We need a vet person

jbloom

because Andie GBCK-d a jillion years agoSo my cats.  They're kind of fatties.  The girl moreso than the boy.  I give them both dry and wet food, but I cut waaay back on the wet food (from 1/2 can each per day to 1/8 can each per day, although she usually eats both eighths on the non-freshly-opened days).  But I digress.My vet said I don't need to feed them both kinds, just dry is fine.  But the girl cat is completely an emotional eater and will cry allllll morning long from 6am until I feed her some damn wet food.  But I want to stop this wet food business, since it's not necessary for survival and it's pricey and she's a chunky.But I don't want her to think I am torturing her.  Am I being ridiculous or am I a mean mommy for taking away her precious wet food?

modb1rd

she'll get over it. you could also soak her dry catfood in some water to try to fool her.

jbloom

Oh mod, I am such a coddler.  When we first brought her home and we had to keep them separated due to the attacking, I used to pet her while she ate because I felt sorry for her, and now she cries until I follow her into the kitchen and pet her while she eats the dry food.This is why I would be helpless with human children.  I can't even raise cats properly.

modb1rd

aww you are sweet. it is sweet. one of my cats loves getting fed so much that every morning he screams at me, races me into the room where his food dish is kept (up on a shelf to keep it away from the dogs) and then demands I feed him. EVEN WHEN THERE IS FOOD IN THE BOWL!

jbloom

Aw, kitties.  I love them so.

noisy_penguin

George does that Mod. He also purrs when he eats.

AngieP900

Mod has a good idea with wetting the dry food. Or you could just keep cutting back on the wet food slowly until its gone, ween her like an addict.

SarahBethBR

I have a fat cat too.  Her belly swings back and forth when she runs and the satellite guy asked me if she was pregnant.  It really damaged her self esteem.I've started feeding them a little less (we do dry food only) but no results yet.  I'll be taking them to the vet pretty soon and I'll ask them for tips.

FallinAgain

Maybe try mixing the wet with the dry with less and less wet until it is all dry?  I agree with Mod that she'll adjust even if you just go to dry.  Cats are such creatures of habit so it may take her a few days but she'll learn the new routine.I'm lucky.  My cat ONLY likes dry-no wet, no treats, no people food, except Doritos.  She'll cut a biitch for a Dorito.  Then she gets all excited for other tortilla chips until you give her a corner.  She sniffs it and walks away in disappointment.

Kaytee241

Usually, wet food is lower in calories than dry food, per weight, so cutting out the dry food might be a better option. The reason wet food is considered not as good as dry is not the calorie count, but because it's so much worse for their teeth (and it's more expensive).

sparrowsocks

I had a fat cat that was used to wet food when I got her.  I tried cutting down on how much she was getting a day too, but she didn't lose any weight.  I stopped giving her wet food because she started puking it up every time.  She got over it, but it did take a few days and a lot of patience on my part due to her crying all the time for it.  I actually jsut had to put her back on an old cat formula wet food because she's started losing her teeth and was losing weight due to not being able to eat the dry food as well. My other cat cries for food, races into the kitchen with me, and purrs while he eats even with food in the bowl too.  Now I know he's not just a freak. 

jbloom

I like the dry food because it helps keep their teeth healthy.  Plus storing the wet food for days after opening a can sucks.  The male cat will only eat it on the day I open the can so she ends up eating his portions.  On top of that, because of his food allergies, they eat pricey veterinary hypoallergenic food.Today I am starting the no wet food.  She cried a bit but is already off doing something else.  I will probably get cries every time I get up from my chair, but so far so good.

tastyburger

hey bloomie, just reading this and I have kind of the same sitch.  KP is kind of a fattie and even Milhouse has a little low-swingin' belly.  They both get half cans of wet food 2X a day plus their dry.  Molly is svelt and only eats kibs (dry), plus she has the best teef of them all.anyway, I cut down the food and give them about 1/4 wet now during each feeding (and just toss the rest, but they like Fancy Feast, not pricey vet food).  I toss the rest because they don't like it cold, which is why your male cat probably won't eat it after day 1.my H keeps saying we should just eliminate the wet all together, but KP would probably feel like her world came crashing down around her.  we've already said that our next cats will be dry-food only (if, for some weird reason, KP proves not to be immortal).  anyway, I am curious how this works out for you and maybe I'll try it.  let me know!

