Weight loss: dry vs. wet foods

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Miana & Misha

Miana & Misha

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I'm sure some of you have came across this before if you've had a "plus sized" kitty, so I'd appreciate all of your thoughts.

As some of you may know, I adopted Misha who was showing signs of diabetes back in January, but we've been doing okay blood sugar wise with a canned food only diet. Only problem is - he's not losing any weight. None whatsoever, he's still hovering around 16lbs and I'm sure the trouble I'm having keeping him out of my dog's kibble isn't helping. Do you think it's a good idea to try him out on low or grain free dry food? Either on it's own or a long with the canned food? The vet says he has to lose weight, and his trouble jumping up and heavy breathing can attest to that but I don't know what else to do with this stubborn fella. Maybe that Natural Balance food?
 
I would not go to dry food. I would just feed less canned. Cats on dry tend to need more insulin and seem to get fat on dry. But that could be due to feeding too my dry.
 
What wet food are you feeding and how much? I know there are wet food oz per pound guidelines, maybe you could try feeding slightly less than that over time.

I'm not a vet/expert, but I'm not sure dry food is the answer. It would probably increase BGs and make it harder to control diabetes signs. Seems like you want to focus on getting your cat all the protein & nutrients they need for the least amount of calories. Since dry food is mainly grain filler, you probably don't get a good nutrient-to-calorie ratio. Depending on what your current wet brand is, maybe upgrade to a higher quality wet food with less byproducts?
 
He gets canned pate Friskies and 9 Lives. I try to make sure I stick to the flavors with the lowest carbs. He shares on average about 3 cans of food a day with his adopted brother. From what I've read, I think Misha is supposed to get close to 2 cans a day on his own, and he's usually begging me pretty often to feed him but I try to space the feedings out.


The type of dry I was talking about is almost completely grain free. I think the Wellness Core has 11 carbs and over 40 grams of protein per cup.
 
You just need to feed a little less canned. 1 1/2 cans (if evenly divided) is too much based on the cat not loosing weight. Yes, frequently cats will hound you for more food. Youjust have to live with it.
 
I had a foster cat in my care for about 8 months who needed to lose a lot of weight. I think she was about 15-16lbs when I got her. She was adopted out before we got to her ideal weight (9-10lbs). We made some amazing progress, tho.

I would recommend reading this site completely:
http://www.catinfo.org/

You do want to be careful and not restrict your cat's intake too much or you will run into major health issues. This site will explain how to do it safely.

I would strongly suggest investing in a baby scale, if funds allow. I had one with my first cat, Latte. I almost gave it away once she was gone. Then came along the foster, and now another foster (this one needed monitoring because she was growing!). It was one of the best investments toward cat care I have made.

I started with wellness, but changed after a while. I found Merricks to be one of the better choices for weight loss (also great low carb option). She was able to eat a lot more quantity for the same amount, and often less calories. Quantity was important to her. :lol: I tried to split the meals in to 4, so she could eat more often. She also got some treats in a timed feeder 1-2x/day (not many, mind you). Sometimes reductions in food intake were by the tps, not ounces.

I was always being bugged for food. She camped out at least an hour before the timed feeder would open to wait for her 3-4 treats inside. :lol: Usually if she was bugging me for food I would try to distract her and play. That helped sometimes.

The catinfo.org site was a tremendous help, which I referred to many times during her stay with me.

Good Luck!!!
 
I mix wet food with a lot of water. This has helped my civvie Nipper who eats too fast and barfs as well as Scout who needs to lose a pound or two. I can give a quarter can at a time mixed with water and they both get full before they finish the quarter can, then they come back later and eat the rest. I would like to say I don't get bugged for food, but Nipper bugs me for food whenever I'm anywhere near the kitchen as well as early in the morning, regardless of how much food is in her bowl at the time. :-x

Lori
 
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