Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Cat health - Ask members * If your pet is vomiting-bleeding-diarrhea etc. Vet time!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old January 15th, 2012, 06:26 PM
Koteburo's Avatar
Koteburo Koteburo is offline
Willing cat servant
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 916
Lightbulb Alert! Muldy becoming OBESE!

My Mulder is a young cat. She's just 1 year and a half. After being spayed in June last year she began to gain weight. A LOT. Now it's getting worse she can't reach her kitty butt to clean it anymore and she just looks like a circle with legs and a little head. She's not the fattest cat I've seen of course but that is no relief.
You will ask probably what do they eat. Recently and after trying so many things they both (Mulder and Scully) continued to reject about a month and a half ago they accepted the brand Go!. They eat both canned and dry.
They are 100% indoor. Muldy is harness trained but she hates snow and it recently got so cold that it's out of the question.
An obvious thing I thought was exercise so lately I make her chase the laser pointer every day. She gallops for around 10 mins from one spot to another with short breaks in between.
One of the problems I see is that both cats have very different eating habits. Mulder likes to go to her bowl and eat all the food almost at once. Scully (who btw has zero weight problems) likes to grab a bite, leaves her bowl with food and one our later she comes back again and so on so it takes her hours to consume her portion so.... What happens?!
Mulder goes to her bow and eats her food. I thought I could put Scully in a room for a while until she eats but she just takes way too long to lock her in a room
I'm very concerned because obesity is bad for her (and everyone else including us)
Any suggestions?
Note: I don't know if she would accept a new brand of diet food since she is unimaginably picky along with her sister. It was a miracle they accepted Go!
They do love kitty crack Friskies though But I dont let them have it.

P.S. Now when she lies on her side my husband playfully calls her "beached whale" and then pets her. WE LOVE OUR GIRLS so much. Both
__________________
" How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven."
- Robert A. Heinlein
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old January 15th, 2012, 07:23 PM
sugarcatmom's Avatar
sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 5,357
2 things at the top of my list that may help: get them both on a routine meal feeding schedule, and ditch the dry. Free-feeding kibble is the number one cause of obesity in cats. No amount of exercise in the world will help if Mulder can just go chow down anytime she wants. And being on a schedule could help Scully to learn to eat more in one sitting. If you can feed them (wet food only) 3 or 4 times a day, that would be ideal, but most cats eventually adapt to twice a day if they have to.

Some important reading on the subject of diet and weight in cats: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity
__________________
"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb

“We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old January 15th, 2012, 07:38 PM
Love4himies's Avatar
Love4himies Love4himies is offline
Rescue is my fav. breed
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Boating in the 1000 Islands
Posts: 17,769
I found switching Jasper from freed feeding on kibble to regular canned/raw food took his weight off naturally and now is maintaining a perfect weight. I have also found with not free feeding, when Jasper is hungry he will eat a good amount when it is put down in front of him. Both Sweet Pea and Rose are food hounds, while Puddles and Jasper are munchers, so I understand your pain and frustration with Mulder and Scully.

Good luck.
__________________
Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old January 16th, 2012, 09:14 PM
Koteburo's Avatar
Koteburo Koteburo is offline
Willing cat servant
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 916
Thank you so much for your advice both of you
I don't free feed btw but with your ideas I think I'm already preparing a feeding plan and see how it works.
I usually give a measured portion but I leave it there I will try to remove it so both get used to eat their food in one session and also cut the dry as much as possible although it's grain free and high in protein it's still water depleted and higher in calories.
The website is great too I was reading, reading the links too and according to the chart my baby Mulder is in the heavy category already one step before obese so I better do something about it.

Thanks again SCM and L4H
__________________
" How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven."
- Robert A. Heinlein
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:47 AM.