Diet club for Cats (and dogs?)

rising_from_the_ashes

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Rising....4kg as a target weight? Is your cat really that tiny overall?
remember to judge the overall body shape and size of the cat, not just look at the weight
http://www.feednfarm.com/catbodyscoring.html
None of mine weigh 4kg!

Funnily enough I have just revised this up to 4.5kg - as there is no way she would look anything like healthy at 4kg!

The vets had put 4kg down as an ideal but when I checked back to last year, it was down as 4.5kg then!

Honestly she's not suddenly shrunk into a mini-cat in the last year!

I sometimes wonder about vets when it comes to weights of cats & dogs as I'm sure they often get sidetracked with "ideals" or "breed averages" rather than looking at the size and overall shape etc as you mention.

I had a bit of a errrr "discussion" with my previous vet about Archie's ideal weight - she had it down as 5kg (and that was only after another "discussion" when I finally got her to admit that he is a big cat!)

He really is huge - length & height wise but is a naturally thin build ... think there is some Siamese or something in there somewhere!

However, at 5kg you can see his hip bones protruding prominently & every rib is visible! Which according to a) me as his owner and b) just about every article you read/see classes him as underweight and not really what I'd call ideal!*

* he has been checked by vet & is healthy (blood tests etc ok) - just naturally slim anyway & a really active lad (out most of the day, everyday & a hunter)

ButterflyKisses

My cat would like to join please!

Toffee is a 9 year old Tortie girl and is something of a lazybones. She can go out if she wants but hardly ever does, much preferring to spend her days asleep on her favourite mat (or even better in our bed if my OH forgets to make it).

She currently weighs in at 6kg and I think a good target for her would be 5kg. She is quite a big cat but has recently started to resemble a furry shoebox when she lays down and I think she could do with a bit more definition! Also worried about the strain on her joints as she's getting older.

She is very fussy and has a sensitive tummy so I won't be changing her food at the moment (Purina One), but have been measuring her food instead of her eating what she likes and she's happy enough so we'll see how we get on. Wish us luck!

juliebunny

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Juliebunny....if your cat is 'early stage diabetic' then you would do well to go to www.diabeticcatcare.com. You can read the information straight away, and apply to join the forum which can take a day or so to be authorised. They are a bunch of really knowledgeable and friendly people who can help you manage the diabetes properly. You should buy a glucose meter immediately and learn to home test your cat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Freestyle-freedom-lite-system-glucose-monitor-meter-new-package-FULL-kit-/380428799298?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Mobility_Disability_Medical_ET&hash=item589352cd42#ht_3171wt_996
Anyone interested in feline weight loss should look at the dietary info on that site and others such as
http://feline-nutrition.org/
http://www.catinfo.org/
http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm
Rising....4kg as a target weight? Is your cat really that tiny overall?
remember to judge the overall body shape and size of the cat, not just look at the weight
http://www.feednfarm.com/catbodyscoring.html
None of mine weigh 4kg!
Best way to weigh a cat is with a set of baby scales
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BABY-SCALE-ELECTRONIC-SCALE-/261010015372?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item3cc568c48c#ht_500wt_1158

Thank you, I will definitely take a look at the information and links you have given. I finally got a wee sample from her today but of course the flipping vets had closed so I'm treating it as a dry run....or wet run....! I did the home test kit I managed to pursuade them to let me take home but it said NEG for glucose which seems odd....

ButterflyKisses wrote: »

My cat would like to join please!

Toffee is a 9 year old Tortie girl and is something of a lazybones. She can go out if she wants but hardly ever does, much preferring to spend her days asleep on her favourite mat (or even better in our bed if my OH forgets to make it).

She currently weighs in at 6kg and I think a good target for her would be 5kg. She is quite a big cat but has recently started to resemble a furry shoebox when she lays down and I think she could do with a bit more definition! Also worried about the strain on her joints as she's getting older.

She is very fussy and has a sensitive tummy so I won't be changing her food at the moment (Purina One), but have been measuring her food instead of her eating what she likes and she's happy enough so we'll see how we get on. Wish us luck!

Welcome Butterfly kisses and Toffee....another Tortie...hmm...:D

I've just put dinner out for my lot. I'm giving them 30 minutes eating up time then it's all coming up for the night! Gulp. I just know I'm going to be chewed awake in the early hours...I think that may be part of why I have over-fed them, so they settle at night....(guilty face...):(

paddypaws101

juliebunny....are you giving her insulin? The urine sticks are not really accurate enough, can you get the meter I linked you to? Hey, if you want to chat you could pm me your phone number and I can talk you thorough it a bit. Having had a diabetic cat of my own I am really not impressed with how vets handle the situation.

juliebunny

Thanks so much for the offer Paddypaws, can i park it up for now? We(e) don't have a proper diagnosis on her condition yet. Her blood reading was 15 - if that means anything to you - vet said she is early stages so I'm hoping it can be managed via diet...I need to get a sample to vet (they said there is another test they do at the surgery?) and hopefully a home blood test...this all only happened Thursday and she was totally freaked out, so that may have affected the readings....i do trust this vet, she's looked after my cats for 10 years now and saved the life of the daughter of this cat, who went into severe heart failure and lived for another 5 good years before 'going to sleep' in the garden last year.

