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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / November 2003help devising a feeding plan for senior cat who needs to lose weight--please....
My brother's cat is seriously obese. He's a big cat, and would probably still be about 15 lbs if he were normal, but he sits at about 23 lbs right now. My brother says Shiro has a slow metabolism--I'm not sure if this was a vet's diagnosis, or his own--so he feeds him only 230 kcal/day. Now, I have figured out that a neutered inactive cat requires about 18.9 kcal/lb, so a 23 lb cat would require 435 kcal/day. Assuming Shiro's initial goal is 20 lbs, then he would require 378 kcal/day. However, if I also factor in that Shiro has a slow metabolism, and is a senior cat (he's about 7 or 8 years old), then how many kcals should he be getting each day? Also what would be the best course of action in this case, regarding his feeding? Should we lower his current intake even more (this is what my brother wants to do), or bring it up to, say, 350 kcal? If his metabolism has slowed because of getting too few kcals, how long will it take for his metabolism to readjust? He'll obviously gain weight for a while if we raise his caloric intake, right? I think the reason Shiro has not been losing weight is because he has been getting too few kcals and his metabolism has slowed down even more. Because of this, he is probably not having his nutritional requirements met. Until we figure out what to do about his weight, are there any good nutritional suplements out there? Shiro seriously needs some help. Would anyone out there be able to offer some advice? rona  Signature***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** > My brother's cat is seriously obese. He's a big cat, and would probably > still be about 15 lbs if he were normal, but he sits at about 23 lbs right [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > rona Rona, First, I would like to point out that I have absolutely no expertise in this area. In all the years I have had cats, I have not had to deal with obesity. So, for what it is worth ... I only have a couple of comments that *logically* occur to me, and I hope some others on this group will be more specific. One thing that immediately occurred to me after seeing your comment that your brother wants to severely reduce kcals is that I think this is dangerous. I think he should approach this with an idea of moderation and very slow weight loss, much in the same way as we would *ideally* do with humans. Very rapid weight loss can cause other problems that may be even more detrimental than obesity. Next (and you have already pointed in this direction), I suspect that the *low metabolism* may be your brother's own diagnosis, in the same way that many people talk of low metabolism when the real problem is too many calories and/or too little exercise. (I must unfortunately place myself in the last category!) If a vet has actually diagnosed low metabolism (and not simply *guessed* at it), then I think the vet should be specific on what treatment is needed. You have already talked about food intake. More exercise would also be excellent. Does your brother have a laser pointer? Many cats love it, and they certainly get some good quality exercise -- and pleasure -- while they scramble after the little red dot. Last, is your brother feeding a good quality food? I would recommend canned food only and not dry food, and certainly not free feeding (but I would expect that there is no free feeding already, given the very limited quantities you mentioned). I use Wellness canned and Felidae canned. Each of my cats gets 2/3 of a can (6 oz. or 5.5 oz. cans depending on brand) twice a day, and their weight holds steady. However, one of my cats weighs 8 lbs. and the other weighs 9 lbs. -- so this now gets us back to your question of how to calculate portion size, which I hope some others on this group will address for you. Good luck! MaryL (take out the litter to reply) Photos of Duffy and Holly: >'o'< http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly) http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in") > > My brother's cat is seriously obese. He's a big cat, and would probably > > still be about 15 lbs if he were normal, but he sits at about 23 lbs right [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > > > rona Oops! I had another senior moment -- that's at least twice today. Actually, I give each of my cats *1/3* can twice a day (NOT 2/3 can twice a day), and their weight has remained absolutely steady. I feed them at intervals of 12 hours, or as close to that as possible. Your brother could feed his cat later in the evening, if necessary, but I do think it is a big mistake to use dry food. A can of Wellness has approximately 190-200 kcal per 6 oz. can. This means that my cats get approximately 65 kcal per meal, and it is maintaining them perfectly. In my opinion (and based on the fact that my cats maintain their weight on fewer than the recommended calories), I think the general recommendation of kcal per pound is too high, especially for an indoor cat that is fairly inactive. To sum it up: I think your brother needs to change to good-quality canned food (NO dry food, which are laden with carbs that will simply turn to fat), fed on a 12-hour schedule. A change