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Weight loss regime in pets

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    Weight loss regime in pets

    Has anyone had any experience of successfully managing a pet's weight, particularly a cat?

    I'm sure it's far from easy with dogs, but with cats it is very difficult, as you don't generally exercise them, so can't add extra or longer walks!

    Our boy cat is very overweight. We have been told before and were told again today. He was a skinny cat until we had him neutered as an adult, then his weight increased massively He loves his food and pushes his skinny sisters away from their bowls if he can get away with it, and eats anything they leave. We dont feed him whenever he asks, and we move the other cats bowls if they leave some, to prevent him eating it all. Lord knows how big he would be if we didn't!
    We tried dieting him before, but it is so hard with multiple cats in the house. All we can think to do is give him 1 pouch per meal, the girls half a pouch each, then shut him out of the kitchen and give the girls more!
    I feel so mean, he's a big boy and loves his food

    I'm ashamed to say I lost it a little at the vets! The receptionist told us what the vet said about the weight, then went on about how well she dieted her cats, how she weighed out the food and if her husband gave him slightly too much then there would be very little for tea. Well, I can't go without my tea and I don't think a pet should! She sounded so smug. I really saw red when she said 'its like having a Mars Bar or having an apple'
    I told her I thought she was making the usual assumptions - overweight owner, overweight pet. I told her she was only seeing a tiny snapshop of our lives, and that I also had 2 very slim cats!!
    She was very polite after that
    “A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty.” – Unknown

    #2
    People are always jumping to the (wrong) conclusions, Gem. Well done for coping with it so well.

    As you know I've got no experience of cats, but trying to keep greedy Clyde to his exact amount of food was hard, especially as Rusty liked to graze, and when we had Midge staying as well it was even harder. We coped by weighing Clyde's food out exactly to the gram and supervising all mealtimes. Anything Rusty left was picked up and offered to him later, on his own. It was tedious but it worked. Does your big boy have a "lite" or senior food? Do you weigh it out? Your poor slim girls will have to eat up straight away too. I do sympathise, it must be a hundred times harder to regulate a cat's intake. Xx
    "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are. "

    (Marianne Williamson)

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      #3
      DD has just had this with Storm being on a diet with the bug he picked up she got around him eating the cats food by putting there food in a different room and putting the cat flap on the door that he keeps getting his head stuck in . Will be more difficult with all cats though
      Im not fat just 6ft too small

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        #4
        I have just the one cat but he did put a lot of weight on when I moved to my bungalow. The vets said for him to lose weight which I did by cutting back on his food. He used to have two pouches twice a day so I cut it down to one twic e a day. Then recently having taken him to the vets for his yearly boosters he was weighed again and found to have lost too much weight. He now has 11/2 pouches twice a day but I don't think he has put any weight on. I have to take him back to the vets in two weeks time for a weigh in. They now suspect either an under or over active thyroid. Milo is 14 years old now.

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          #5
          Do any of you ladies watch Super Vet, I love that man
          What is life if full of care we have no time to stand and stare

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            #6
            Plant - I saw him on the One Show the other night, and he's so passionate about his work. He's incredible!

            Mamma-mia - I hope Milo is ok, and a bit extra food will enable him to regain the weight. xx
            "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are. "

            (Marianne Williamson)

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              #7
              We had to try and restrict our retrievers diet by stopping family members feeding him. Difficult as OH was the worst offender! He would also Hoover up any food litter dropped in the street or pushed into bushes - usually complete with wrappings - foam, plastic or paper - he wasn't fussy! Hard work trying to keep one step ahead of him!
              xx

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                #8
                The dog hoovered up the food litter, not OH. Though nothing OH eats would surprise me!
                xx

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                  #9
                  That's funny Shem. Glad you cleared that up!

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                    #10
                    Shem - I had this lovely mental image of your OH with his head in a bush!!!!

                    Some dogs are just natural dustbins, aren't they. Cats generally seem to be more selective.
                    "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are. "

                    (Marianne Williamson)

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                      #11
                      Retrievers are notorious for greedy scrounging though he seemed to realise quite quickly that I wouldn't feed him titbits!
                      xx

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Shemadee View Post
                        Retrievers are notorious for greedy scrounging though he seemed to realise quite quickly that I wouldn't feed him titbits!
                        Haha - I bet you weren't very popular over that, Shem. Eva is showing her Labrador credentials in the food department - everything and anything is wolfed down, and she can spot the tiniest crumb falling to the floor!




                        "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are. "

                        (Marianne Williamson)

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                          #13
                          Storm is a dog hoover if he can get away with it . We don't give him anything we eat as he's on this diet for his bug but honestly it's hard not too give him bits he has these beautiful eyes that almost melt your heart , we allow him a treat at lunch time and one at tea time it stops him begging for Joshua tea 😊 But he will eat anything he comes in and snuffles around the kitchen floor seeking out any crumb he can pick up he ran off with a half eaten apple I had put on the work top by the time I got to him there was only the stalk left 😊
                          Im not fat just 6ft too small

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                            #14
                            Oma - I'm surprised there was even the stalk left! LOL
                            "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are. "

                            (Marianne Williamson)

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                              #15
                              I love reading all the tales of dogs eating things!!

                              This morning I added tuna to chubby cats food, to eke it out with less calories. He wasn't impressed. The slimmest of the 2 girl cats loved it however
                              “A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty.” – Unknown

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