Malaysia Veterinary Forum (Archive)

hunnybunny · Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 46

Hi,

Could anyone please advise me how to control cat's diet?Both my cats are so "sihat"...Lulu's weight around 7kg and Spike is 5kg...and they are 1 year ++...i have set a meal schedule for them - 1 cup @ 8am, 7pm and 12pm (this one is necessary because Lulu will stop whining if he sees food after i go to bed) :wink: By the way, i cant reduce the portion as Lulu always finishes the food and Spike will be starving. Do i overfeed them?Should i change the feeding schedule?

p.s my main concern is on Lulu because he's not active at all.unlike Spike, which loves to jump around the house :lol:

Thanks.

Dr Nat · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 1834 Location: Klang Valley

Feeding schedule sounds ok. However, you might want to try feeding them separately so you can control the amount each eats (different rooms even, if necessary)

hunnybunny · Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 46

Thanks Dr Nat

ashleywong · Joined: 25 Sep 2007 Posts: 80 Location: Tmn Desa, KL

hi hunnybunny,

i can't resist to give my two cents :-)

spike is okay at 5kg plus, (i assume he's a DSH).

you may also want to try

1) engaging them in games where they can run chase and hunt so that it increases their metabolism rate

2) change the food you feed them.

actually, neutering won't cause a cat to put on weight, it's the quiet and sedentary lifestyle coupled with lack of activities indoor and inappriorate food that cause them to gain weight.

if your vet advises you to put them on a weight lost diet, and prescriptive diet is required as prescribed by vet, then stick to it. don't give in to their attempts to get "normal" food from you. it's for their own good.

if their condition doesn't require special prescriptive diet, then you need to look into the type of food you feed them. do you also feed them extra food like human food (with all the preservatives, additictives, salt, sugar, etc)? do you give them table scrap? if you feed them cat kibbles (cat biscuits), take a look at the ingredients stated on the bag.

do the ingredient contain wheat, corn, soy and other grained-based protein, gluten (be it corn or wheat based gluten) and carbohydrates ?

you need to understand the physiology of cat in order to understand what promotes the health of a cat. a cat is an obligatory carnivore animal. according to articles i read, this means they can only process essential acid aminos they required from meat and meat protein. they can't synthesize it from non-meat protein and carbohydrates the way humans and dogs can.

furthermore, meat protein - you need to ensure that the meat and meat protein is not derived from animal by-products - parts and pieces of animal that you yourself do not take/eat as they do not contain much nutrients. animal by-products include offals, beaks, feathers, blood, and internal organs . you may think that liver is good but remember liver is an organ for detoxification in the body and it may contain toxic leftovers.

to be sure, cats need a bit of fibre to ensure good elimination process but they can't take in all type of fibres.

so do conduct a bit of homework on your own, solicit for advice from your pet.

cats do not need grain-type proteins and carbohdyrates. they need meat-type proteins. remember this.

so far, my cats are doing okay, all neutered cats tips the scale at 5kg and below.

hope this helps.

you may also want to check out the information at www.about.com and key in cats and you'll get lots of information on cats.

it's good that you want to give your cats the best .

good luck.

hunnybunny · Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 46

Hi Ashley,

Thank you...and WOW! you studied really well and i really appreciate it (hehe...I should start to study abt this too - Thanks for the link :-))

Lulu is not really hyper compares to Spike (because he's bigger and overweight...i think). I always give them small ball and toys to play with. They enjoyed it for a while and after that...they get bored :p Unlike Spike, Lulu tends to 'give up' playing and he rather sit and watch us *sigh*. I try to engage him with playing 'hide and seek', which I ended up...playing it alone...haha...

Well my house is surrounded by trees which makes it very quiet and the best place to hibernate (cold and very shady). My cats love to take nap whenever they feel like it! FYI, I stay in apartment and these little fella will not have a chance to play on the ground (to be honest, I feel safe to keep them indoor - no fights, no risk of getting infections etc)

And I feed them Royal Canine - is this one OK?. I cant feed them brands like IAMS because Spike is totally allergic to it. Oh, I never feed them human food.

Here are the photos of my 2 big boys (White: Lulu, Black: Spike)

Thanks :P

ashleywong · Joined: 25 Sep 2007 Posts: 80 Location: Tmn Desa, KL

hi

thanks for sharing the pics. wow. do you know spike reminds me of a black cat in the japanese animation : Kiki's Delivery Service. in this animation, Kiki is a teenage witch in training and she has a black cat to help her. Exactly like your Spike down to the colours of eyes except for the red collar! :-)

Lulu has a ,,errm, wide girth.

I do agree with you, keeping them indoors is a better choice for them and you'd also benefit in the long run from lower vet bills.

i used to feed my cats RC and i noticed they gained a big tummy, especially my nicky. i've since switched to Orijen and they're only on Orijen.

i think one of the reasons (based on reading and observation) a neutered cat get fat is not only due to an inactive lifestyle, especially for an indoor neutered cat but it's mainly due to the food we feed them. the ingredients that go into the cat kibble also matters greatly.

perhaps you might want to switch them to a formula that's free of gluten, grain and grain-derived protein, carbohydrates. these are stuff that contributes to a cat's girth and might increase their risk of getting disease s in later stage of their life due to incompatibility with a cat's physiology.

besides orijen, you might want to try natural balance and innova's evo. these are high in protein derived from meat. i like orijen the best as the content is great (human grade meat) no grain, no gluten, no carbohydrate.

for my cats, i've invested in cat tree so they can play on their own when we're not around or when we're asleep.

i think so far it works. nicky has slimmed down and i can see his waist - not that he was ever obese but he has this "tummy".

i also buy this feather wand toy for them. a feather attached to a plastic wand with a rubbery string that stretches. my cats simply go crazy over this feather toy. i bought the feather in bright green and bright pink.

i also rub their toys in catnip and my cats go delirious over them. as my friend put it - it's as if they're "high" on cat nip!

actually, sometimes the cats won't play hide and seek with you or they don't feel like playing hide and seek at that moment.

hunnybunny · Joined: 16 Nov 2007 Posts: 46

Hi Ashley,

Sorry for posting this so late...Am a busy worker lately =)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas...Where can i buy orijen?i stay in bangsar.

FYI, lulu's bigger now...he's totally like a furry pillow!! and Spike, he's so adorable...he's a very protective and loyal cat (At one time, i was sick and he's always on my side...followed me everywhere in the house and slept next to me...i think he wanted to keep me accompanied)

One more question, should i vaccine them? I read one article saying that sometimes vaccine is not good for cats as they can cause health complications. I'll post the link once i find it.

Thanks...

HappyKatLover · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:00 pm Post subject:

You can get Orijen from Pets Wonderland at Midvalley