The diet starts tomorrow...!

SillyMangoX

I know I've posted on this topic before, but I'm finding it really hard to shift the weight on my cats. Cream is on the border between okay and overweight. He was 3.9kgs last summer and went up to 4.2 after getting a dental, he's probably gone up since then. Peach was last weighed at 5.2kg. She appeared to lose weight when we changed their dry food over to a light one but since then it seems to be going up again.

I've always given them wet food in the evening as they don't drink enough but I think this could be throwing off the feeding guidelines as we were still giving them the recommended amount of dry on top. I find it very hard to know how much to cut back to make sure they still get a balanced diet as the wet food isn't complete. (Cosma, the only one they'll eat besides royal canin).

I was thinking of just feeding them dry food for a month or two at the recommended amount to help get the last little bit off but I'm worried about the lack of moisture. Would it be okay just on the short term?

Also I have half a bag of the Arden Grange light, which I'm happy with being grain free etc, but I was going to move them over to Taste of the Wild, which would be better quality again, as they're gone off Applaws. Would I be better sticking with the AG til they lose the weight or just start the transition to TOTW now and hope they lose the weight at being fed the recommended amount?
Thanks

VonVix

Would you consider getting rid of the dry food all together and just feed a good quality complete wet food instead (once in the morning then once in the evening), that way you know how much you're feeding without feeling like you need to give wet mainly for water intake reasons? Also, are your cats getting much exercise?

SillyMangoX

I have tried literally the entire range of complete wet foods (well, the good ones) from zooplus and maxi zoo, and they just won't touch them at all. Tried leaving them hungry, microwaving, mixing with other foods and nope. Will not touch. Stubborn gits! I would much rather have them on solely wet but alas they just do not agree with me.
They do potter around the garden all day, but will have a run in a couple of weeks so their exercise will be more restricted then. Cream will have a good play with feather toys and playing foot ball with tiny bells, and have general zoominess in the evening, I figure that's why he's managed to stay slimmer but Peach would rather lie down and lazily bat at any toys!

Zapperzy

Do you weigh out the food with a scales? I weigh out every meal my two get and find even reducing each meal by 3-4g for a few weeks makes a difference. Provided of course they don't get loads of treats on top of that! I'd imagine measuring out food by eye, or even in a cup, varies by a lot more than a few gram each time.

Poor jesses on her post Christmas diet for the show in February, between the extra dreamies and the plates of turkey she was getting she's expanded a little

SillyMangoX

I had been weighing it but after a while was just eye balling it, plus the parents would never weigh it out. So I think from tomorrow morning I'll weigh it and put it in individual portion sandwich bags so I won't have to worry about that!
I'm starting to think I won't even show them in Feb because Peach is gone so bad!

SillyMangoX

Started weighing out their food and splitting it into 3 portions over the course of the day.. you'd swear I gave them nothing! Peach is acting absolutely starved at the sheer insult of not having a giant bowl of food to pick at all day, but I've never seen them so excited to have dinner before!
Now to just drown out my mother in the background saying to give them extra, they're starved

tk123

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Now to just drown out my mother in the background saying to give them extra, they're starved

Do you have anything low/no fat that your mum could give them? I changed what I give my two for their evening treat so my mum is still able to give them a biscuit in the morning as well as their "úll" as she likes to say to them in the afternoon lol! :pac: I also changed to a smaller biscuit to trick them into giving less lol and have jars of dehydrated apple or sweet potato for them too

SillyMangoX

So far so good with their diets, I was away for the weekend and my parents stuck to regemine (mind you I had it all weighed out and bagged before i left )
I need not have worried about the moisture levels without the wet food, they've been drinking more to compensate
They must be a bit lighter, they both fit up here now

tk123

I weighed Bailey the other day while we were waiting at the vets but it didn't seem like much of a loss so i was embarrassed to check what he was last time!