Obese Cat: What To Do?

[kustirider2]

I really don't know any diet programs for cats, maybe feeding it vegetables and fruit instead of cat food?

No no no, don't ever do this. Cats are not people; they are strict carnivores and don't even have the parts of the digestive tract required to break down plant matter, thus the vomiting up of grass and house plants when they eat them. A diet of vegetables and fruits would kill them, quickly.

I'm not the best at good ideas

I really didn't know it would kill them..

 

[nevermore]

I really don't know any diet programs for cats, maybe feeding it vegetables and fruit instead of cat food?

No no no, don't ever do this. Cats are not people; they are strict carnivores and don't even have the parts of the digestive tract required to break down plant matter, thus the vomiting up of grass and house plants when they eat them. A diet of vegetables and fruits would kill them, quickly.

I'm not the best at good ideas

I really didn't know it would kill them..

Obligate carnivores cannot derive the nutrients they need from vegetable matter; they would die of malnutrition and, unless you're feeding them lots and lots of chickpeas, probably arginine deficiency.

Oh, and one other thing that I remembered. My dad had an obese cat that barely ate at all. It turned out to be a thyroid issue; I would have the cat checked for that as well as nutritional/digestive issues that might make it overeat to get the nutrients its lacking. Perhaps it needs a supplement to make it stop over-compensating by over-eating.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Yes, cats cannot live on vegetarian diet but I believe that dogs can.

 

[Jadzia]

Jezebel might well have developed food related anxiety because of suffering near starvation. So maybe she overcompensates with food out of fear of it happening again.

Perhaps she would benefit from being allowed regular access to where her dry/canned food is stored, so she can inspect the levels for herself, and reassure herself that she's not going to go hungry.

 

[nevermore]

Yes, cats cannot live on vegetarian diet but I believe that dogs can.

Yes, they are not obligate carnivores and have a lower small intestine, so they can derive nutrients from vegetables. They do require supplements though, and do not generally do well on an entirely vegan diet as they need high levels of calcium and proteins, and often do not tolerate soy. It's not a good diet for them though, as they are primarily carnivores, and in that light, I think its pretty selfish of their owners.

 

[bigdaddy]

How much does the cat weigh?

And stop feeding it so much, problem solved.

 

[thestrangequark]

How much does the cat weigh?

And stop feeding it so much, problem solved.

To address your second point first, I suspect you didn't bother to read the original post entirely, or maybe you didn't understand it?

To answer your question, my mom doesn't have a scale, so Jezebel hasn't been weighed, but her bulk is such that it restricts her movement to a degree, and her weight definitely feels comparable to that of the beagle, Bean.

Okay, I have no idea, but I do think Jezebel deserves her own Warner Bros cartoon series.

I agree!

Jezebel might well have developed food related anxiety because of suffering near starvation. So maybe she overcompensates with food out of fear of it happening again.

Perhaps she would benefit from being allowed regular access to where her dry/canned food is stored, so she can inspect the levels for herself, and reassure herself that she's not going to go hungry.

Yeah, that's always been my interpretation of her behavior. Unfortunately, a year of allowing her to self-ration her food didn't work, but led to her binging and weight gain.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I've made a list of health questions for whomever gets the opportunity to take Jez to the vet to ask. My mom's agoraphobia is definitely a hindrance, now that my younger sister has moved out, but she loves her pets and I know she'll figure out some way to get Jez to the vet before too long. I've also bought Jez a couple of toys and my mom is setting aside play times just with her (the other cats are so energetic that Jez tends to give up on playing and goes to sleep under the sofa instead).

In the meantime, it is kind of funny to watch Jez jump and miss because her belly gets in the way.

 

[MetalPants]

Two words will solve your cat's weight problem:


Richard Simmons.

 

[nevermore]

Jezebel might well have developed food related anxiety because of suffering near starvation. So maybe she overcompensates with food out of fear of it happening again.

Perhaps she would benefit from being allowed regular access to where her dry/canned food is stored, so she can inspect the levels for herself, and reassure herself that she's not going to go hungry.

Yeah, that's always been my interpretation of her behavior. Unfortunately, a year of allowing her to self-ration her food didn't work, but led to her binging and weight gain.

I think she meant to seal it up an a clear container and let her see it so she knows its around and she will be fed. It might work.

I knew a guy who had a Maine Coon that he rescued from the street. When people were over, the cat used to go outside, and then come in every 10 minutes, walk to the food dish to make sure no one stole his food and then go back out, rinse and repeat for the whole party.

 

[thestrangequark]

^Ahhh, foolish me! That makes total sense. It's interesting: Clearly she's suffering from food anxiety -- just like people do. Semi-starvation has been proven to cause lingering eating disorders in people, and clearly the process is the same in other animals. In many ways our psychology is not that different. However, I wonder whether this'll work. Does the plan require a greater understanding and awareness than a cat is capable of possessing? Does she have enough of a concept of time beyond the present to understand that the food she can see will still be there?

Also, Maincoons have hysterically haughty personalities, in my experience.

Two words will solve your cat's weight problem:


Richard Simmons.

More fodder for her upcoming TV series!

 

[nevermore]

^Ahhh, foolish me! That makes total sense. It's interesting: Clearly she's suffering from food anxiety -- just like people do. Semi-starvation has been proven to cause lingering eating disorders in people, and clearly the process is the same in other animals. In many ways our psychology is not that different. However, I wonder whether this'll work. Does the plan require a greater understanding and awareness than a cat is capable of possessing? Does she have enough of a concept of time beyond the present to understand that the food she can see will still be there?

Possibly not, but like my friend's cat, she can just keep coming back whenever she wants to be sure its still there.

Cats do have a pretty decent sense of time though; mine knows when I'm supposed to get up. And wild cats like leopards hide their kill and come back for it later.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Obese Cat: What To Do?

Two things:

1) Take pictures.
2) Make LOLcats.

 

[SmoothieX]

Good call with the lolcats!

 

[thestrangequark]

^ If I catch her in an inspiring pose, we can have a Caption That.

 

[tharpdevenport]

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/08/26/funny-pictures-hand-it-to-meh/


Had a fat cat once. Named it "Fat Cat". Didn't seem to mind.

 

[freak]

TSQ: Lovely to see you're typing around TBBS again! I have one suggestion about your cat..have you thought about taking it to the vets and asking your vet for diet cat food??? I tried this with my cat Buttercup. He used to weigh around 29lbs and now weighs close to 10!!!! We have been feeding him perscription w/d dry cat food for years now. The only and I mean ONLY downside to this is that he is CONSTANTLY thinking about food to the point of getting into trash cans(like a dog would do) and into the cabinets. We had to literally child-proof the cabinets with rubber bands(it looks absolutely ridiculous but we had no choice!) so he won't get his nosey behind in there to get people food.
This cat still thinks he's fat even though he's thinner than ever now and looking younger. But I would indeed take your cat to the vets and ask what the vet would recommend in a good diet cat food. I've tried it and it does work..although now we can't seem to get him off of he food now that he's thinner.

 

[thestrangequark]

^Actually, we just got her some diet food. I'm hoping it might be easier on her system, too. We've also started using the screw-top container technique! I'm glad your cat is doing better, and hope we may see results in Jez soon too!

 

[freak]

Thx, tsq. Glad you were able to get some diet cat food for your cat as well. It works wonders! And the screw-top container technique is the simplest way to stop a cat from getting into the food.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Had a fat cat once. Named it "Fat Cat".

Your creativity and humor is virtually unlimited, I see.