to canned food with the same kcal may be enough to accomplish weight reduction. If not, further reduction is in order in *small* increments. When I changed from dry food to Wellness and Felidae canned, Holly lost the one pound she needed to lose with no effort at all -- and since then has maintained her weight at optimal level (that is, a little less than 9 lbs.). MaryL >From: "MaryL" carstan101@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER >Oops! I had another senior moment -- that's at least twice today. >Actually, I give each of my cats *1/3* can twice a day (NOT 2/3 can twice a [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >at all -- and since then has maintained her weight at optimal level (that >is, a little less than 9 lbs.). This is excellent how well your kitties are doing, Mary :) For Rona, I came across this article on obesity that I thought maybe you could share with your brother: "Diabetes and Obesity- Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM "First, let me say that there is no ONE cause of adult onset (Type II) diabetes (diabetes mellitus or DM) in the cat. The disease, like most diseases, is multi-factorial in the cat, as well as in humans. In fact, the feline version of type II diabetes is more like human type II diabetes than this condition in any other species that has been studied. "Type II DM is not an autoimmune disease, but genetics certainly do play a part. Certain cats are predisposed to developing adult onset DM, while others simply are not. However, type II DM in even predisposed cats is not commonly a matter of auto antibodies being produced against pancreatic tissue as is true if other autoimmune diseases (some cats do produce antibodies to injected insulin from other species used to treat feline diabetics but that is not the same as an autoimmune phenomenon causing the diabetes in the first place). In fact, there are some extremely important environmental factors, and inappropriate diet is chief among these. "The cat is an obligatory carnivore. As such, it is dependant for good health upon a diet that is very high (greater than 50-60%) in animal source protein. In the wild, cats seek out diets that have nutrient profiles with at least this much protein, about 30-40% fat, and 1-2% carbohydrate. Unfortunately, the extruded dry foods we feed our pet cats today has a very distorted nutrient profile for cats (just as the present, government-recommended, high carbohydrate diet for humans has a distorted nutrient profile for humans). "Most of these dry cat foods contain very high amounts of cereal grains in order to make it possible to put the ingredients through an extruder to produce "popped" kibble product. The result is a food that has 18-30% protein, 15-22% fat, and as much 40-60% predigested starch (read sugar!). As this kind of diet has become more and more popular as a sole diet for pet cats in our society, those pet cats have become fatter and fatter (like people on a high carbohydrate diet, only worse) over the past few years, and the incidence of type II DM has soared among that same population. Ask any vet if he or she is seeing a lot more of this disease among his/her patients than a decade ago. The answer will be "yes!" "It is certainly true than most serious cat breeders do not have a lot of problems with this disease. The reason is not just that those breeders have skillfully bred genetically DM resistant cats, however, although that can be a part of the whole story. The larger reason is that most, if not all, breeders feed a significant amount of canned foods and fresh raw or cooked meats. Although most breeders do provide dry cat foods to their cats, the diet of their breeding animals is not even close to 100% dry food, as is often the case with pet cats in 1-3 cat households. "Consumption of dry cat food causes a very rapid and extreme surge in blood glucose as the predigested carbohydrate in the food is dissolved and absorbed into the bloodstream essentially as sugar from the stomach and intestines. This rapid rise in blood glucose causes the pancreas to secret a much larger amount of insulin in response than would be needed with a more natural, high protein, moderate fat diet. Ultimately, the constant abnormal stimulation either suppresses or exhausts the pancreas (we're not sure exactly which, yet), and clinical diabetes results. This process takes months to years to occur, depending on the individual cat's ability to withstand the effects of this abnormal metabolic effect. Along the way, the constant high insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia) cause the cat to experience hypertriglyceridemia (high triglycerides) and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), and obesity results. "Our research has shown that weight reduction in even the most obese (but otherwise healthy) cat is no more complicated than withholding all dry food, and providing free choice canned food or fresh meat as the sole diet. Thus, although I agree that obesity does not cause type II DM, DM and obesity have common causes in the cat and in humans as well. "Excessive carbohydrate consumption, over time, causes both obesity and strongly predisposes the cat, an obligatory carnivore, to the metabolic "train wreak" we know as type II feline diabetes mellitus. Once this condition exists, effective