Light/Diet cat food

[winterone]

Hey all!

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a great dry diet or light cat food brand. My cat Scully used to be on Acana's diet cat food due to our other obese cat. Then they stopped making their diet brand, and being a fan of the brand, we just switched to their regular blend.

Since then, she's been steadily gaining weight. I've tried to put her on a couple of other diet foods (Science Diet is one of them, but I don't remember the other) and they've just given her horrible, painful acne on her chin.

Any suggestions?

Thank you!

[Loki Love]

Maybe just cut back on the amount you're feeding? I don't know if you're free feeding, but if so, maybe switch to a regular feeding schedule as well

Acana is a really great food and if they are doing well on it and enjoying it (in this case too well!) it would be a shame to change

[sugarcatmom]

I'd really suggest getting rid of all the kibble (there is no good dry food for cats, but especially not a "diet" or "light" one). Switch to all wet food, preferably one with little to no grains and no by-products, and you'll be amazed at how much healthier (and slimmer) your cats become. Some reading on feline nutrition for you to check out:
www.catinfo.org
Particularly focus on this section about feline obesity and dry food: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity

[winterone]

Thanks for the suggestion, Loki! I do keep the cats on a schedule, and have been very meticulous on portions. I'm a big fan of Acana, so I really didn't want to change, but...

I will be sure to check out your links, sugarcatmom. The cats have been resistant to wet food so far, but it's worth a try, oui?

Thanks again! If anyone else has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

[Love4himies]

Ditto, SCM's post. Feeding your cat a proper cat diet will take off weight naturally if you control the portions.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

I'd really suggest getting rid of all the kibble (there is no good dry food for cats, but especially not a "diet" or "light" one). Switch to all wet food, preferably one with little to no grains and no by-products, and you'll be amazed at how much healthier (and slimmer) your cats become. Some reading on feline nutrition for you to check out:
www.catinfo.org
Particularly focus on this section about feline obesity and dry food: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity

Exactly what I was going to suggest! Kitties will go through a "gorge" period when first switched to canned food as they try to fill their craving for carbs, much like people craving junk food when they are dieting. Once the gorge period is over they will eat their fill in 15 minutes. Leave the canned food down for 15 minutes twice a day. Your kitty will be lean in no time as the highly processed carbs in dry kibble are not processed by the cat - the obligate carnivore - very well which leads to obesity.

[winterone]

@Myka - even if the portions are controlled, you recommend leaving the food down for only 15 minutes twice a day? Scully, the overweight one, is notorious for having a few bites then being okay to walk away (one of the many reasons why I just couldn't understand why she became overweight!)

I'm considering finishing off most of the rest of the dry food, leaving enough to help them transition to wet - I thank you all for the advice! Does anyone have a favorite (preferably Canadian) wet food?

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by winterone

@Myka - even if the portions are controlled, you recommend leaving the food down for only 15 minutes twice a day? Scully, the overweight one, is notorious for having a few bites then being okay to walk away

Not Myka, but I don't recommend feeding just twice a day unless you have a cat that gorges on food left out. If Scully is used to eating several small meals a day (which is more natural cat behaviour), then I would either leave out the canned food for her to snack on, or feed her smaller portions several times a day. Just make sure she's getting an appropriate amount of calories for her to lose a safe amount of weight (no more than 2% per week). Do you know how much she weighs now and what her ideal weight should be?

Originally Posted by winterone

(one of the many reasons why I just couldn't understand why she became overweight!)

Probably because she was returning to the bowl to have a few nibbles many times a day. Just like people, cats often eat out of boredom. Also high carb foods don't trigger a feeling of satiety the way that protein does for cats, so they'll often eat more calories of a high carb food than they would a high protein food. And then the fact that carbs are more likely to be stored as fat, and you have ideal conditions for creating a fat cat.

Originally Posted by winterone

Does anyone have a favorite (preferably Canadian) wet food?

I like Wellness, Nature's Variety, By Nature Organics, Weruva, Precise, Addiction...... I also think it's important to rotate brands/flavours regularly in order to ensure a better balance of nutrients and to avoid a cat from getting sick of or addicted to one particular food.

For Canadian brands, there's Go! by Petcurean. Can't think of any others right now....

[Myka]

Originally Posted by winterone

@Myka - even if the portions are controlled, you recommend leaving the food down for only 15 minutes twice a day? Scully, the overweight one, is notorious for having a few bites then being okay to walk away (one of the many reasons why I just couldn't understand why she became overweight!)

Yes, 15 minutes us enough. They will learn to eat enough in that time. This is have I have heard to be recommended in person and via conferences from "cat experts" and holistic/integrated vets. Free feeding is what often allows cats (and dogs) to become overweight. If you aren't comfortable with that, you could do 3 times per day. There really isn't any reason to free feed or feed more than 2-3 times per day. Feeding like this also helps to keep each cat to their own dish, so one isn't skinny and the other fat.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Myka

Free feeding is what often allows cats (and dogs) to become overweight.

Free-feeding unlimited amounts, yes. Leaving a specific and appropriate amount to be consumed at a pace the cat finds comfortable, no.

Originally Posted by Myka

There really isn't any reason to free feed or feed more than 2-3 times per day.

Except that a cat's metabolism is designed to take in many small (ie mouse/bird/lizard/insect sized) meals throughout the day. It doesn't down-regulate the way a dog's or human's does.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Free-feeding unlimited amounts, yes. Leaving a specific and appropriate amount to be consumed at a pace the cat finds comfortable, no.

Nothing wrong with that.

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

Except that a cat's metabolism is designed to take in many small (ie mouse/bird/lizard/insect sized) meals throughout the day. It doesn't down-regulate the way a dog's or human's does.

Twice daily feeding is a pretty normal suggestion by feline professionals.

Sugarcatmom, I don't want to argue with you; there are lots of opinions on all sorts of pet subjects out there. It really doesn't matter to me how much or how often the OP feeds her cats - I'm sure they will be fine.

[winterone]

Hehe, thanks to you both! I appreciate the help and suggestions. I will have to do a bit of calculating to figure out her ideal weight - I'll post that a bit later, if you all are interested! (If not, that's okay too LOL)

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Myka

Twice daily feeding is a pretty normal suggestion by feline professionals.

Depends who you talk to. Many "feline professionals" also recommend frequent small meals throughout the day.

Originally Posted by Myka

Sugarcatmom, I don't want to argue with you;

Not trying to start an argument, just making sure winterone doesn't think she HAS to force Scully to adapt to an unnatural feeding regime. I think a diet change alone will be enough for now.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by winterone

Hehe, thanks to you both! I appreciate the help and suggestions. I will have to do a bit of calculating to figure out her ideal weight - I'll post that a bit later, if you all are interested! (If not, that's okay too LOL)

I'm always interested to hear about what people are doing with their critters and what they find works. I'm also interested to hear what calculating you're doing!

[cabanagirl3]

Do you used plastic dishes? My cat ate from plastic dishes and got realy bad chin acne. On advice from my Vet I Changed to a stainless steele bowl and kept her chin clean. Now everything is fine and has not happened again. I found i did not have to change her food. Hope everything works out for your kitty.