More on fat pets, drugs and diets
By Gina Spadafori
January 6, 2007
I’ve just updated our site with our most recent syndicated column, featuring Dr. Becker’s Seven Tips for 2007 to help you help your pet to lose weight.
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Any tips for fat cats? I have a very fat diabetic cat. She is completely uninterested in playing (and we have tried LOTS of methods, from laser to string, feathers, trying to chase her, etc- she refuses to run from the dogs). She is most interested in sleep, but occasionally likes to try to go outside, but we don’t let our cats out. The last time I tried her in a halter and leash to go outside, she learned to back out of the halter- her head being very tiny and her middle being larger than her shoulders and forepaws. Feeding her diet food only worked when we could confine her to one part of the house only- otherwise she will eat the dogs’ food or the food left for other cats (which are used to free feeding and manage to stay proper weight). We did send her to stay with a friend who also had a fat cat for a year, where they were fed only controlled amount of diet food daily. She lost 7 pounds over the year. Unfortunately, she’s gained back three of them in the two years since. She’s 14 pounds now, and I’ve seen her weigh in healthily at 6. She had gotten up to almost 18. She is currently 15 years old and has had the weight problem since she was spayed at age 3.
Comment by Georg — January 7, 2007 @ 10:27 am
My advice would be to stop the free-feeding for your other animals. Measure out what each animal should get twice daily, put their food down and stand watch over them all until they finish eating their own food and walk away from their food bowls. This should only take a few minutes. Then, take all of their food bowls up until it’s feeding time again later on that day. It may take a few days for them all to understand the routine, but they will eventually (and pretty quickly)understand that food only comes twice a day. This way, your fat cat won’t be able to cheat on her diet anymore. And if you feel your other animals are being shorted any, you can always sneak them a little food behind closed doors, with your fattie shut away from them.
Comment by Morgan — January 7, 2007 @ 4:42 pm