fat cat

[Guest]

okay, our cat is freaking huge...we don't know what to do. last night when we fed her, she ate everything in a matter of 15 mins. what should we do? we're going to get a laser pointer to get her some exercise, but she is out of control on eating. we are at a loss, and concerned that her weight will lead to more serious health problem. we don't underfeed her, but what should we do? should we just start feeding her less, maybe less food more often?
TIA,
rob

[davet]

you sound absolutly right that her eatingis out of control...some cats, like some dogs, like some people are congeticly fat due to a screwed up metabolism...but if you go to macdonalds and watch a family in which all are fat, eating gorss abmounts of fries and other fat foods, you can't blame it on genetics....if your cat had been checked out by a vet and is pretty normal thaen i wouldn't loose too much sleep over it...some cats just are fat and survive...but no matte what the condition, it is calories in vrs calories out..i assume you cat cannot open cans so it is up to you to limit the calories...aske you vet to calculate the amount of calories intake is necessary for a normal lsoss of weight....

[Auntie Debbie]

I would suggest you speak with your vet about your kitty's weight. It's usually found in dogs, but cats can suffer from hypothyroidism

http://consumer.vetmedcenter.com/Consum ... =8518&dt=p

If it's just a case of simple overeating, you vet will want to first examine your kitty and then prescribe a low calorie feed. Do not attempt to cut way back on his food intake of to make him lose weight in a short amount of time. This can cause hepatic lipidosis a severe liver condition). Weight should taper off gradually. Also your vet should ensure that his heart is in good shape for an exercise plan. If you are playing with him and he begins to pant, let him cool down for a while.

Obesity links:

http://consumer.vetmedcenter.com/Consum ... =8665&dt=p

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/show ... .cfm?id=39

http://www.news.cornell.edu/science/Mar ... s.hrs.html

http://waltham.com/index.html?content=h ... esity.html

http://www.peteducation.com/category_su ... 1&cat=1398[/url]

[ctmorris]

I too have a fat cat who is obsessed with food. I did take her to the vet as they thought that she might be diabetic, etc - but it turns out she's just fat with a food obsession.

Get your kitty as much exercise as you can - which can be tough - also, take her to the vet to rule out disease - also the vet has food that my fat kitty is required to eat - it's called Purina OM (used to be called obesity management - now called overweight management) - but she is a pudge and at this point she can't even reach her own backside to bathe... sorry to be graphic..

I'm hopeful that with controlled meals that she slims down a bit - or at least stops expanding into the next universe..

C.