Pick a food, any food!

[slvrwhispr]

Well, Izzy is getting to be middle-aged. She'll be 8 this summer, and while she got a clean bill of health at her November vet visit, and while she still has all the energy of a kitten (seriously, she never grew out of the zoomies) I've noticed she is starting to round out a bit. She's always been a very lean cat, and I've always free-fed her Iams. I tried just reducing the amount (not free-feeding) but there hasn't been any significant change.

Iams is the best of the Walmart available brands, but I'm making a bit more cash now and can afford to feed her something more appropriate for her needs. That said... I don't know what the heck to pick. I spent a while today between calls looking at the foods available at PetCo (which is the only pet store around here) and... nope, not a clue.

So. What PetCo-available food would you feed Izzy? I will, of course, transition her properly.

[Traci]

Iams has a "mature adult" formula, maybe try that. The mature formulas are a bit less in calories. They also have a weight control formula but I've never used it, so just compare the two to see what might be more ideal for Izzy.

I feed Science Diet adult indoor formula, usually the "mature" formula. But, I also have a kitty with a sensitive tummy, so I mix in SD sensitive stomach formula with it.

I think Royal Canin also has an indoor formula.

If you don't think her weight gain is excessive, first try a bit more playtime for her, make it a consistent activity and time every day.

[slvrwhispr]

That's the thing, she's still so energetic, and she was so recently given a clean bill of health, I figure it's gotta just be age slowing metabolism down. Because I play with her a bit every morning and a bit every night. And if I don't play with her enough, by golly, she plays with herself just fine! She will toss a toy mouse, run and get it, then toss it back, run and get it... that's right, goober plays fetch with herself.

She also still gets the zoomies just before dawn. Funny story: I have this app on my phone that uses the gimbal in the phone to sense motion, and it's used to track your sleep cycles. You lay the phone on the bed nearby and it can tell if you're tossing and turning a lot, or sleeping soundly. Well... I can tell by the graphs when Izzy is running around on the bed. Either that or I spend a solid five minutes of movement in my sleep... which I'm pretty sure I don't! Hahaha.

[Traci]

Pretty cool app

Just a q, is your new place smaller than your other place? If so, she might not be zooming from one end to the other much anymore.

But, yes, metabolism can slow down a little. I wouldn't say too much though, since she is so active. Do you notice her eating more or less?

[slvrwhispr]

Well, the apartment is one bedroom, one level, whereas my parents' house is three bedroom, two levels. So yeah, her space is a lot more limited. That said... she's actually more active here. I never really saw her come out and play at my parents' house; she spent most of her time playing king of the hill in the basement. By that, I mean sleeping in the highest places she could find. She seemed a lot more sedentary then than she is now.

Now, all THAT said, she did also seem to be eating more. Like, she would just park her butt in front of the bowl and munch to her heart's content. Before, she would graze more. She'd wander by, take a bite or two, and be on her way.

I've started just giving her a scoop (it's a little tupperware type container, holds probably a bit over a cup) in the mornings and she usually runs out by the next morning. I used to just keep the bowl full for her.

[Traci]

So, you're still free-feeding, just using less in the bowl each day, right?

Try the Iams mature adult - remember to mix it with her current Iams, using smaller percentages over a week or two.

What type of toys does she have? Usually any playtime that involves trotting, stretching, reaching, pouncing, etc, work all the muscles, but just don't overdo it. My favorite toys to get the cats in action: Kong kickeroos, nerf balls (to chase or fetch), kitten crinkle mice (furry), and Skineeze catnip mice, can get all at petmountain.com for a LOT less than petco or petsmart. Even the smaller dog Skineeze furry toys are fun, the dog type just doesn't have catnip.

[slvrwhispr]

So, I went with an Iams indoor weight control/hairball control formula and mixed it in with her usual Iams orange bag kibble. The orange bag stuff is a triangle shape. The new food is more of a round cylinder bit.

Woke up this morning, she'd picked all the new kibble out and eaten it, leaving behind all the old kibble.

Her Highness has spoken?

Oh, and because I never answered the previous question... she has every toy ever. Seriously. Rattle mice, catnip mice, scratching post, jingle balls, feather toys (for interactive play only), random crap I've tied to a shoelace... haha. Uhh... countless plastic milk rings... and a couple of small stuffed toys that were my nephew's that she stole and are now hers. And if all of that fails, she's very content to chase her tail all over the living room floor.

[Traci]

Well, how cool is that! I hope she continues to like the new food, and please do check her weight within the next month.

As for the toys, with my cats, I only bring out a few at a time, and I rotate them. Keeping some toys kept away for a time, then bringing them out when they least expect it, they are re-invented in play and it seems their playtime sessions are a bit longer, more interesting. Granted, I have several cats but rotating the toys really makes a difference in activity. Maybe try that with Izzy?

[slvrwhispr]

So, not even a month, and obvious results. She's gone back to her old eating habits -- grazing when hungry, rather than just chowing down. And she isn't insane over food; before, when her dish was empty, she would HOWL at me until I replenished it. Now she doesn't seem to panic. Interesting.

The "roundness" I perceived in her seems to have abated. As far as I can tell from just holding her on the scale and doing math, it seems she's not lost more than half a pound from her last vet weigh in, but she just... looks better. If that makes sense. I've also noticed her grooming a lot less. I thought she was just shedding her winter coat, but maybe it was the food. Hard to tell.

Regardless, she seems happier and healthier. Guess it was just time for a food upgrade.