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Grex > Pets > #42: Obesity in our feline friends | |
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micklpkl
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Obesity in our feline friends
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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.
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| 66 responses total. |
ashke
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response 1 of 66:
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Mar 15 18:58 UTC 2001 |
Well, if he's not dropping below that weight, it might be the weight he's
comfortable with. Is he having other problems related to weight? Is your
vet concerend? Some cats are just big.
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mooncat
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response 2 of 66:
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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. :)
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micklpkl
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response 3 of 66:
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Mar 15 19:22 UTC 2001 |
Pepper's really not having problems; not that I can tell, anyway. Everytime
we see the vet, we get a lecture & warnings about his weight, but the doc has
never seemed overly concerned about his apparant lack of weight loss. The vet
has said that his ideal weight would be no more than 15 pounds, but I don't
think Pepper *ever* weighed that! ;-)
I guess a big part of the reason I'm worried is because it seems like Pepper
is getting more and more sedentery, and he was a pretty mellow kitty, already.
Perhaps I should express my concerns to the vet, and talk about decreasing
his food. When he first went on the diet, I think he lost most of the 5-6
pounds very quickly, but a lot of that was because he was so ill with the
urinary problems. Since that time, he has not shed a pound, and I'm beginning
to wonder if the expensive food they're selling me isn't the right formula,
or something.
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mooncat
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response 4 of 66:
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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. :)
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slynne
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response 5 of 66:
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Mar 15 20:21 UTC 2001 |
I wouldnt worry about it. let the cat be fat and happy.
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mooncat
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response 6 of 66:
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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.
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scott
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response 7 of 66:
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Mar 15 21:33 UTC 2001 |
Cats do have a rather high risk of death from obesity. My cat Conan got
rather fat, and the vet explained that with cats, a fever sickness can cause
some kind of liver problem which can quickly kill an overweight cat. So it's
a bit more important for cats to keep close to an ideal weight.
You might just try feeding a bit less and see what happens. I don't think
Conan gets a full cup of dry food (Science Diet) a day, but he's still got
more than enough energy.
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slynne
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response 8 of 66:
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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.
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scott
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response 9 of 66:
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Mar 15 23:37 UTC 2001 |
"Hepatic lipidosis commonly is called fatty liver syndrome because the cat's
liver actually becomes filled with fat. A severe liver
disease that can be fatal, hepatic lipidosis typically occurs when an obese
cat suddenly stops eating, which causes a mobilization of its
own fat stores and results in excessive fat accumulation in the cells of the
liver. This excessive fat accumulation impairs the normal
function of the liver cells, resulting in liver failure.
There are many reasons why obese cats stop eating. Often, stress will make
an animal lose its appetite. Moving into a new home,
having a new animal introduced into the household, or suffering an illness
can cause a cat to lose interest in food."
Courtesty of http://www.vetcentric.com
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mooncat
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response 10 of 66:
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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.
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scott
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response 11 of 66:
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Mar 16 16:15 UTC 2001 |
Now that I'm thinking about it, my vet described that liver thing as a very
quick process. Only one or two days of not eating (and yes, I've had sick
cats miss a couple days of eating) can cause it.
Cats are really not evolved to carry bulk fat for lean times, unlike camels
or (to some extent) humans.
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