I will definitely get the meter, and the YouTube video was brilliant- shame the cat featured has passed on but he's still helping loads of other cats even after his own death.

They are all remarkably settled tonight, even after no bedtime supper...hoping they don't all get starving at 5am do I have an open door policy in my house as I love them to snuggle up with me at night...

cally6008

Boy cat, leo .. weighed in at 7.1kg i think last time
Girl cat, elsa ... weighed in at 5.5kg i think last time

Leo - get feline fayre pouches, half a pouch 3-or-4 times a day, handle of go-cat indoor biscuits at night and maybe at lunchtime
(has had cystitis twice so needs wet food more)
black n white moggy, 6 yrs old

Leo - 6 month old kitten, day we got him - http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/262190_2143735829255_1122016575_32631071_7840867_n.jpg

Leo - favourite position - http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/223252_1051893253873_1122016575_30177233_5230_n.jpg

Elsa - feline fayre, half a pouch every other day (she only likes 2 flavours and i rotate the flavours in the box so she only gets hers when we get to them), handful of biscuits as and when hungry
pedigree siberian - 6yrs old

Elsa - fluff ball - http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/282133_10150341179686427_523996426_10030700_7052799_n.jpg

Both cats can be active when they want but equally love lazing around in the sunshine

Me = Happy with wet food and the cost
Me = realise i need to change the dry food but it has to suit ££ as well as cats and have a good argument as to why should change to it (for the other half)

paddypaws101

Juliebunny....the offer is open ended!
A healthy cat reads at around 3....so 15 is not good even allowing for the stress of being at the vets. I am really not sure what she means by 'early stages', that just does not make sense. The longer a cat is left with high BG, the more damage is done to the pancreas and the less the chance of recovery.
Diet CAN really help, but it MUST be low carb, NO dry food at all, not even treats. Best option is something like Bozita tins from Zooplus, not much in the supermarkets is low enough carb, try these options :-

HiLife Essentials-Petite Pate Salmon Pate 85g can - 4.5% dry matter carbs, at Morrisons, Wilkinsons and Asda
Toplife Chicken Dinner-tetrapak – 8.3% dry matter carbs, made in conjunction with Bozita, at Asda
Waitrose Foil Tray Special Recipe-chicken/duck and salmon/duck – 3.9% dry matter carbs
If you can buy that BG meter and get testing that is the best info you can get.

rising_from_the_ashes

Well my free samples of a very well known brand of food arrived yesterday - I was hoping that I could give it to Archie - on the side as a bit extra (away from Mia) and ...... neither of them would touch it!

Typical .......

rita-rabbit

I was abroad recently & got a relative to come in & set the cat feeder - to discover they eat MUCH less when I am not around so obviously ignoring nagging is the way to slimmer cats (portion control, no treats nor early extra feeding too)!

juliebunny

Hi Cally, what gorgous pics! Do you have a target weight for your 2 and I'll add them to my first post.

[QUOTE=rita-rabbit;52801793]I was abroad recently & got a relative to come in & set the cat feeder - to discover they eat MUCH less when I am not around so obviously ignoring nagging is the way to slimmer cats (portion control, no treats nor early extra feeding too)![/QUOTE]

There is definitely a lot to be said for this. Even if I just pop out to Tescos, the act of me just coming home seems to make my lot think it's feeding time. Me being a sucker, gets a few treats out <sigh>...

Paddypaws - thanks for the food recommendations. I'm not near an Asda unfortunately but can get to a Waitrose tomorrow so will try that one. I think I'm going to have to separate her at feeding times as they do have a tendency to nibble a bit then swap bowls. I working really hard on just keeping her life as normal as possible, she hates change and was depressed for 2 days after her last vet trip....:(...unfortunately she is a biscuit addict so I'm having to wean her (well all of them) it. I remember when it was all over the cat news about how all the tinned foods were leading to kidney failure in cats so we all rushed to change to biscuits...now it seems they are no good either....it all leaves me really wondering what on earth to do for the best. I've got 9 cats (incl one kitten, 4 overweight and one feral who eats only when I'm not around) so feeding time is really hard if they all need different things, plus of course in the mornings I'm on my way to work (so I can feed them all.) I'm going to ask the vet to come out and do a home blood test. I think it's needs an expert to do at least the first test to confirm the diagnosis as I really have zero experience with this sort of thing....:(

She seems fine in herself today, woke me up at 6.30am pawing my face for food (price of removing bedtime snacks was the early wake up call!) and has been playing with my feet, then a toy.