What is the best cat food for weight loss?

Ivette

My cat is about 15 pounds and he needs to loose weight. Ive changed his food a couple of times (wellness, friskies, science diet-all dry food) but nothing seems to work. Furthermore, he wakes me up every night at 2am sharp because he is hungry. I made one last food change, which is the science diet canned light food. He loves it, bu he still wakes me up at 2 am. He is also very aggressive with me, and only me. He bites and attacks me if I dont give him food. Please help.



Magda

Those foods really range in quality. Wellness is an excellent-quality food, while Science Diet and Friskies are very poor quality - those brands contain fillers, plant-based proteins (as opposed to animal-based ones) and meat byproducts. Dont feed those anymore. We need more info - is this cat free fed? If so, only feed him on schedule and stick to the feeding guideline on the side of the bag. Feed him for the amount that you *want* him to weigh. Feeding a canned diet may help him lose weight, but again, ditch the Science Diet and stick to better quality food like Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Innova, Natural Balance, etc. Punish him for biting/scratching - you own the cat, you call the shots. Lock him out of your room at night if you have to. By feeding him when he attacks you, youre encouraging his crappy behavior. This needs to stop.



Bertie

You should ask your vet, there are a few prescription cat foods for weight management



Wilda

The best way Ive found to get my cats to lose weight is to feed them less. I never feed canned food. My "big ol tom" has gone from 16 lb. to 12 lb. in about 3 months this way. My cats have learned to not attack me. If one bites, I push whatever part of me it is biting further into its mouth. This forces the cat to release me. If one claws me, I grab it by the nap of its neck, shake it, and drop it on the floor.



Deann

Some cats to really well with weight loss on a high protein, low carb diet (protein over 45%, carbs less than 20%). Just be sure to follow the feeding guidelines as these are sometimes more calorie dense than other diets. Feed for the weight you want him to reach, not the weight he currently is. You could also try to slow down his eating by putting his kibble into a Puppy Kong or Kong Ball (made for dogs, but great for making a cat work for their meal). A small amount of wet food at night (still of the high protein variety) can also help a cat feel more full until morning.



Ingeborg

I *highly* recommend you visit this website: http://www. catinfo. org/ - its by a vet who specializes in cat diet and has cured several morbidly obese cats simply by switching them from dry to wet food. Feeding cats exclusively dry food will never help them get over weight loss. Wet food is much healthier on many levels, and its good that you have started on that. The website explains in more detail than I ever could.