. When we got home, he had gained a pound. So, I think cats can put on weight pretty fast. It has taken us 6 months to get him back to his regular weight.

 

[Nicole & Baby]

O geez.. Thanks, Sue.
I was afraid of that.. I am going to give Sadi some other options. They both weighed 13lbs a year ago & the Vet asked that they lose a little weight & I got 2lbs off them in 11 months.. so we will work on this : )

 

[Bridget & Lord Nelson]

Wellness has more calories per ounce than other canned foods, particularly supermarket brands like Purina and the like. For example, Wellness GF Chicken, Turkey, and Wellness CORE are all right around 40 calories/ounce. Other brands are down in the mid to low 30s per ounce. For example, I had been feeding my cats Authority Chicken until they decided they didn't like it anymore... that runs 35 cal/ounce. Sophisticat Turkey and Mixed Grill (gluten free varieties of PetSmart's other store brand) are 33 cal/oz.

If you go to Janet & Binky's chart and divide the per can calories by the number of ounces per can, you'll be able to figure out how many calories there is per ounce, and then based on the caloric needs of each cat (I believe Dr. Lisa recommends 15 calories per lean weight pound--I've seen slightly higher amounts elsewhere) from there you can figure out how many ounces a day your cats need of the Wellness. Base it on what your cats should weigh, not what they do weigh. I just put together a spreadsheet with all the brands I'm likely to choose from so I know how much each cat needs to get of each brand based on calories/oz. and how many calories each should be eating a day. Since you only have two mouths to feed you shouldn't have to go through what I do with 13 to figure it all out.

 

[Lisa dvm]

So, I think cats can put on weight pretty fast.

Agreed.

And...as Sue pointed out, it can take a long time to get it off once the weight is put on.

Keep it simple:

Too fat? Feed less.

Too thin? Feed more.

I rarely talk about calories/pound other than to give general guidelines like Bridget discussed. This is because the caloric needs of each cat is the epitome of ECID...every cat is different.