Feeding my cats...

[CupOCoffee]

OK, WWYD:  I have 2 cats, a year and half old.  At checkup in October vet says my girl is overweight and to start feeding weight control version of the food I buy (vet is fine with brand I buy).  I keep just an open bowl of dry food, and both cats (the other is a boy, and he's slim) eat from it.

 

About a month ago, I started to give the cats a supplement that comes in paste form, and started giving them a bit of wet food once a day.  I gave the girl way less, like a few bites worth only, than the boy.  The boy finishes his, and then goes after hers.  So I started giving him a bit more than her; almost double, and sometimes more.  He still tends to go after hers if she comes up for breath.

 

I also think he doesn't eat much of the dry food; none of us hardly ever see him eating from the bowl. We are all wondering if he is now just holding out for and waiting for the wet food once a day.  If he is doing that, then I am really nervous that he is *really* hungry.  He's been sleeping a LOT lately....and that also makes me wonder if he is not getting enough to eat.  Part of me wants to believe that if he was really hungry, he'd eat from the dry bowl.  Part of me just wants to think that he is a stinker, holding out for the good stuff ;)  This cat can't really afford to lose any weight, he's so slim.

 

I have no desire to feed 2 different dry foods.  If I have to, I can feed him more wet, feed him the wet 2 times a day, whatever.  It's much easier to give the girl a teaspoon worth of wet 2 times a day, than to keep her away from dry that is supposed to be for him.

 

How do those of you with multiple cats feed your cats?  What and how much...

 

~coffee~ 

[Ellie]

We had one kitty who was a little chubby, two who were just fine. I used to put out the food and let them all have at it, which of course meant I couldn't tell if anyone was overeating (or undereating).

 

So I switched to a grain-free, lower-carb recipe of the same brand (we had been using Innova, and switched to Evo). I bought little bowls, one for each kitty, and I measured into each bowl the amount of food they were supposed to have each day. Yes, I put the food down on the floor and stood there while they ate. When they walked away, I picked up the food until the next meal time (twice a day). Turns out that chubby kitty was not, in fact, overeating, but she lost a little weight on the Evo, enough to satisfy the vet. The other kitties' weight stayed the same. After several months, I went back to free-feeding the kitties, since they were not overeating.

 

I guess low-carb, high protein, high fat also works for cats, lol.

 

I don't do wet food or anything else. I buy a good, premium cat food and that's it.

[Mergath]

I've accepted that I'm going to have one cat who is morbidly obese so that the other one doesn't waste away.  

 

If you aren't already, buy a high quality food from a pet store.  The stuff like Purina and Iams they sell in the big box stores is crap.  It's the equivalent of expecting a person to live on a diet of french fries three meals a day.  All junk, no nutrition.  

[TrixieB]

If skinny boy's behavior has changed (you mentioned he seems to be sleeping a lot more than usual lately) that IMO would warrant a vet visit, to see if something might be going on with him. 

 

If he's eating mostly/all canned food, the label will say the recommended amount to feed daily for his weight.  Though, a healthy cat will generally eat the less favored food when hungry.  Usually.  Depending upon finickiness...

[sunnyday]

I've always fed mine separately because one is a bit of a piggie. I prefer meal feeding for health reasons anyway, so it wasn't a big deal to isolate them for 15 minutes or so while they finished eating. At this point, at twice-daily meal time I have one in the laundry, one in the bathroom, and one in the pantry (while the dog is in her kennel).

[Laurie]

 

 

I have no desire to feed 2 different dry foods.  If I have to, I can feed him more wet, feed him the wet 2 times a day, whatever.  It's much easier to give the girl a teaspoon worth of wet 2 times a day, than to keep her away from dry that is supposed to be for him.

 

How do those of you with multiple cats feed your cats?  What and how much...

 

~coffee~ 

 

I have 2 boys and 1 girl (she's also diabetic).   My cats all get canned food...we don't do dry anymore because it isn't good for my girl with diabetes or one of the boys who has had urinary tract trouble in the past.  (If your boy cat doesn't want to eat dry food I wouldn't push it at all!)        I feed Fancy Feast Classics (only the Classics because the other ones with gravy are too high in carbs for the diabetic) to two of the cats and the other guy has allergies and inflammatory bowel problems so he has to eat a hypoallergenic prescription diet.  Feeding times can be challenging because they tend to want to play musical dishes , but we try to keep an eye on them while they're eating which doesn't take too long since they eat pretty quickly!  Food is only put out at meal times... they don't get to graze all day. 

