Diet help!

[Beatrix Potter]

Hello
I don't really think I'd have the time to feed a raw diet but thank you for the suggestion. 

The thing I do like about dry apart from the fact that both cats enjoy it from time to time is that it can be used to make them forage

have been using the foraging method instead.

Sounds like a good plan 

By the way, if you were interested in feeding raw, it doenst need to be time consuming, you can buy ready prepared raw diets - I use this one http://www.naturalinstinct.com/products/Cat-Food-%28Chicken-%26-Beef%29.html

Thanks for the link I will take a look 

[Gillian Harvey]

Hello
I don't really think I'd have the time to feed a raw diet but thank you for the suggestion. 

The thing I do like about dry apart from the fact that both cats enjoy it from time to time is that it can be used to make them forage

have been using the foraging method instead.

Sounds like a good plan 

By the way, if you were interested in feeding raw, it doenst need to be time consuming, you can buy ready prepared raw diets - I use this one http://www.naturalinstinct.com/products/Cat-Food-%28Chicken-%26-Beef%29.html

[Beatrix Potter]

Hello
I don't really think I'd have the time to feed a raw diet but thank you for the suggestion.  I'll have a look for the da-mousey attachment, Storm is the main mouse/shrew hunter out of the two so it may go down rather well!

I feed yarrah wet food.  Its a high meat content of chicken chunks in gravy, they do have other varieties but they seem happy on the same flavour!  To be honest I'm not to sure why I ended up feeding a combination...its something I've always done.  The thing I do like about dry apart from the fact that both cats enjoy it from time to time is that it can be used to make them forage..although if you saw me last night trying to encourage Alfie to roll the treat ball about (Storm has mastered it for sometime) and showing him the biscuits in a paper bag (any closer their heads would have been inside!) you have to wonder why...they are not very intelligeinet!  Its also less fly friendly on hot days!

Feeding a food he doesn't like is sort of a good idea, as Storm quite often pugs his nose up if his wet food does not have a sprinkling of bisuitcs on it, I have stopped doing this this week and have been using the foraging method instead.

[sheilarose]

This sounds cruel, but it worked for one of my cats, Jarvis (now long since passed) - I gave him food I knew he didn't really like. 

He was a Go-Cat cat through and through and wouldn't touch anything else.

I simply switched him to Applaws which he ate grudgingly, and presto, the weight dropped off. As soon as Jarvis started to lose weight (and gain condition by the way!) his energy levels rose and he would spend all day playing out instead of lazing about in bed. 

Some cats might find a sudden change of diet makes them sick, so this approach is very much to be used with caution.

[Gillian Harvey]

What wet food is he eating at the mo? Agree with Susanne, cut down, or cut out dry completely, they don't need to eat both wet and dry. 

[maddercow]

You could try a raw diet, then you'd be confident of the quality of meat you are feeding and also that there is no added cereal etc. Quite alot on tinternet about raw diets.

I can really recommend da-mousey attachment, drives my two even madder than the feather thing, Izzy runs until she is puffed out!

[Beatrix Potter]

Hi
Thanks for your posts.  I don't want to put him on another brand of food as I feel very strongly about buying things that are either approved by the BUAV or uncaged.  I've cut the dry by half but still feeding 200g of wet.  They are obviously not burning off the calories at the moment and not eating all their food when I feed it so might reduce it a bit more.
They love DA BIRD!  think I might need some replacement feathers though!  going to try running them both up and down the stairs I think with it to get them moving!

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I would definitely cut down on the dry.  Dry food does tend to contribute to cats being overweight unless the portions are very carefully controlled as it is very calorie dense and usually contains cereals.   Although getting them moving more can help, what they eat is so much more important.  Feeding meat with little or no cereals and little or no dry food is the best way to get them to lose weight.

Does he like da bird?  Most cats go crazy running around after that.  I get Jaffa running by tying a bit of meat to the end of something like da bird!  He can't resist chasing that! 

[maddercow]

Royal Canin or Hills slim kibbles are really good and as to exercise....get a da-bird with a feather and a da-mousey attachment, if he's anything like my cats he'll go mental charging around after them and that should help him lose some weight.  The laser dot toys are good for getting them going as well although use it with care and make sure you alternate it with other tangible catchable toys otherwise they can go a bit mad! It is great fun playing with them and watching their antics.

I did this last year when Cashie got a bit of a paunch, only now I'm trying to get him to put some weight back on 'cos he's gone quite lean in my opinion although the vet says hes perfect. Another thing that helped Cashie lose (too much) weight is getting him a little girlfriend, she eats all his food and chases him everywhere and they use many calories duffing each other up and playing....(trouble is, she's a little porker now. It is very hard getting one to put weight on and the other the take it off!)

Good luck with the diet.

[Beatrix Potter]

Storm went to the vets last night because of his cat fight injuries.  He was weighed at 5.28kg!  He was 5.3kg last time.
Any ideas on how to put him on a diet? He has been having 200g wet and 25g dry.  Thinking of 200g and just 10g dry?
Also need to get him to exercise a bit more, hes a bit of a laid back likes his bed kinda man!