Expert: Tina - 6/14/2007

Question
i have an obese cat whose brain cannot register that he is full- or that's what the vet tried explaining to me a year ago.  we feed him in a seperate room from the other cats, 2 times daily with set amounts.(meow mix)  the problem is that he will scavenge for any food in the house, and even steal the dog food when we aren't watching the dogs eat.
the vet suggested the 2 times a day feeding with him, and as soon as i go to let him out from being fed, he meows and acts as if he is starving again.  what kind of cat food should i purchase that would allow him to feel full for the longest amount of time? he eats Anything, so flavor or scent isn't a real issue with him.
he has no problem with his bowel movements however, i was thinking maybe hair-ball control and diet for him, but thought i would ask someone who knew 1st. would a home recipe bbe a better way to go?

Answer
Hi Kristin,

Obese cats are generally fat because most commercial cat foods are
completely unsuitable for obligate carnivores such as cats. Cats
cannot use carbohydrates for energy but rather use protein for energy
(unlike almost all other mammals) so when cats eat foods high in
carbohydrates they convert them directly to fat.

All dry cat foods have far too much grain and plant material - Meow
Mix is basically meat flavored cereal. Your cat can't get any
nutrition from his food and that's why he thinks he is starving all
the time, but at the same time he is eating tons of corn and wheat
that gets made into fat in his body.

Frankly, the problem with your cat is that you are feeding him an inappropriate
diet and he's starving at the same time he's obese. Furthermore, the
large bulk of the food he is eating has stretched out his stomach
(physically) so he must eat a larger amount to feel full, and it will
take a while for his stomach to shrink back to a normal size.

I recommend gradually changing your cat over to a high quality grain-
free canned food and gradually eliminating the dry food altogether.
Canned food on the following list is mostly meat and it will give him
the nutrition he needs and begin the process of shrinking his stomach
and intestines back to normal size and improving his health. As it
stands, your cat will have diabetes and probably many other health
problems very soon if he does not already. The premium canned food
will cost more but you will save money in vet costs when your cat is
healthy.

Initially, your cat will feel hungry and he’s also likely addicted to the flavor and texture of his dry food. So start off by feeding him slightly less dry food and adding the canned food in to his diet. Then only offer him dry food twice a day, after he eats some canned food. Then gradually remove the dry food altogether.

It is best to feed him many small meals throughout the day. If you are out of the house all day, you can feed him right before you leave and when you get home, or you can purchase an auto-feeder. This one has a digital timer and also cold packs that keep canned food fresh all day:

http://www.petstreetmall.com/Automatic-8-Day-Feeder/5052/1896/

Using a feeder like this would allow you to dispense canned food to your cat up to 8 times a day even while you are asleep. Better still, he comes to associate the feeder with his food instead of demanding it from you, so he’s less likely to bug you or wake you up when he wants food.

Canned foods I recommend you try:

1. Nature’s Variety canned cat foods – all varieties are great
2. Innova Evo 95% Meat dog foods (these are high quality and more cost effective than the cat food, the main difference is it does not have added taurine. You can buy taurine cheap at health food stores as capsules and put the powder in the canned food yourself – about 50mg/day or 100 mg 2-3 times a week).
3. Wellness canned food – all varieties are great
4. Natural Balance Ultra

Trader Joe’s grocery stores also carries a pretty high quality canned cat food of their own brand. It is not as good as the ones listed above but WAY better than Meow Mix, and very cost effective.

If you would like to consult with a cat nutrition specialist veterinarian, Dr Lisa Pierson (catinfo.org) does telephone consultations and can help you put your cat on a veterinary-approved weight loss plan. But essentially the plan will be to start feeding him more canned food and less dry food each day. A cat should eat about 2% to 2.5% of their body weight in canned or raw food every day, so if your cat is currently 15 lbs you will end up feeding about one to one and a half 5.5 ounce can of food. It should not be necessary to feed him less than this percentage at first, because the change to a high protein diet will help him lose weight without making him hungry all the time. You don’t want him to lose weight too fast or he could get seriously ill. Cats who do not eat after 48 hours can get liver damage, so don’t try to reduce the amount of food below the normal amount recommended on the cat food can.

I feed my cats a home made raw rabbit meat diet. They are so healthy and slim on this diet, but I understand that not everyone is interested in making their own cat food. I found this more cost effective than purchasing high quality food from the store. I buy whole ground rabbits at http://www.wholefoods4pets.com and mix in some vitamins and freeze the meat in canning jars and I am done. You may not want to go this route yourself, but if you do the websites below have plenty of information about how to make your own cat food and you may contact me again any time for assistance with that. However it is vital that you at least switch to a quality canned food rather than the Meow Mix you are currently feeding.

Please read the following websites for more information on cat
nutrition (cats have many very specific quirks of physiology and many
vets are not specialized in act nutrition). Please read the pages on
obesity as well as diabetes etc.

http://www.catinfo.org

http://www.catnutrition.org/obesity.html

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whycatsneedca...

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

Please take the time to learn about cat nutrition and