Expert: Brandy - 12/23/2006

Question
Hi Brandy,
We got our orange tabby from the shelter a year ago. When got him he was very skinny but over this past year he has gained a considerable amount of weight. He only gets dry cat which we leave out for him and about 1/2 cut of wet cat food in the morning. We never feed him human food.  He doesn't go outside too often as he gets bullied and has been in some bad cat fights. We buy him balls and toys to play with but he'd rather sleep all day! I'm worried he's going to get even bigger and end up diabetes! Any advice?
Thanks,
Leanne

Answer
Since this kitty was a shelter rescue (good for you!), the gain in weight could be his reaction to going from not having food available at all hours to a constant buffet.  He's also probably preferring to stay inside where it's safe and warm, and frankly, in my own personal opinion, that's not bad.
Our first cat was a shelter rescue who actually had the opposite problem: he was 22 pounds. We got him lots of toys, interactive ones with the wands, laser lights, and kept re-cycling them so he wouldn't get bored. Studies have shown that cats that are kept active with toys tend to be more alert. Even if you can spare 15 minutes or so a night to play with him, it coud qualify as a workout/further bonding session.
There are several good brands of quality cat food that are geared to overweight cats. Not feeding a cat to have it lose some weight is not a good thing since cats need to eat (starving cats tend to have future issues with the liver). You don't specify how old your cat is, but as a precaution (and well worth it), is to have your vet give your cat a physical, perhaps a series of typical blood tests to make sure his kidneys and liver are working well, too.
Your cat is just enjoying his new home. I'm sure he'll also love the playtimes as well.