Obesity in our feline friends

Mar 15 18:31 UTC 2001

My oldest "kitty" Pepper, who is now eight, has always had a weight problem,
has been on a prescription Science Diet food for almost four years and yet
has never dropped below 17-18 pounds. When he began this special diet (which
was also due to FUS, or some similar urinary disorder) he weighed 23 pounds.
I'm beginning to worry about him because he hasn't lost any weight, and I've
only been feeding him 1 cup of kibble every day, spread throughout the day.
I really don't want him to end up in pain and crippled when he gets older,
and so would appreciate any feedback from others with weight-challenged cats.

response 2 of 66:

Mar 15 18:59 UTC 2001

Well, I wouldn't exactly call my Sasha weight-challenged, she's getting 
there.

Have you talked to your vet about how much food to give Pepper?  I 
think my sister (whose cat Liska is seriously weight challenged) only 
gave her cat like 3/4 a cup a day, but I can't remember off the top of 
my head.  I can call home and find out, I should call there anyway. 
<grins>

For some cats 17-18lbs isn't so bad, how overweight is he?  My cat's 
ideal weight it 11-12 lbs, whereas my roommate's cat Gomez should only 
be about 8-ish max.  And you did say that he started out at 23lbs so it 
sounds like he's lost some weight, which is good. :)

response 4 of 66:

Mar 15 20:15 UTC 2001

Well, cats can get really sedentary when they're about 8.  If he's 
maintaining and only two pounds 'overweight' I'm sure he's probably 
fine- but to ease your mind talking to the vet sounds like a really 
good idea.  The food he's on may not be special diet in that he's 
supposed to lose weight but in that it helps keep his urinary tract 
healthy.  My parents' cat Alex (grumpy old man cat, he's all of about 
12 now) is on that kind of a diet due to having had a problem with 
urinary tract crystals.

They do say that cats over about 6 (or is it 8?) need geriatric food- 
the baby's getting old- for a cat.  Though hopefully he'll live a 
healthy 20 more years. :)

response 6 of 66:

Mar 15 21:00 UTC 2001

If fat and happy didn't reduce the cat's lifespan- that might be a fine 
idea... however, I'm presuming that Mickey would like to see Pepper 
around for a good long time.

response 8 of 66:

Mar 15 22:04 UTC 2001

Really. I wonder how much less fat cats live than thin cats. I suspect 
that there isnt really that huge of a difference unless the cat is 
seriously overweight. 

response 10 of 66:

Mar 16 13:19 UTC 2001

Also, with cats 'seriously overweight' may only be a few pounds due to 
percentages and their small weight to begin with.  I mean in human 
terms being 5 pounds over weight isn't a big deal- but for cats?  If 
they're only supposed to be 10 pounds to start with they're half-again 
as much as they should weigh, that's not good.  

response 12 of 66:

Mar 18 20:47 UTC 2001

I know what Hepatic lipidosis is as I had a room-mate whose cat got that 
after running away for a couple of months. She was fat when she left and 
really skinny when we found her. She might not have survived at all if 
it werent for being fat in the first place though. <<shrug>> That cat is 
fat again and healthy these days but we had to feed her for months 
through a hole cut into her neck. 

Anyhow, I still would be interested in knowing how much less fat cats 
live compared to thin cats. I have seen cats who were double their 
"ideal" weight who lived for quite a long time. My own cat is kind of on 
the fat side although I dont think she is 5 lbs overweight and I just 
let her eat as much as she wants. She gets *really* stressed when there 
isnt food in her bowl. 

response 14 of 66:

Mar 25 21:05 UTC 2001

My cat is pretty active. I have tried taking her for walks but she hates 
being on a leash. I am thinging about making a "cat pen" in the back 
yard for her at some point. 

response 16 of 66:

May 1 00:34 UTC 2001

Sorry for neglecting this item --- there have been other things occupying my
worrying time, I guess. I am still rather concerned with Pepper's weight,
especially as my suspicions were confirmed with a weigh-in at the vet's today:
he back up to 23~24 lbs. :(

The young vet said there was no real observed correlation between overweight
cats and life span. He did (gently, this time) warn us that *if* Pepper was
to get sick, and he were still overweight, that the quality of his life would
be dramatically lowered and chances were that he would not recover. Of course,
then he hedged and said that nothing was proven, there were still studies and
whatever happening.

