Weight Loss Method for Overweight Cats
If you have an overweight cat, it’s time to help your cat trim down. Cats are prone to heart disease and other problems from being overweight, just as people are.
Dr. Jane Bicks, the holistic veterinarian who formulates products for Trilogy/Life’s Abundance has never made a weight-loss food for cats because she isn't convinced that it can be done safely. So what to do with overweight cats? Here's what Dr. Jane says:
1. Start by weighing your cat, and make a note of that with the date.
2. Then do a "body score": Start with the cat facing away from you, with the cat standing securely on a table, bed, or sturdy ottoman. Put your hands on the cat's shoulders, and pull your hands back over the ribs. If you feel every rib easily, then the body score is 1, and the cat doesn't need to lose weight. If you feel some ribs but also some padding, then the body score is 2, and the cat might need to lose a little weight. If you don't feel any ribs, then the body score is 3, and the cat definitely needs to lose weight. Make a note of the score with the date.
3. Look at the Trilogy food calculator to see how much food your cat should be eating, according to the cat's weight. Let's say that your cat weighs 15 pounds. The online calculator says the cat should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup a day of Life's Abundance dry.
4. Then record for several days exactly how much food and treats you give. Dr. Jane suggests a chart-even a handwritten one-on your fridge, with a column for each day. Measure all the food and count all the treats you give. Record all that information. You may find that you're feeding a lot more than you thought.
5. Use this method to reduce the cat's calorie intake: For this example, let's assume that your cat should be eating 1 cup a day of dry food: Life's Abundance Premium Health Food for Cats. (That would be the amount for an absolutely huge cat--use the Trilogy Pet Food Calculator to find the actual amount for your cat's weight.) Give three-quarters to one-half of the quantity as dry, and substitute Instinctive Choice Premium Canned Cat Food for the remaining food! The water in the canned will help fill the cat up, and extra water is always good for cats anyway.
5. Use this method to reduce the cat's calorie intake: For this example, let's assume that your cat should be eating 1 cup a day of dry food: Life's Abundance Premium Health Food for Cats. (That would be the amount for an absolutely huge cat--use the Trilogy Pet Food Calculator to find the actual amount for your cat's weight.) Give three-quarters to one-half of the quantity as dry, and substitute Instinctive Choice Premium Canned Cat Food for the remaining food! The water in the canned will help fill the cat up, and extra water is always good for cats anyway.
Here's the comparison:
■ 1 cup of Life's Abundance dry cat food = roughly 500 calories-again, we're using that as the example recommendation from the online calculator (adjust this quantity for your cat's actual recommended amount).
■ 1 can of Instinctive Choice canned = roughly 100 calories.
Instead of giving the whole amount of dry Life's Abundance food per day, give this combination:
■ 3/4 cup of dry Life's Abundance (375 calories) + 1 can of Instinctive Choice (100 calories) = about 475 calories a day
■ Or 2/3 cup of dry Life's Abundance (330 calories) + 1 1/3 can of Instinctive Choice (130 calories) = about 460 calories a day
■ Or 1/2 cup of dry Life's Abundance (250 calories) + 2 cans of Instinctive Choice (200 calories) = about 450 calories a day
6. To make this most effective, divide that daily amount into at least two meals. Three or four is even better. If you don't want to leave canned food out all day when you're gone, then use the canned food in the evening when you're home.
7. As the diet progresses, continue to record the food and treats daily, and repeat the weighing and the body scoring about once a week.
8. Give treats sparingly, and definitely choose healthy, nutritious, useful treats. Life's Abundance Gourmet Cat Treats are best. Don't give "junk food" cat treats, any treats sold in stores, and especially not any treats that contain corn, wheat, gluten, soy, or sugar. And don't use anything else, such as tuna (too much mercury).
9. To help your cat lose weight faster, increase the amount of time and frequency that you play with your cat. Get a feather teaser (like a fishpole with a feather toy on a string). That's a good way to get almost any cat to play.
10. Remember to repeat the weighing and the body scoring weekly. Doing both of those things helps you see when the cat is building muscle, which will happen from the extra playing. Building muscle may cause the weight loss to slow down or even seem to reverse for a while, because muscle weighs more than fat. But muscle is much healthier for the cat!
Isn't this brilliant? Of course, as your cat's needs dictate, you can adjust the quantities slightly up and down, keeping the total amount of food the same-and definitely less than you started with.
Here are links to the products listed above:
7. As the diet progresses, continue to record the food and treats daily, and repeat the weighing and the body scoring about once a week.
8. Give treats sparingly, and definitely choose healthy, nutritious, useful treats. Life's Abundance Gourmet Cat Treats are best. Don't give "junk food" cat treats, any treats sold in stores, and especially not any treats that contain corn, wheat, gluten, soy, or sugar. And don't use anything else, such as tuna (too much mercury).
9. To help your cat lose weight faster, increase the amount of time and frequency that you play with your cat. Get a feather teaser (like a fishpole with a feather toy on a string). That's a good way to get almost any cat to play.
10. Remember to repeat the weighing and the body scoring weekly. Doing both of those things helps you see when the cat is building muscle, which will happen from the extra playing. Building muscle may cause the weight loss to slow down or even seem to reverse for a while, because muscle weighs more than fat. But muscle is much healthier for the cat!
Isn't this brilliant? Of course, as your cat's needs dictate, you can adjust the quantities slightly up and down, keeping the total amount of food the same-and definitely less than you started with.
Here are links to the products listed above:
■ Life's Abundance dry cat food and Instinctive Choice canned cat food, with the pet food calculator
I hope you'll try this for any overweight cats you have and pass it along to your friends who have cats in need of weight loss!
By the way, Jane Bicks DVM holds an open conference call every other Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. EST. If you're interested in participating, email Rebecca Forrest.
PawPrintsLife Blog
Friday, May 28, 2010
