Fat Cat

Rummer

Well one of the toys got him briefly off the couch!!!!! The ring with the spinning ball was being played with by our younger cat and big boy jumped down and has been half heartedly batting it with his paw. RESULT!!!!

Anacrusis

If you're thinking of a low carbohydrate diet would a more meaty one be a good one to try? I use applaws which is 80% meat. They do wet food but I feed the dry food. I leave it down + refill it when it gets low so no idea how much my cats eat, but they are both looking healthy although one is outside all the time and the other spends most of her time indoors asleep.

Rummer

Another surprise success has been the laser pen which he cheerfully chased about for 5 mins! We have to work up to 20mins twice a day but 5 mins is the most we have been able to get him to do!

I am going to use this thread as an ongoing diary of his progress and would welcome any advice, tips and links to MSE toys and foods. Currently they are all tucking into a bowl of Burns food which was recommended by the local pet shop for controlling weight long term.

Now I need to find a storage box for all the toys I am steadily acquiring for the cats, I will leave a few out at a time but figure if I change them every few days it will keep him interested.

Rummer

Been persevering with the laser pen and he has been loving it. Also been leaving the back door open when I am at home which has encouraged him to go in and out more as he is reluctant to use the cat flap. Been trying the cats on Burns food and they really seem to like it. His next weigh in is Tuesday and I have everything crossed that he will have lost weight.

rising_from_the_ashes

Even if it's a teeny bit (can't remember what a .something of a kilo is - was "brought up on" pounds/ounces), it's a start - it takes AGES to get it off them. I remember trying to get a kilo off my old cat and it seemed to take forever!

Worth it though, he was a totally different cat after losing it!

Must get one of those laser pens!

Fire_Fox

Rummer wrote: »

Another surprise success has been the laser pen which he cheerfully chased about for 5 mins! We have to work up to 20mins twice a day but 5 mins is the most we have been able to get him to do!

I am going to use this thread as an ongoing diary of his progress and would welcome any advice, tips and links to MSE toys and foods. Currently they are all tucking into a bowl of Burns food which was recommended by the local pet shop for controlling weight long term.

Now I need to find a storage box for all the toys I am steadily acquiring for the cats, I will leave a few out at a time but figure if I change them every few days it will keep him interested.

Well done for getting your toy-shy cat playing, five minutes is a great start! :j If he likes a ball that goes round in a circle then a Turbo Track or two plus some extra straight sections will make him move greater distances. If he likes the laser dot that suggests he does indeed like to 'hunt' moving 'prey', so Da Bird or one of it's attachments should hit the spot. They are not the cheapest toys but they are MSE in my view as I wasted soooo much money on high street toys before I know about Purrsinourhearts shop. :money:

The Turbo Track can be reconfigured to maintain interest, and you can add a flashing ball for overnight exercise. There are refills for all Da Bird attachments, even tho they are good quality to start with. The laser dot can be used to make your boy jump onto your bed/ sofa or climb a cat tree as well as run: by moving against gravity he will be burning more calories.

Burns is packed with cereals; sorry but most pet shop staff know very little about animal health or welfare. As Risingfromtheashes says weight loss should be very slow or they will lose too much muscle and/ or risk problems such as hepatic lipidosis.

Looking forward to the next installment!