An interesting thing he told us: A lab study had monitored a large sample of
overweight cats and found that most of them were fed dry food. The researchers
found out, evidently, that these cats crave protein, and have to consume more
carbohydrates when given dry food only. Pepper has only ever had dry food,
and he will not eat anything else. 

Oh, and the vet did say that the Prescription Science Diet cat food was for
urinary tract health, and was not a reduced-carb/calorie food. So, we've
decided to cut back to 3/4 cup per day. Pepper's not going to be pleased with
that situation, and it will be more difficult on us, because the other cat
doesn't have a weight problem and gets more food. 

Jiffer mentioned trying a leash and taking the slug for a walkie. I had to
laugh, remembering the time when Pepper was a "kitten" of 4 or 5 months, and
we purchased a shiny new harness and leash for him. We spent a week or two
getting him used to the harness, and then decided to try taking him down the
3 flights of stairs to the ground. First, he wouldn't leave the apartment on
his own volition, and we had to carry him down the stairs. He was howling the
entire way down, poor thing. I sat him down in the grass, and he went
spread-eagled, and dug in all four sets of claws. He absolutely could not be
moved. I couldn't ever bring myself to try it again. For days he avoided us,
acting exactly like he had right after we rescued him.

Later, after we were back in Austin, we decided to try getting Pepper a
playmate --- that's how we got Sam the tuxedo cat. Our plans again were foiled
by feline intelligence --- Pepper ended up showing Sam how to be lazy! :\
Maybe the centrefolds from CAT FANCY will work, I don't know.

response 18 of 66:

May 1 06:28 UTC 2001

Well, mine has been:  get a herniated disk, a 3 yr old cat, 14 month old demon
of a cat, and then wake up for a few hours of the day.  "Momma's up!  PLAY
TIME!!!!!"  They expend more energy than a tazmanian devil.  Also, they've
been watching "birdies" since my father put up my bird feeder, and my eldest
was watching 2 Mourning Doves eat off the ground about 8" from her.  she was
small, smushed, ears flat, breathing shallow, twitching ever so slowly....
Huntress :)

response 20 of 66:

May 2 03:40 UTC 2001

I supliment the diet of Tanis and mostly precious (mostly her because she
kinda gives me little choice, she's funny, likes to eat tomatos, lettiuce,
cheese, broccolli, mushrooms, etc) but I give them kitty tuna and chicken when
I eat it (the chicken, not me eating the tuna).  Tanis isn't a big fan of
"other" food, he's not sure what to do with it.  Precious has a few bites,
and then finishes with dry food. 

The cats were afraid and still are of "outside" but my wish is to KEEP them
afraid.  When tanis was a few months old, my roomate said "let him out, he
can play a little" and then that's ALL he wanted to do.  (my cats are
declawed) and he'd do it against my wishes.  Precious was let out a few times,
and would just rub on the front stoop on the concrete, like a big scritch,
but she also would get in the habit of trying to get out.  Now, they're in
a new place, and I don't let them near the door, so they have the fear of
"out there" going again.

response 22 of 66:

May 2 13:23 UTC 2001

Awwwwwww!  Mine do that a lot.  But I find the more hurt I am, the more
they're cuddly, like protecting me from each other, they play on the floor
in my room, or in the living room, and Tanis pouts when he can't cuddle RIGHT
next to my back to make sure he can take care of me if I need it.  he even
tries to help with my PT when she comes, although he doesn't get that laying
on my stomach HURTS all by it self, but when his 12 self sits on my butt, that
doesn't help!!  I say OWWWWW, the PT lady shoos him off, and then he comes
and rubs his head on my cheek saying he's sorry. 

I dunno if I told this story already, and if I did, please forgive the repeat,
but when Tanis was about 5 months old, he got out, and RAN, and got to the
next door neighbor's porch (it was a townhouse and than involved running under
this tiny "fence" between our doors, and under the neighbor's gas grill, and
when I ran around, he hid under a chase lounge chair, the kind with the rubber
slats running across it...  <chuckles>  I said to him "THAT isn't going to
save you!", stuck my hand in, and extracted him by his collar THROUGH the
chair, he didn't know I could do that....Hehe.....  didn't try running away
after THAT one.  

response 24 of 66:

May 7 12:24 UTC 2001

Good to hear these things from the cat's point of view.  I'm still 
pondering whether or not to introduce Sasha to canned cat food.

Currently she's irked because she no longer has open feeding really. 
But she does need to lose some weight...