HELP!! Fat cat!!

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

melanie James — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 23:08:59 GMT

I really struggle with cat weight loss, I found with hills r/d that if you feed too little they will gain weight, at our practice we have swapped to specific and currently have a cat that when i started weight clinics wouldn't lose but gained one of my other colleagues have taken over and he is now losing i will check the file to see what they did and re-post but he is on the specific frd and frw

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

Michelle Ingram J.A.K Marketing Limited — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 11:49:28 GMT

He may be being fed at other houses in the area, we sell "please do not feed me" collars in various colours. It might help?! J.A.K's sales line is 01347 878697

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

Royal Canin — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 18:38:21 GMT

Hi Vicky, If you contact your Royal Canin Veterinary Business Manager they will be able to give you all the details of our online weight management tool called Vet Follow-Up. There is also still time to sign up for our Weigh-in Club competition - register at www.royalcanin-wicvitalitychamps.com

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

Sal the 1st — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 12:05:57 GMT

[quote user="nickyc"]

Also such things as throw away the measuring cup owners must weigh or count kibbles out to make sure allowance is correct, as you can over estimate by as much as 40% above allowance with feeding cups.

[/quote]

Definitely - I have adv the use of scales and weighing the daily allowance into small bags so that the days daily ration is ready and waiting for whichever family member is doing the feeding that day - and it works quite well even if it is a faff. Also I do agree with Carolyn re feeding fresh - a few years ago I would have been all shock horror at the prospect but now I have a cat who has turned into a serial killer of the local rabbit population ( he has made very little impact on their numbers even tho he has at least one a week) and I have to say he has never looked healthier, his excess weight is purely down to people feeding him 'extras' he doesnt need

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

Vicky Duffy RVN — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 11:31:31 GMT

Thanks for your advice guys, think I'm going to get the owner in and start on satiety and board the cat with us for a week.... or 2!! The owner had mentioned that the cat had started to be a little demanding since being on m/d so fresh start, new diet and start with us... does anyone happen to have the royal canin weight tool or do I need to get that from a rep?

Thanks again, Will keep you posted hopefully ... fingers crossed. xx

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

nickyc — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 11:04:58 GMT

Def think if you have tried lots of different diets think most likely problem is owner compliance.. As above I would suggest hospitalizing the cat, and managing the diet properly if the cat loses whilst in hosp then you def know its the owners! Would suggest exercise regime.. Shelly Holden at liverpool is hugely helpful, so might be worth contacting, likewise the hills helpline also very helpful. Also such things as throw away the measuring cup owners must weigh or count kibbles out to make sure allowance is correct, as you can over estimate by as much as 40% above allowance with feeding cups. Shelley Holdon recently did a obesity talk/webinar which was really helpful....

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

Caro Laithwaite VN — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 03:30:40 GMT

What about going natural l am sure odesity in animals is a problem of processed foods esp cats that are obligate carnivores being fed high grain foids.

Ferrals do not get fat and dont eat processed c*** l would look at a proper all meat diet cut the fancy prepared foods

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

Steph Worsley — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 19:50:06 GMT

the only other thing I can add to the others is have you tried royal canin satiety?

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

rachel w — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 18:21:50 GMT

Iv had quite a lot of success with purina om including my own cat she has most of her food in a kong wobbler and she does get a little frustrated with it but it makes her active and I think she eats less at one time cos of the work that goes in. We've got some do not feed collars in that have the adjustable thing to make it more difficult for the cat to get off.

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

Sal the 1st — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 17:41:50 GMT

[quote user="Vicky Charman RVN MBVNA"]

Hiya,

Am currently having issues with weight loss in a cat, has been on numerous weight loss diets and the cat is still gaining weight!!

The cat is 8kg!! and still gaining no matter how little we are feeding it. We have even run bloods to rule out anything else.

I have asked the owners the usual questions to find out if they are treating or giving any other food, to which they are adamant that they are not, and are telling me all the right things!

The cat so far has been on, Hills r/d, specific frd, Hills Metabolic, Royal Canin Obesity and is currently on Hills m/d.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[/quote]

if its a cat that goes outside it may be doing the rounds of the local neighbourhood - one of mine does this. Unfortunately I cant get a collar that he will keep on so haven't been able to stick a disc on him telling people not to feed him (is this a possibility for the cat you are dealing with?). We do have a poster up in the village asking people not to feed him (with varying success, would this be another possibility?) and I have told a few white lies to the little old ladies he visits and told them he is ill and on a special diet (which works sometimes, is this a problem with this cat?) - I have also bought r/d dry and distributed it among those who really cannot resist feeding him.

When he is in the house he gets no more than a 1/4 of his food in the bowl - the rest is hidden around the house and he has to work to find it. During last winter when he was mostly indoors he did actually lose weight

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

jane Lewis — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 13:52:42 GMT

Have definitely seen the best weight loss results in awkward cases with hills metabolic. Now they have launched treats as well that might help if client is adding extras in! We had a case that was really tricky and we ended up admitting the cat to board for three weeks whilst owner was on holiday (we matched price of their cattery to encourage them) while he was with us we fed him correctly and exercised him daily in our prep room with toys etc. He lost over 1kg proving it was an issue as home or in him getting food elsewhere. We have later discovered he liked the local fish and chip shop! After the kick start of our mini boot camp his weight continued to come off at home and what started as a nearly 8kg cat was soon under 6kg. Don't give up, be inventive and good luck!

Re: HELP!! Fat cat!!

Anna Matthews — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 13:44:48 GMT

Hey,

Clients infuriate me on this matter because i find they lie through their teeth, bottom line... there are more calories going into this cat than are being burnt off! Metabolic is great when the diet is stuck to, they can even make 'treats' by mushing biscuits with water and baking them in the oven. (Obviously with the bics out of the daily allowance!)

The other thing i would check is that this cat isnt wandering into all the nice old ladies houses down the road and getting an extra feed!? That is hard to control but i know people that have put notes and a picture round to all the neighbours-saying 'do not feed this cat!' because he's on a special diet!. Can help...

Also encouraging more play etc therefore movement and exercise!

Hope this is of some use to you!