Low calorie cat food for male cat.

nanokitten

Ideally you want to find a food with:
less fat (as this has the most calories)
the same or slightly less protein (not senior unless he's old) as protein contains some calories but it essential for growth,
More fibre (to keep him feeling full)
Similar amounts of everything else (vits and minerals, including ash)
I'd use a posh diet food as a guide and you can slowly work up to their recommended portions (if you do it gradually he'll be less likely to notice).
You can always mix some posh stuff with a cheaper version to make it go further.
remember loosing weight is about what goes in minus what is used up so make sure he gets plenty of excersise and stimulation (you could try a feeder ball to make him work for some biccies)

nanokitten

pets at home do an own brand light food. much cheaper than hills http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-1+cat/category-is-1f+food/category-is-1f01+dry+food/category-is-1F01D+Special+diet/product-is-V00432
also iams, bit more than own brand but still much cheaper http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-1+cat/category-is-1f+food/category-is-1f01+dry+food/category-is-1F01D+Special+diet/product-is-V00506

cally6008

Pets at Home -
same oils and fat (both 10%)
same protein (both 35%)
less fibre than Go Cat (3.5% compared to 5%)

Iams -
more oils and fat compared to Go Cat (11.2% compared to 10%)
less protein than Go Cat (28% compared to 35%)
less fibre than Go Cat (2.3% compared to 5%)

thanks for looking.

loulou123

Ive got a "fat" cat and feed her Hills science plan light food. She has a small amount of dry food in the morning and a small amount of dry food at tea time, along with a half a tin of the same make but in wet food. The vet actually worked out the precise amount she needed a day to lose weight but remain healthy and we weigh this amount out each evening and she has it the following day.

This food is pretty expensive but im guessing the problems she may encounter due to being overweight would work out more costly in the future.

Id also make sure your cat isnt eating elsewhere, as this was one thing our vet warned us of. And gve him lots of attention and encourgement to play-it all helps.

Jonesy_McJones

One of our two cats (both a year and a half) is now on a diet. We've changed them from wet to dry food now and the overweight cat gets the Pets at Home light food that somebody else mentioned. No problems with getting her to eat it, although she isn't the fussiest of cats - hence the weight issue perhaps?! We were told not to give her senior food as it wouldn't be suitable because of her age.

We're taking her to the vets monthly - due for the second visit now. On the first trip she'd lost 0.25kg. Still another 1.75kg or so to go though...

cally6008

Thats interesting to hear Jonesy. Was she very overweight ? Are you weighing food out for her ?

Jonesy_McJones

When Mac was first weighed, she was 6.6kg. Her sister was weighed whilst in the cat basket (because someone had come into the vets with a dog) and still weighed less - we have no idea why only one has a weight problem, but the vet didn't think it was anything more serious.

We’re aiming to get Mac somewhere between 4.5kg and 5kg over the course of about 12 months.

We're not weighing the food yet - we figured that if she starts to put weight back on then we will weigh it out. At the moment she begs for more biscuits after she’s eaten but if she hasn’t cleaned her bowl then she doesn’t get anything more.

The other thing that has probably helped is that we had a cat flap put in just before she was first weighed, so she gets more exercise now - of course this may not be an option for you.

paulwf

cally6008 wrote: »

Hills food is a no-go area unless it's a last resort because it is so flipping expensive. £30 for a 5kg bag at our vets and they say thats cheaper than buying it from Pets At Home.

Viovet sell it for £26 per 5kg bag, delivery is free over £60 so a couple of bags and some flea treatment or other bits and bobs and there is no extra charge.

The bag says it lasts for 80 days, thats under 33p a day. That really isn't expensive...as it is the only source of nutrition for your cat you want it to be spot on so your cat has a happy healthy life and so you don't have to pay so much on vets bills.

How much is using a cheaper food going to save you, perhaps 5-10p per day? I'd rather save 10p a day on what I eat than compromise on what my mogs eat.

rita-rabbit

loulou123 wrote: »

Ive got a "fat" cat and feed her Hills science plan light food. She has a small amount of dry food in the morning and a small amount of dry food at tea time, along with a half a tin of the same make but in wet food. The vet actually worked out the precise amount she needed a day to lose weight but remain healthy and we weigh this amount out each evening and she has it the following day.

This food is pretty expensive but im guessing the problems she may encounter due to being overweight would work out more costly in the future.

Id also make sure your cat isnt eating elsewhere, as this was one thing our vet warned us of. And gve him lots of attention and encourgement to play-it all helps.

Burns is better & far cheaper

rita-rabbit

nanokitten wrote: »

pets at home do an own brand light food. much cheaper than hills http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-1+cat/category-is-1f+food/category-is-1f01+dry+food/category-is-1F01D+Special+diet/product-is-V00432
also iams, bit more than own brand but still much cheaper http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-1+cat/category-is-1f+food/category-is-1f01+dry+food/category-is-1F01D+Special+diet/product-is-V00506

Burns is the best for low calorie & far cheaper than both