treatment absolutely requires that a high protein, moderate fat and low carbohydrate diet be used in these patients. High fiber diets like w/d and r/d (and their analogs by other companies) DO NOT WORK, and they do not work because they are loaded with carbohydrate that continues to dump sugar into the blood stream of an animal that already has problems handling sugar. "For now, there is compelling scientific evidence to show that high carbohydrate diets (essentially all dry cat foods) fed to pet cats on a continuous and exclusive basis predispose to, or even directly cause, feline obesity and type II feline diabetes mellitus. In time, I believe we will learn that other common feline maladies, such as hyperthyroidism and urinary tract disease, are also related to this very abnormal and non-physiological practice of feeding large amounts of carbohydrate to animals not at all equipped to handle this nutrient in such quantities. Conscientious breeders will want to keep their eyes on the research into this very important aspect of cat breeding and proper cat husbandry." Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM" Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm >From: "Rona Yuthasastrakosol" prasantrin@yahoo.com >However, if I also factor in >that Shiro has a slow metabolism, and is a senior cat (he's about 7 or 8 >years old), then how many kcals should he be getting each day? I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't consider a 7 or 8 year old cat a senior yet. >Also what would be the best course of action in this case, regarding his >feeding? Should we lower his current intake even more (this is what my >brother wants to do), or bring it up to, say, 350 kcal? I would be careful about lowering his intake of food too much. Obese cats are more suspectible to fatty liver disease. I would recommend he consults his vet for an optimal diet plan. Also, in my experience, free feeding dry food can often lead to obesity. I don't recall whether or not this is how your brother's cat is being fed. >I think the reason Shiro has not been losing weight is because he has been >getting too few kcals and his metabolism has slowed down even more. Because >of this, he is probably not having his nutritional requirements met. I think you're right on this, Rona. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm > I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't consider a 7 or 8 year old cat a > senior yet. > > Lauren I don't, either. Holly is 8-1/2 years old, and she is very active and vigorous -- truly in her prime. I have had other cats live to a minimum of 16 years and a maximum of almost 20 years (2 months "shy" of 20), so I have never quite understood the idea that 7 or 8 years is "senior," but that is how they are shown on medical charts. MaryL > I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't consider a 7 or 8 year old cat a > senior yet. That's what I thought, too, but many of the charts I looked at had the seniors at 7-8 years. I would bet that those charts were formulated when cats had shorter life expectancies, like 20 years ago. I also did a search on converting cat years to human years (just for fun) and a 7 y.o. cat is roughly 44 in human years. While not a senior, he'd be middle-aged (an age when many start to have trouble losing weight). Twelve would be closer to senior (that would convert to about 64). I don't know how accurate the age calculator was, though, but it was fun to use! > >Also what would be the best course of action in this case, regarding his > >feeding? Should we lower his current intake even more (this is what my [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > often lead to obesity. I don't recall whether or not this is how your > brother's cat is being fed. One of the problems, IMO, is that none of Shiro's vets have been very helpful with devising a detailed weight loss plan. I think it's in part my brother and his wife's fault, for not insisting on better care. Of course, I'm not there so I don't know for certain that they haven't been more assertive than I think they've been (and I think they probably haven't been very assertive at all). The last vet just said Shiro was definitely obese, but as far as I know, offered nothing else in terms of information. I would have asked how much to feed him, what kind of food would be best, etc. etc. On that note, if anyone knows of a really good, caring, thorough vet in Vancouver, WA (or even Portland, OR), please let me know! I think the vet suggested using a low-cal food, but my problem with those is that I think they use more filler to make cats' tummies feel fuller. Shiro doesn't actually eat a lot in terms of volume, so he doesn't really need the extra filler. He needs nutrients. That's why I would prefer he eat a regular food rather than a diet food--so he could get more kcal and nutrients for the same volume. As for his feeding schedule, he gets 3/4 cup (230 kcal) at night before my brother goes to bed. If they split his food to two feedings, or feed him earlier, he disrupts their sleep (imagine a 23 lb cat climbing over you and sitting on your chest. The little bugger sent me to a physiotherapist for three months for sleeping on my head!). I'm having trouble convincing my brother to feed Shiro more. He's convinced that Shiro has a slow metabolism and that he should