will wet food help my huge 12 yo lose weight?

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by George&Bert, Mar 9, 2012.

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  1. George&Bert

    George&Bert Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I am afraid I misjudged my cats diet. I have so many and try to use foods from which they all benefit. however, Toby has just expanded recently and his hunger is relentless.

    i mistakenly put them on California Natural Chicken and Brown Rice thinking brown rice is good..NOT at least for cats but better than white. I never realized until Toby got too fat that CN has over 30% carbs!

    So, I have been substituting EVO at 6% and Core at 11% (which he turns his nose up) and have been funneling in low carb wet. But he eats the wet like there is no tomorrow. I mix it 50/50 with water.

    Will this allow him to drop pounds? I hope i am doing right.

    When two vets were consulted one said some cats are fat like people and the other said separate him which I cannot do. He is the Sun and the other cats love him and he loves them.
     
  2. dian and wheezer

    dian and wheezer Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    I would think any cat placed on a lo carb diet will loose weight since it is so much healthier than ANY dry food. coats will be soft and shiny. no more dandruff.
    I have 8 cats and before switching to canned and home made raw, they were all a bit chunky. they all lost weight but it was a gradual thing,.
    of course, even over feeding a lo carb canned wet will result in gaining weight.
    according to dr lisa, too fat, feed less, too skinny , feed more
    average cat eats 5-6 oz./day
     
  3. squeem3

    squeem3 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
  4. Short answer is "yes". The lowest carb food possible would be best for any cat, and canned food, in general, is lower than dry.
    Here's a link to a great site that will explain it better than I can, but cats have no dietary requirement for carbs at all. They convert proteins and fats into "energy" and any carbs in their diet end up stored as fat in their body, or if they aren't stored, they go out as "waste".
    http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm
    (That would apply to non-diabetic cats, of course. With a diabetic you're trying to ensure you aren't adding any carbs, or as few a possible).

    And like any diet, you want to reduce the amount of calories going in, and encourage the burning of calories once they are "in", so you have to keep track of how many calories per day you are feeding, and try to get kitty to play/exercise to burn some calories up. If you look at J & B's food charts, the calories per can info is there. When I was trying to manage Bob's weight during his treatment, I used to write the cals count on the can lids and regulate his total intake for the day based on calories rather than on ounces/cans per day.

    Carl
     
  5. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    When I placed the entire pride of 12 on low carb canned, the 2 obese, non-diabetic cats lost significant weight over the next 2 months, then stabilized.

    If he is diabetic, you want the rate of weight loss to be conservative while he is breaking down fat. If the insulin dose isn't quite optimal, you may get some ketones, which could become problematic in excess. And, if the fat breakdown is too fast, it can overwhelm the liver and trigger hepatic lipidosis.

    Cat Info has more info on weight loss and nutrition.
     
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