Don't know about calories, because my vet did not put it that way. My cat
was 18 lbs and needed to be about 9 lbs. She lost 9 pounds in a year by
switching to canned food 12 hours apart instead of free feeding "diet" Iams
dry. He basically said, "cut her food back by 1/4. When she plateaus, cut it
back again." She was also older, about 10-11.

My Burmese boy Monki reached 23 years old and never weighed more than
5kgs - generally around 4kgs in Summer. Living in Sydney with 40+ degree
heat in Summer and high humidity the aircon was on, however i had a cat
door that worked ok. he was fed 100g of dry food in the morning and
about 250g of fresh meat in the evening. Longevity and health is weight
related as it is in humans. So cut the food intake and enjoy healthier
and many more years of company.

The feeding recommendations are usually on the can or bag.  I think
that canned food would be better as it isn't filled with carbs.  Cats
don't eat carbs in the wild.  Carbs make them fat.  Usually 1 6 oz.
can per day is the recommended feeding.

Suddenly, without warning, Kalmia exclaimed (7/3/2009 8:15 PM):

As others have said, for cats we don't talk about how many calories,
only how much food.

If you're free-feeding him dry, stop or slowly reduce the amount.  Make
good quality canned food (grain-free if he's not a carbivore like my
cat) the basis of his diet.

As in people, fast weight loss isn't good.  Gradual changes in diet, and
gradual weight loss.

Also, try to get him more active - a string or laser pointer is good to
start, you can try different toys to see what he likes - see if you can
get him to play about 15 minutes per day.

Good luck, your cat may not appreciate it but you're doing the right
thing.  Stick to your guns and don't let him tell you he's starving to
death :)

jmc

Tonight starts his new regimen.  Half a cup dry in the morning. Half a
can (not that itty bitty size) in the evening, but doled out in two
smaller portions. I may try to integrate some adult dry in with his
Iams regular dry.

We got out his toys and played a bit.  He still loves 'mouse under the
pillow'.

Get on the floor with a wide, stiff leather belt and a small throw
pillow.  Push the belt under the pilllow and out toward the cat.  It
might look like a snake to him?  You can move it fast, slow, from a
lot of angles - cat has no idea were it's coming from next and tries
to bat it.   Why he can't figure out that it's ME pushing it....well,
he's a cat.  (Maybe he DOES know.....)
He also love his 3 white feathers on a fishing pole.

Thanks for the suggestions.

225-270 kcal/day. 15-18 kcal/lb/day. 15 kcal/lb/day is faster but 18
kcal/lb/day is safer.

Phil

When I got my first Ragdoll, he was food crazy. He had been outside
begging for food before he was turned into a shelter, so he ate every
meal like it would be his last. And this was the first time I had to
stop free feeding. He was also, young and still growing, so some of
his weight gain was natural, and some of it was eating too much. He
got up to 20 lbs.

Then, because he had the stinkiest poop, I changed his food to Royal
Canin Maine Coon food. I chose Royal Canin because their senior food
had really helped my elderly cat. And I figured my jumbo Ragdoll could
use a food that was designed for a larger cat.

By accident, I discovered the way to get a cat to lose weight. Larger
kibbles. When I had served teh regular food, Jay Jay inhaled the food.
But when I served the larger kibbles, he had to slow down and actually
crunch it a bit. It took the same amount of time to feel satisfied,
but he was actually eating less. And he was able to walk away from a
bowl that had food in it.

I was able to go back to free feeding, and he lost 4 lbs on his own.
For the past 3 years, his weight has been 16 lbs and 1-2 oz every time
I weigh him. And that is with kibble available 24/7 and canned food
once a day.

Check this out on longevity and weight from The Scientific American - it
makes sobering reading.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=fewer-calor
ies--longer-life-a-new-p-2009-07-09

except
A 20-year-long rhesus monkey study, released today in Science, found
that monkeys that consumed 30 percent less calories than average peers
were one third as likely to get a age-related disease and were likely to
live longer.

Update : The diet isn't working too well.  1/2 dry , 1/2 wet and
there's a mess to clean each morning, outside box - not quite diarrhea
butttttt..........close.  I might be going away and don't expect the
catsitter to have to deal with this,   I'll set up two boxes and put
him back on dry until I return.  Then will introduce the canned food
at a more gradual pace.
I'll also try giving wet in the morning and dry at night.  I was
feeding the reverse.