"Light" Cat Food

[anneryan]

Hi,

My 2 1/2 year old kitty, Mia, is getting a little overweight, according to my vet. He suggested more canned food and less dry food. I currently feed her 5/8 cup of Science Diet adult dry food and 1/2 of a 3 oz. can of Fancy Feast per day. She doesn't usually finish either the dry or the canned food. The problem is that she doesn't really like canned food and my schedule is erratic so I can't be at home multiple times during the day to feed her more canned food.

I have pondered the idea of mixing in some "light" or lower calorie dry food. Has anyone had any success with the indoor or light dry foods as far as kitty weight-loss?

Thanks for your help!

Anne (and Mia)

[Traci]

How much is "a little overweight"? How much does she weigh and did your vet tell establish and tell you what her BCS is?

I'm not fond of "light" commercial foods, they are NOT designed for weight loss, but rather weight management, that is, once the pet is at an appropriate weight, the diet is used to maintain the current weight. Even then, many of the commercial brands are not ideal for weight management in a pet prone to obesity. For serious weight issues, it is more appropriate to prescribe a specific veterinary diet for weight loss, then manage it with a different type of diet. But, you MUST be careful with any dietary approach because if too much weight is lost too suddenly, serious health issues can occur, such as diabetes and liver disease. Full exam and bloodwork should be done for any pet initiating a weight management plan.

Of course, exercise is a crucial component to weight management. Try getting her interested in interactive toys, spend 10 minutes or so twice a day with her encouraging her to exercise and play with attention to activities that allow her to stretch, reach, trot, chase toys, etc. If she's seriously overweight or has any joint/arthritic problems due to weight however, or has a heart murmur, consult your vet before initiating any exercise plan for her.

[anneryan]

She weighs 13.6 pounds (at last checkup) and when I look at the BCS chart, I would say that she resembles between the "ideal" and "overweight" pictures. She has quite a "swinging" belly that hangs down.

She is an indoor cat, but we do play several times a day with her DaBird toy, or chasing a rope that I drag around the house or fetching a mousie toy that I throw.

Have you heard much about the new trend of promoting more canned and less dry food for cats? Supposedly, since cats are obligate carnivores, they will lose weight on a canned-only diet (canned foods WITHOUT grains added to them) instead of eating dry food since dry food is higher in carbohydrates. Just wondered if your veterinary office was a proponent of that approach.

Thanks, Anne

[Traci]

I've yet to see evidence of why canned is better than dry, other than, for example: conditions such as renal failure where the cat needs additional moisture, or IBD where the cat may require better digestibility, or for cats with dental extractions who prefer canned, or used as a tempter in cases of illness, or palatibility preference for the cat. Keep in mind, all cats are different, with different needs, and palatibility is a factor one must take into account of ANY condition or need. Canned is not without it's own supposed "risks", those being oral health problems, GI tract upsets, theories of hyperthyroidism, differences in nutrients and manufactured risks.

Are you leaving dry out for her (free feeding)? Did the vet suggest to fed less, but more often? (i.e., small amounts, but more often, of a calculated amount for each day). If he suggested canned to you, did he calculate her caloric/energy needs when feeding both the canned and dry?

[anneryan]

I do leave the dry out all the time, but I measure the same amount each day so I know how much she's eating. I empty and refill her dry food bowl each day so I'm not just adding to what's left from the day before.

The vet didn't really give me any guidelines as to how much to feed, caloric intake, or anything. He just said that he would hate to see her gain any more weight and that maybe I should try feeding more canned and less dry.

[Traci]

If she isn't eating all of her calculated amount of the dry, chances are, it's not the food, but inactivity, or lack of regular exercise (that is, consistent, on a daily basis).

I would NOT feed Fancy Feast, at all. If you want to try canned food, try Iams or Science Diet, even Friskies if it has to be commercial. Whatever you do, don't change brands or varieties, etc because this may lead to finickiness, possibly even avoidance of her dry food (and there's nothing wrong with feeding dry).

Get her weight checked on a monthly basis for a few months to gauge what is occuring. Keep a log of activities and for how long each day she exercises, this will come in handy at each weight check with your vet so he can help you determine what is and what isn't working. (and to avoid sudden weight loss or gain). Most vets don't charge for monthly weight checks, ask your vet about that.

And, if he isn't taking this seriously, either nudge him to do so, or see another vet. It's always best to prevent weight gain as opposed to waiting for a vet to address it and then spend months to years trying to get the cat to a manageable weight without ill effects.

[anneryan]

I will take her in periodically to get weighed--the vet even suggested that too. We will also try to play more and make sure it's regular.

Just curious....why no Fancy Feast? I always thought it was at least as good as Friskies. Maybe that's part of the problem!

Thanks,

Anne

[Traci]

Fancy Feast is just a really cheap cat food, very low quality, and many of their varieties contain fish (which you only want to feed in slight moderation, not every day!). In cases of illness where tempting with different foods can help get an anorexic cat to eat, FF would be fine (and is sometimes preferred), but please don't feed it often, nor on a daily basis.

I don't care for Friskies either, but of the commercial canned foods available, I'd recommend it amoung Hill's, Iams, Eukanuba.

[anneryan]

Thanks, Traci. I didn't realize that. I'll pick up some Science Diet and Iams flavors to try when I go to the pet store tomorrow. Hopefully I'll find one that she likes!

Anne

[momPaws]

Traci - that chart is really good. I guess my little peanut is a little shy of overweight so will watch that.