Obesity seems a rather fitting post-Thanksgiving subject, doesn’t it? However, in this case I’m talking about feline obesity.
Not coincidentally, recent research shows the most effective method of “normalizing” a cat’s weight is feeding a low-carbohydrate WET diet (canned or raw). Normalizing a cat’s weight means inducing weight loss or weight gain in order to achieve an ideal weight. So, this diet not only works best for those chubby kitties that need to lose weight – but also those skinny kitties that need to put on some weight (particularly muscle)!
I witnessed this myself first-hand with my cats, Omaha and Afer. When I adopted Omaha in 2003, he was morbidly obese at over 20 pounds (estimated ideal weight of 8 pounds).
Omaha at the shelter - over 20 pounds
Omaha was admitted to the shelter in 1994 at a little over 10 pounds and described by the vet as “obese – too fat to palpitate abdomen”. While a resident there, he was fed a dry and canned diet and continued to gain weight. A few times, they tried separating him and putting him on special prescription diets for weight loss, r/d, w/d, combinations thereof – but he continued to gain weight and they noted the “special diets were not working.
When I adopted Omaha in 2003, I was feeding a dry diet to all my cats. As Omaha also had large “hot spots” (bald, scabby areas), the vet prescribed a hypoallergenic diet. However, Omaha wouldn’t eat it. So, I found a “high-quality” “Lite” dry food free of corn and with a single protein source (chicken). Omaha liked this food – but he did not lose weight. I meal-fed, and measured his portions carefully. Each time we went to the vet, the vet noted his lack of weight loss and recommended decreasing his portions by 25%. Eventually, Omaha was down to 1/4 cup of the “Lite” dry food twice daily. He’d lie by the bowl crying, he was so hungry. Still, he was not losing weight. The vet recommended further reduction, but I couldn’t feed him any less than I was – I felt awful he was so hungry, and at some point I worried he wouldn’t get enough nutrition.
In April 2004, another cat was diagnosed with diabetes and I changed their food over to a canned diet. The weight started dropping off Omaha dramatically. So quickly, the vet became nervous he may have become hyperthyroid. His thyroid was fine, though, and I found myself in a position of INCREASING his food portions! Omaha was happy to be able to eat all he wanted, and I was thrilled with the weight loss. By December of 2004, Omaha was under 16 pounds. By June of 2005, he was around 14 pounds. At the time of his death, in October of 2008, he was 12 pounds. Not only was this better for Omaha’s health for many reasons (risk of diabetes, asthma, heart disease, etc.) but for his joints! Omaha had severe arthritis and having less weight to support made his mobility much better. I had some comment they thought it “mean” or “sad” to deprive Omaha of dry food – I believe Omaha was much happier being able to fill his belly with raw or canned food and be able to walk more comfortably.
Note: Low-carbohydrate DRY diets do not work for weight loss – too high in calories. It needs to be a WET (canned or raw) diet.
A much slimmer, happier, Omaha
At the same time, my little Afer was gaining weight on the new diet. Afer was a tiny frail little thing when I adopted her in January of 2004. At the time, she weighed under 8 pounds.
Afer in 2004
With the change in diet, we not only saw the episodes of bloody diarrhea Afer occasionally experienced cease (likely a symptom of IBD) – but she gained a bit of weight and increased to around 10 pounds. Though not a lot of weight, her vet commented on how much more “solid” and muscular she felt, rather than frail. I also believe a wet diet is one of the reasons Afer lived over five years with CRF (chronic renal failure, or kidney disease).
One of the things that has made a huge impression on my were pictures Dr. Lisa took upon necroscopy of a THIN cat fed only a dry diet all its life – it’s insides are FILLED with fat. Though it was thin in appearance, its organs were all covered with fat. I’ve heard MANY caregivers state they are feeding dry food out of concerns for their underweight cats. I do not believe this is good practice. If humans (such as human athletes) need to gain weight, do they chow down on donuts and pastries? Isn’t it a better practice to consume PROTEIN? I still have one cat (Kitty.com) that tends to be a nibbler and I think she could stand to gain a bit more weight. I work on this by feeding her additional CANNED food – not dry.
Afer with more meat on her bones
For more information, visit Feline Outreach. As always, if you find the information useful I hope you will consider a donation to this worthy organization!
To read more of my posts on feline nutrition and health, click on the “feline nutrition and health” category on the home page.
Life of the Lintee Bean 
Would you please let me know which canned food worked so well for you? I’m at a loss.
Thank you.
Barbara,
That’s what makes it easy – pretty much *any* canned food will work. Just look for one with little-to-no grains, veggies and fruit. I generally avoid Science Diet and Iams (contain corn, rice, etc.) and avoid canned foods labeled with “Lite” (which generally means higher in carbohydrates). I also avoid the ones in gravy which generally contain corn syrup, starch, flour, and/or glutens.
Examples of canned foods I’ve used: 9-Lives ground dinners, Fancy Feast gourmet dinners, Friskies ground dinners, Wellness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Evo 95%…
Note some of these foods (Wellness, NVI, Evo) are higher in fat and may require greater portion control. Even the best foods generally can’t be fed without limit! Omaha was SO obese he could eat unlimited portions of any canned or raw food and lose weight. For my cat Studley, I have to measure portions. Also, raw or other lower-fat foods often work better than some of the higher-fat foods. If you visit Dr. Lisa’s obesity page (one of the many links on the Feline Outreach page I link to in my post), you’ll note one of her foster cats had much greater success on raw than on Wellness canned, probably because of the relatively higher fat and carbohydrate content of Wellness. Cats do very well (and lose weight on) moderate-fat diets, but I believe they thrive on meat-based protein, and pet food companies generally lower cost by increasing carbohydrates and/or increasing fat.
Keep in mind you MUST ELIMINATE ALL DRY FOOD! Often times, caregivers tell me they are not having luck with the canned food they’re using… and I find out they are still feeding some dry. The canned is not the problem there. Even one SPOONFUL of dry food is loaded with carbohydrates and calories. You must eliminate ALL of it. NOT A SINGLE PIECE.
Lynette
Wonderful information thank you so much for sharing it with me.
What do you do about their dental care? Dry food is good at cleaning their teeth, so wouldnt a little be acceptable, or is there an alternative?
Actually, there’s very little evidence that dry food benefits dental health. If dry food cleaned teeth, why do over 2/3 of cats have dental disease by age two, despite the prevalent feeding of kibble? Does eating pretzels clean your teeth? In fact, the carbohydrates in dry food, which turn into sugars, may HARM their teeth, not help them.
My cats get whole hearts with their ground raw diet, so they have something to truly bite into – and dental cleanings as needed (generally once a year). Most dry foods are either too small to actually be bitten into – or shatter once bitten, they do not clean teeth.
See: https://meowmeowmom.wordpress.com/2009/01/07/dental-dilemmas/