oh the shame of it...

[Liz]

Ours range from 2kgs to 8kgs and the vets have no isssue with the weights although some of my ladies are on the larger size - all are ferals and when weighed annually they have neither gone up nor down and I can't get anyone to eat light food

[Fire Fox]

Noah was 6.5kg (a stone  ) at his February weigh-in, which the vet was happy with but I know he can't wash his bum and has no waist. If my scales are correct he has lost 0.5kg over the summer just by stopping dry and only having raw or a good commercial wet. I can't take the credit as it happened by accident, given that he is a complete piglet that is a result! 

Another vote for cutting back on any dry that contains grains, as others said they contribute to weight gain in dogs and cats. Watch the 'Light' foods, some are lower in fat which reduces the calorie content, others replace meat with cereals (Hills) which is nonsensical as they both supply 4 calories a gram. It's actually not that senseless as fibre can help to fill the tummy and floor sweepings from cereal mills are cheap as chips.  You could try supplementing their wet food with a little water and ground flax seeds or Protexin from VetUK - both of which supply filling soluble fibre. Mark for that tip ages ago!

[Mark]

I agree. I thought an "average" cat would be around 4.5kg. My Kylie is overweight (6.85kg last weigh in  ) but she is also a very big cat. She would be underweight if she was much under 6kg.

I agree re cutting down on the dry rather than the wet. If it were me, I would just give them lighter biscuits - although tbh, I don't think much of Hills light as Kylie gained weight on it over the years and she isn't a big eater. Maybe Hill's r/d or the Royal Canin equivalent would be best (I think it is called 'Obesity'  ) - they are very high in fibre so that cats still feel full with 1/2 the calories. Kylie had been on it for a month and she isn't eating more wet to compensate.

Which dry do you feed them now? - the ones with high cereal content are (apart from not being very good) hard for cats to metabolize. A high meat content one would be a lot better.

[princessmaizie]

Jessie's 3.9kg (should be nearer 3.4 apparently) and Cosmo's just over 4kg so I don't think it's a major problem just that we need to keep it in check.

Oh right... Cooper weighs 4kg and Peanut only comes in at 2.7kg (trying to fatten her up  )
So, Coops might be slightly over weight then.........

It depends on the cat, our Maize is 4kg but the vet said that was fine for her as she is a big girl! I don't think they can set a weight exactly, it depends on the build of the cat! 

[Cooper & Peanut]

Jessie's 3.9kg (should be nearer 3.4 apparently) and Cosmo's just over 4kg so I don't think it's a major problem just that we need to keep it in check.

Oh right... Cooper weighs 4kg and Peanut only comes in at 2.7kg (trying to fatten her up  )
So, Coops might be slightly over weight then.........

[The Duchess]

they do have dry food in the morning and they are both very dainty and fine-boned cats - Jessie in particular - albeit neither are exactly light of foot .  (I should also add that they get two treats each before we go to work and Cosmo gets to "approve" OH's sandwich filling each morning plus an occasional webbox)  They've also always left quite a bit of food - even now there's usually some left over even after a week on the new regime. 

Jessie's 3.9kg (should be nearer 3.4 apparently) and Cosmo's just over 4kg so I don't think it's a major problem just that we need to keep it in check.

[Cooper & Peanut]

both my fuzzies went to the vets for their annual check ups last week and the lovely lady vet said that Cosmo had "a bit of a tummy" and Jessie was "a bit porky for such a little cat and could afford to lose a bit"  I've always been so careful knowing that it's a bit of a 'mare to get cats to diet.

Anyway, they're not on lite food - instead, we've reduced the number of pouches they have a day - down from 4 to 3 between both cats and clear it away rather than leaving it down.

However, it has caused a certain amount of consternation in the furiverse and a lot more agitation/circling/hard staring from the fuzzballs at mealtimes  Jessie's certainly been quicker on the uptake than her bro' re the new arrangements!

Out of curiosity, what weight are your furries for the vet to say they are over weight? I'd like to know cuz I've started having regular weigh-ins for my babies, so that I can keep any eye on them turning into fatties! 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Do they have biscuits too?

If not that is not a lot of food fot two cats and they will be hungry. Some vets get too hung up on weight of cats ........how heavy were they? And are they big boned cats  or small and dainty 

Biscuits put on more weight than wet food so if they have both I would cut down a bit on the dry food but only gradually.

I have two giants at 6,5 kgs but they have this year stayed at that weight and apart from Misa who is a piggyman, they dont eat that much.

[The Duchess]

both my fuzzies went to the vets for their annual check ups last week and the lovely lady vet said that Cosmo had "a bit of a tummy" and Jessie was "a bit porky for such a little cat and could afford to lose a bit"  I've always been so careful knowing that it's a bit of a 'mare to get cats to diet.

Anyway, they're not on lite food - instead, we've reduced the number of pouches they have a day - down from 4 to 3 between both cats and clear it away rather than leaving it down.

However, it has caused a certain amount of consternation in the furiverse and a lot more agitation/circling/hard staring from the fuzzballs at mealtimes  Jessie's certainly been quicker on the uptake than her bro' re the new arrangements!