feed him less. I think it's a bad move, but Shiro doesn't live in my house (or even in my country) so I don't really have much control in the matter. But if I can at least point my brother to some references, he would probably take those seriously (he's a science guy--he likes references). BTW, you can see pictures of Shiro at http://12.211.33.9:8080/2003_10_30/page_01.htm . Shiro means 'white' in Japanese :-). This picture http://12.211.33.9:8080/2003_10_30/livingroom0048.JPG best shows his corpulence, but it takes forever to download, even with DSL. If you have dial-up, don't even try it or you'll be on-line for years! Thanks for the reply! rona Signature***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** >This picture > http://12.211.33.9:8080/2003_10_30/livingroom0048.JPG best shows his > corpulence, but it takes forever to download, even with DSL. If you have > dial-up, don't even try it or you'll be on-line for years! Actually, this one is even better, but the same warning applies! http://12.211.33.9:8080/2003_11_05/livingroom0003.JPG rona ----- replace .com with .ca to e-mail > >This picture > > http://12.211.33.9:8080/2003_10_30/livingroom0048.JPG best shows his [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > ----- > replace .com with .ca to e-mail Wow, are you sure that isn't the white tiger that attacked Roy Horn? MaryL > Wow, are you sure that isn't the white tiger that attacked Roy Horn? > > MaryL LOL! He's definitely strong enough! When he lived with my parents he used to push my *closed and locked* bedroom door open. He's such a sweet cat, though. Much more of a cuddler than my Miss Kitty. I'll suggest feeding Shiro wet food. That seems to fit with the article Lauren posted about diabetic cats, too. Since nothing else has worked, they may be willing to try a higher protein diet. I think there was some reason they didn't want to feed him wet food, though. I can't remember what it was. It might have been something as simple as Shiro not liking wet food, but I seem to remember him getting sick. I don't know what kind of wet food they tried on him, though. I know Shiro has had some problems with UTIs and he has some other problem with his digestive system (small amounts of fiber had to be added to his food). I really think Shiro should be fed at least twice a day, as well. I just have to convince them of that! Thanks again... rona Signature***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** > I'll suggest feeding Shiro wet food. That seems to fit with the article > Lauren posted about diabetic cats, too. Since nothing else has worked, they [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > rona It will probably take some time to convince Shiro to switch to wet food. He has been used to dry food for a long time, and this doesn't come easily. Moreover, your brother should not try to make the switch at one time because rapid change in diet can easily lead to dietary upset. So, suggest a gradual transition instead of "all at once." MaryL >From: "MaryL" carstan101@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER >> I'll suggest feeding Shiro wet food. That seems to fit with the article >> Lauren posted about diabetic cats, too. Since nothing else has worked, [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > >MaryL Good idea. You may also tell him to try just adding water to the dry food initially, then gradually add in the canned food. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm >From: "Rona Yuthasastrakosol" prasantrin@yahoo.com >One of the problems, IMO, is that none of Shiro's vets have been very >helpful with devising a detailed weight loss plan. I think it's in part my [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >very assertive at all). The last vet just said Shiro was definitely obese, >but as far as I know, offered nothing else in terms of information. Yeah, it seems not very many vets are too knowledgeable about feline nutrition. >On that note, if anyone knows of a really good, caring, thorough vet in >Vancouver, WA (or even Portland, OR), please let me know! I do have a friend who lives in that area and I will definitely ask her if she knows of a good vet. >I think the vet suggested using a low-cal food, but my problem with those is >that I think they use more filler to make cats' tummies feel fuller. Shiro >doesn't actually eat a lot in terms of volume, so he doesn't really need the >extra filler. He needs nutrients. That's why I would prefer he eat a >regular food rather than a diet food--so he could get more kcal and >nutrients for the same volume. I think you're absolutely right. >As for his feeding schedule, he gets 3/4 cup (230 kcal) at night before my >brother goes to bed. If they split his food to two feedings, or feed him >earlier, he disrupts their sleep (imagine a 23 lb cat climbing over you and >sitting on your chest. The little bugger sent me to a physiotherapist for >three months for sleeping on my head!). So he's only be fed once a day then? I think what happens is probably like in humans. The body slows its metabolism down to get used to being fed only once a day. I think they'd do better with him by feeding a 2 or more smaller meals per day. >I'm having trouble convincing my brother to feed Shiro more. He's convinced >that Shiro has a slow metabolism and that he should feed him less. I