EvilleLady

I'm late, but I'm a Vet Assistant.  Wet food is actually good for them and their urinary tract.  Dry food is good for the teeth.  I would mix a tablespoon or so in with the dry food.  Cats should only get 1/4 of a cup of dry food two times daily.  If you can feed twice daily to split up the meals that would help also.I know it will be a pain at first but slowly over a couple weeks she should adjust.  If she is a demand feeder, which it sounds like, you need to ignore her and feed her on your terms not hers.  You said you feed an expensive prescription diet due to allergies.  What kind of allergies??  Prescription food is usually junk and it is very fattening.  You could, more than likely find a better food a a specialty store. 

tastyburger

oh Eville, that's all really good info! my issue is that I have three cats and Molly (the skinny one) acts like she's being abused if there isn't kibs in her bowl at ALL TIMES.  just in case.  maybe I'll try meauring out the dry food and stopping when they've reached their limit, but it's so difficult to limit Fatty McFattiekins and let Skinny McSkinnypants still get all the food she needs/wants.

CaliopeSpidrman

Eville -- I see you're keeping the puppy.  I like his sweater.

jbloom

I really, really like my vet and she picked this Royal Canin hypoallergenic food.  It's interesting to hear the differing opinion on wet food though, because she told me I really didn't need both, but I could feed both if it was a personal preference.My male cat would get weird itchy patches on the skin in front of his ears and would scratch until he bled.  Like a Kitty Van Gogh.  Then he had an episode last February where all the hair around his butt fell out and it was super irritated.  and that was AFTER I had switched them to a really nice specialty food called Orijen, which was not much less than what I am paying now.  Since I made the switch, no more scratching until he bleeds, no more butt problems.

EvilleLady

You don't really need both foods, but in male cats in particular all the water you can get into their diets the better.  We recommend both, but just feed very small amounts of the wet and always mix them.  Royal Canin is a horrible food, BUT their prescription line isn't bad.  The allergy cat food is actually pretty good.  I was just hoping you weren't going to say Purina or Science Diet.  Keep doing what your doing if it works.  Feed 2 times, even 3 if possible is the key.  Multiple meals throughout the day will definitely cut back on the demand eating.  And yes Cali I think I am keeping her.  She is waay to cute.  I'm not a small dog person I've always owned bulldogs and now I have a Shih Tzu mix and the recent addition of Ruby the Chihuahua mix. 

jbloom

I just leave them a bowl of dry food so they sort of graze throughout the day.  The bag says 2/3 cup for each cat but I just do a full cup for them both.  You think that's too much?  I know indoor cats are usually a little heftier since they don't get to roam and climb as much, but I hate feeling like I am making them heavier than they ought to be.

shanollee

Eville- so 1/2 cup per day total???  I have a maine coon, and I'm pretty sure he'd feel like I was starving him to death if that's all I fed himand that puppy is adorable!

sparrowsocks

I give fatty 1/4 a can of wet food a day and she picks at 1/2 a cup of dry during the day.  The other cat gets 1/2 a cup or so twice a day of dry.  I'm thinking I need to go back to picking the bowls up after they eat instead of feeding on demand.

EvilleLady

1/2 cup per day if mixed with wet.  If dry only 1 cup per day for a cat that size, it also really depends on the quality of food.  If the quality is better than you will feed waaay less food. Also this may be dumb to say and you may know, but on the back of the food it has a weight feeding scale.  You feed what your cat SHOULD way not what it ways now. 

CaliopeSpidrman

Those things lie most of the time.  According to the scale, we should be feeding Maggie something like 4 cups of food a day.  We feed her just about 1 cup two times per day...and she's overweight.  But she's still convinced we're starving her to death.