 

There's a lot of good information about feeding cats here:  http://www.catinfo.org/

 

[Camelfeet]

I am a bit of a crazy cat lady.   :D  I have three fat cats.  Last year, one of my cats was diagnosed with diabetes because of obesity.  All of my cats are on a weight loss regimen and have lost between 1-2lbs each since last march - we aim for a 1% body weight loss every week.  I purchased a scale and I track their weight loss every 2 weeks or so.

 

All of my cats are obese as a result of free feeding dry food.  I free fed a "good" brand as per bag instructions, but IMO the good brands aren't much better than the grocery store brands when it comes to dry food. Looking at the breakdown of calories from fat/protein/carbs and looking at the ingredients list is a good way to get past marketing and spot decent food.  A vet also recommended I check out catinfo.org ! I found it very helpful.  Based on this website we switched from our previous brand to a low carb (less than 8% carbs) canned food.  I feed out of one big bowl 3x per day - morning, dinner time, and before I go to sleep.  Each cat eats and then wanders away.  I don't usually pick up the dishes when they are done because there usually isn't much left.  I always figured that if one gets hungry enough he will make up for it at the next meal by eating more.  If you don't think that would happen in your house, you could always hold one cat back for a few minutes and give the less aggressive cat a head start with eating.

 

Not only are my cats losing weight, but my diabetic cat no longer requires insulin injections.  He is diet regulated now.  

 

[Pawz4me]

Echoing what others have said -- ditch the dry food and go with all canned.  Feed them separately.  Three times a day is ideal.  You don't have to go top dollar on canned food, IME.  I've yet to meet a cat (including untold numbers of fosters and cats at the rescue I volunteer with) who didn't thrive on canned Friskies.  Fancy Feast, too, although it's more expensive.  Not only will canned food help control weight, the extra moisture in canned food is very beneficial for cats, who typically don't drink as much as they should.

[CupOCoffee]

Thank you all for your thoughts!!  They are very helpful.  After posting here, I did check out the site mentioned here, and read all about going to only wet food.  I guess now it's just a matter of reading up on the pros and cons of "good" canned v. "supermarket" brand canned food.  I feed them the wet each in their own bowl anyway, and I can portion out for each of them easily.  I do buy a pet store brand of food, which the vet said was fine.  If I switch to canned, and just drop the dry, cost won't really be an issue.  I just want my cats to be healthy, the the stuff I read about boys and urinary problems:  oy, I don't want my little boy to have to go through that!!

 

Thanks again everyone!!

 

~coffee~

[skimomma]

It sounds like you are on the right track.  I will just second (third, fourth....) getting away from free-feeding dry food.  My cats were a mess from doing this for years even though I provided "premium" cat food.  We just did not know any better.  Our vet said it was fine.  I switched them to grain-free wet and raw foods and the difference was immediate and drastic.  Both had multiple health problems that all cleared up within months of the switch.  I would not believe it if I did not see it myself.  The food is much more expensive, but we have already more than made up for that cost by no longer needing regular vet services.

[dbmamaz]

I'm more with Mergath.   We like our cats, but we arent going to make ourselves crazy over them.  We do do canned food every day at dinner time, and dry food out most of the day - the canned food because one of them had a UTI.  But the two brothers are fat, and the younger cat is getting a little heavier.  And we dont care.  they're just cats . . . i try to keep up with the flea meds because i dont want them suffering, but i really dont care if they die 2 years sooner because they are fat.

[skimomma]

I'm more with Mergath.   We like our cats, but we arent going to make ourselves crazy over them.  We do do canned food every day at dinner time, and dry food out most of the day - the canned food because one of them had a UTI.  But the two brothers are fat, and the younger cat is getting a little heavier.  And we dont care.  they're just cats . . . i try to keep up with the flea meds because i dont want them suffering, but i really dont care if they die 2 years sooner because they are fat.

 

I am OK with fat.  It was the vomiting, dry skin, and urinary problems racking up the vet bills that got my attention.  And fat can lead to lots of other health problems that can cause suffering and/or expense.  Some cats are just fine on any food and that is cool.  But if an animal is not, it can quickly become expensive and painful.  

[dbmamaz]

Oh, no, other health problems, i get - my dog has serious digestive issues, so he gets a special food and home-made wet food.  And who knows, maybe we'll regret our choices when they are older and sick . . .  well, no, hubby never has second thoughts lol

[gingersmom]

Why do they need wet food? Is it a catty treat?

 

I have a big boned male cat and a petite female cat.

 

At vets suggestion we switched to a low carb high protein food. 

 

Skinny cat loved it from first bite. Big boy was less than thrilled but doesn't appear to be wasting away. 

[CupOCoffee]

Why do they need wet food? Is it a catty treat?

 

I have a big boned male cat and a petite female cat.

 

At vets suggestion we switched to a low carb high protein food. 