think >it's a bad move, but Shiro doesn't live in my house (or even in my country) >so I don't really have much control in the matter. But if I can at least >point my brother to some references, he would probably take those seriously >(he's a science guy--he likes references). I give you credit for trying to help, Rona. I hope your brother will listen because it really is for Shiro's health that he lose weight, slowly. I love the pics of Shiro. He is a beautiful cat :) Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm > So he's only be fed once a day then? I think what happens is probably like in > humans. The body slows its metabolism down to get used to being fed only once > a day. I think they'd do better with him by feeding a 2 or more smaller meals > per day. I think so, too. When he lived here, I fed him twice a day with about 1/3 his daily intake in the morning, and the rest at night. He'd still wake me up in the mornings for breakfast, though. He's a persistent one! Right now I feed my cat both dry and wet (usually dry in the am, wet for dinner, and a little more dry before bedtime). I'm thinking that might be a good start for Shiro. Then he can the bulk of his calories from the wet food (and therefore, from protein), and the dry food before bedtime will help keep his tummy a little full until breakfast. Then once he gets used to eating wet food, they can switch him to 100% wet. > I love the pics of Shiro. He is a beautiful cat :) He is a lover, that one! I cried when they took him away, and went out to get a new cat the next day (I knew they were taking Shiro back and when they were doing it, so I had already planned for a new cat). I ended up getting a white cat, too, but not because Shiro had been white (it was because Kitty was in danger of being euthanized). They sort of look like twins, except my cat is much smaller and has prettier eyes :-). Thanks for the article! I'll forward it to my brother when I recommend going to canned food. rona Signature***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** How long has he been feeding him this much? It takes a while to start seeing results. His best bet would be to check with his vet and see exactly how much he should be feeding him and then just stick it out and see what happens. My 16 yr. old cat weighed 13 lbs. last spring when she saw the vet. Her idea of exercise was moving from the couch to the bed. She finally got down to 8 lbs. this week. According to your figures she should be getting 150 kcal/day at her current weight. We've been giving her 125 (as per vets instructions). Her activity level has increased lately so I'm going to increase her food just a smidge so she doesn't continue to lose weight. Wendy My brother's cat is seriously obese. He's a big cat, and would probably still be about 15 lbs if he were normal, but he sits at about 23 lbs right now. My brother says Shiro has a slow metabolism--I'm not sure if this was a vet's diagnosis, or his own--so he feeds him only 230 kcal/day. Now, I have figured out that a neutered inactive cat requires about 18.9 kcal/lb, so a 23 lb cat would require 435 kcal/day. Assuming Shiro's initial goal is 20 lbs, then he would require 378 kcal/day. However, if I also factor in that Shiro has a slow metabolism, and is a senior cat (he's about 7 or 8 years old), then how many kcals should he be getting each day? Also what would be the best course of action in this case, regarding his feeding? Should we lower his current intake even more (this is what my brother wants to do), or bring it up to, say, 350 kcal? If his metabolism has slowed because of getting too few kcals, how long will it take for his metabolism to readjust? He'll obviously gain weight for a while if we raise his caloric intake, right? I think the reason Shiro has not been losing weight is because he has been getting too few kcals and his metabolism has slowed down even more. Because of this, he is probably not having his nutritional requirements met. Until we figure out what to do about his weight, are there any good nutritional suplements out there? Shiro seriously needs some help. Would anyone out there be able to offer some advice? rona -- ***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** > How long has he been feeding him this much? It takes a while to start seeing > results. His best bet would be to check with his vet and see exactly how > much he should be feeding him and then just stick it out and see what > happens. A looooonnngg time! I think it has been at least a year with no changes in weight. Actually, I think he might even have gained a pound or two since he started his current eating plan. > My 16 yr. old cat weighed 13 lbs. last spring when she saw the vet. Her idea > of exercise was moving from the couch to the bed. She finally got down to 8 [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Wendy Did she go from 13 lbs to 8 lbs in the last 8 or so months, or the last 20 or so months? I wasn't sure if "last spring" meant spring 2003 or 2002. If it's just this past spring, that certainly was a quick weight loss! It took my cat more than a year to lose 3 pounds. I'd reduce her food even more, but she whines so much as it is. She really loves to eat! It's amazing how extra weight can slow a cat down. Shiro likes to play, and he can run very fast, but he's not really