It *is* important for a cat to lose weight s-l-o-w-l-y, since their liver
can't handle quick weight loss.  I had a mid-framed cat who weighed 13?
lbs., who needed to go on a diet.  She lived for food & would eat all of her
own food, then go finish off whatever was left in my other cat's dish (the
other cat was a nibbler & never polished off a whole meal at once).  Upon a
vet's advice, I fed her ? cup (I don't know what that would be in grams) of
SD Light per day, spaced out in 3 meals - in the morning before I left for
work, mid-late afternoon, & in the evening.  Over the course of a few years
she slowly lost weight until she got down to 9? pounds.  Since this cat just
*loved* food, I also fed her really tiny treats - a few shreds of cheese, a
tiny piece of chicken or ham, a few cubes of cantaloupe, etc.  Not enough to
spoil her diet, & an average of one treat - or less - per day.

Cathy

I wouldn't have said this a year ago, but I am now against Hills "diet"
foods. I fed this brand to my overweight cat for an entire year,
carefully measured, and he only lost one ounce. I nearly lost my mind
b/c he was constantly crying for more food. (Then the vet suggested
another diet food which caused him to _gain_ weight!)

I have switched to an all-canned diet and my kitty has _slowly_ lost
more than four pounds--we're just 10 ounces shy of our goal. For my
story, go here: http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/tucker/

Rene

Her daily energy requirement to maintain her present weight is 345-388
kcal/day.  A *safe* weight-loss program would reduce her daily caloric
intake to about 270-290 kcal.  However, you can't restrict caloric intake
with a weight-loss diet because they have a very low nutrient density.  IOW,
the fiber displaces protein, fat and other nutrients.

Weight-loss diets contain high levels of insoluble fiber which not only
decreases the palatability of diet, but increases the risk of constipation -
so make sure your cat is *well* hydrated.  Personally, I've much better luck
with weight-loss in cats with regular canned diets and simply restricting
daily caloric intake to 70-75% of her maintainence DER, and allow no less
than 4 weeks for each pound of weight-loss. This is the program I recommend.

Good luck.

Phil