 

Skinny cat loved it from first bite. Big boy was less than thrilled but doesn't appear to be wasting away. 

 

:huh:   The answer to your question can be found within the replies to this thread:  mainly though it seems to be an issue of getting enough water, and for male cats, there are urinary tract related problems associated with an all-dry food regimen. 

 

~coffee~

[StephanieZ]

We have four cats who eat three different ways. Two cats are healthy weight, sisters, and eat the same food together. Twice a day, we put them in a powder room for 20 min with a bowl of shared food and a dripping sink faucet. They get some wet food at one or both meal times, too. They are allowed as much food as they will eat. They eat a kidney support diet because one of them has early kidney issues. Fortunately, the diet is safe for both, so we have them both on the prescription diet even though only one needs it. (Dh is a vet.)

 

One cat is a finicky skinny girl. She eats on the landing to the basement steps, behind a closed door. She is fed twice a day officially, but also offered snacks a couple other times a day or if she asks. Twice a day at meal time she is also given a serving (as much as she will eat, about 1/4 cup) of full calorie wet food. We leave her food out longer, an hour or so, since she likes it in there and is skinny.

 

Then there is fat boy. He desperately wants to be fat, but we don't want him to be. He is fed twice a day, a measured amount of weight control food. Sometimes we also offer frozen green beans, which satisfy him and don't make him fat. He is fed on a cat climbing tree in our laundry room. We feed him while the dogs are being fed, because if we don't, he will steal the dog food! We have to supervise while the dogs are eating so he doesn't steal their food! Fortunately, they usually eat pretty quickly.

 

Fwiw, offering unltd weight control food will rarely get a cat to successfully lose or maintain weight. You need to measure the food. In your situation, I'd offer measured food twice a day to each cat, and if your skinny boy likes wet food, just give it to him at that time while your fat cat is busy eating her own wet or dry food. If skinny boy needs more food, just give him some wet food at other times, and supervise or close one into a bed or bathroom while the food is out to prevent fat cat from eating skinny cat's food.

 

Hth

[Cindy in FL.]

I have started switching my cat over to canned food. Not going too expensive, but I read that any canned is better than dry. I think being overweight can not only lead to health problems, but also makes their quality of life less than it could be. We don't spend a lot of money on our pets in general so I don't mind slightly more expensive food. He really brings so much enjoyment to my family that I'd like to keep him around and healthy as long as possible (within reason, of course)!

[gingersmom]

Why do they need wet food? Is it a catty treat?

 

I have a big boned male cat and a petite female cat.

 

At vets suggestion we switched to a low carb high protein food.

 

Skinny cat loved it from first bite. Big boy was less than thrilled but doesn't appear to be wasting away.

You said you gave them a bit of wet food everyday. Sorry you thought my comment was stupid.

 

No good deed goes unpunished.

[CupOCoffee]

You said you gave them a bit of wet food everyday. Sorry you thought my comment was stupid.

 

No good deed goes unpunished.

 

I will assume this is addressed to me.  You asked why cats need wet food...I answered with a  :huh: because I thought you were asking a question that was already addressed by the comments in the thread.  Also, I already said why I was giving them the wet food to begin with, so really what you asked was confusing.  Whatever.

 

You totally took my response the wrong way. I did not think your comment was stupid, I was just confused as to why you were asking "why they need wet food".   :001_smile:

 

That is all.

 

~coffee~~

[gingersmom]

As you said, whatever.

[CupOCoffee]

We have four cats who eat three different ways. Two cats are healthy weight, sisters, and eat the same food together. Twice a day, we put them in a powder room for 20 min with a bowl of shared food and a dripping sink faucet. They get some wet food at one or both meal times, too. They are allowed as much food as they will eat. They eat a kidney support diet because one of them has early kidney issues. Fortunately, the diet is safe for both, so we have them both on the prescription diet even though only one needs it. (Dh is a vet.)

 

 

Fwiw, offering unltd weight control food will rarely get a cat to successfully lose or maintain weight. You need to measure the food. In your situation, I'd offer measured food twice a day to each cat, and if your skinny boy likes wet food, just give it to him at that time while your fat cat is busy eating her own wet or dry food. If skinny boy needs more food, just give him some wet food at other times, and supervise or close one into a bed or bathroom while the food is out to prevent fat cat from eating skinny cat's food.

 

Hth

 

Thanks for your perspective on this!  I think the above bolded is what I am going to do.  If I feed them both twice a day wet food, and just put more in his bowl than hers, I think that will work out fine.  Just need to choose a brand of food now; I want something in the middle -- won't break the bank, but isn't JUNK.

 

Thanks again all for your input and suggestions!

 

~coffee~