playful. When my cat was up to 15 lbs, she wasn't very playful either. But when she started losing weight, she really pepped up! She loves to play now and I'm hoping the extra play is fuel for additional loss :-). Just a few more pounds to go! rona Signature***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** > How long has he been feeding him this much? It takes a while to start seeing > results. His best bet would be to check with his vet and see exactly how > much he should be feeding him and then just stick it out and see what > happens. A looooonnngg time! I think it has been at least a year with no changes in weight. Actually, I think he might even have gained a pound or two since he started his current eating plan. > My 16 yr. old cat weighed 13 lbs. last spring when she saw the vet. Her idea > of exercise was moving from the couch to the bed. She finally got down to8 > lbs. this week. According to your figures she should be getting 150 kcal/day > at her current weight. We've been giving her 125 (as per vets instructions). > Her activity level has increased lately so I'm going to increase her food > just a smidge so she doesn't continue to lose weight. > > Wendy Did she go from 13 lbs to 8 lbs in the last 8 or so months, or the last 20 or so months? I wasn't sure if "last spring" meant spring 2003 or 2002. If it's just this past spring, that certainly was a quick weight loss! It took my cat more than a year to lose 3 pounds. I'd reduce her food even more, but she whines so much as it is. She really loves to eat! It's amazing how extra weight can slow a cat down. Shiro likes to play, and he can run very fast, but he's not really playful. When my cat was up to 15 lbs, she wasn't very playful either. But when she started losing weight, she really pepped up! She loves to play now and I'm hoping the extra play is fuel for additional loss :-). Just a few more pounds to go! rona -- ***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** She lost the weight since spring 2003. She had stalled out at 9 lbs. but then we got Isabel and I find she's been scarfing Tigger's food when nobody was looking. Tiggy doesn't eat at one sitting. It she does she ends up throwing up. I have to take her bowl and put it on top of the refrigerator (Isabel has no qualms about getting on counters for food) until she shows up in the kitchen for more to keep the others out of it. Feeding time has become a three ring circus around here that's for sure. I have to say Tiggy hasn't looked this good since she became a strictly inside cat 8 - 10 years ago. She's become a lap pest again. She couldn't get up herself for the longest time and now she won't leave me alone. It's great! lol W Hi. This is my first post to this newsgroup. You ask for a feeding plan and of course I have a different suggestion, since you mention the animal is not active. Why not get a play routine happening? Five minutes a day with a piece of string? I loved playing with my cat every day. Unfortunately, now she has kidney failure, which brings me to this ng. Trade ya my cat's skinniness for some of your friend's cat's bellybulge. I just tried force-feeding her for the first time, based on advice from here. She still has fight in her, but what a waste of energy on her part. arda >From: "arda" arda@arda.invalid >This is my first post to this newsgroup. >You ask for a feeding plan and of course I have a different suggestion, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >I loved playing with my cat every day. Hi Arda. Very good advice. I play a lot with my cats and they love those feather on a stick toys. >Unfortunately, now she has kidney failure, which brings me to this ng. >Trade ya my cat's skinniness for some of your friend's cat's bellybulge. I >just tried force-feeding her for the first time, based on advice from here. >She still has fight in her, but what a waste of energy on her part. Have you checked out Helen's website for cats with CRF? I believe it's at www.felinecrf.org Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm > x-no-archive: yes > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > I loved playing with my cat every day. He does play a little, but not enough to put him in the "active" cat category. He has a Da Bird that they play with, and they use a laser pointer sometimes (I think he got tired of it pretty quickly, though). But he also likes to lie around and take naps. They have a fairly small apartment so he doesn't have a lot of room to run around too much, and he doesn't have a lot of places to climb, either. He could use a tall cat tree, but they can't afford that right now. > Unfortunately, now she has kidney failure, which brings me to this ng. > Trade ya my cat's skinniness for some of your friend's cat's bellybulge. I > just tried force-feeding her for the first time, based on advice from here. > She still has fight in her, but what a waste of energy on her part. > > arda Shiro's so big that if I gave you half of Shiro's weight, I'd still have an overweight cat :-). But in all seriousness, I hope you can find a way to help your cat eat. They can be so stubborn sometimes! You just have to show her who's boss. Oh, wait a minute, she already know she's the boss :-)! rona Signature***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** |
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