Conference misery::feline

925.0. "Questions about low-fat/high-fibre cat food" by MKOTS3::TINIUS (It's always something.) Thu Aug 17 1995 17:49

Hi!

I looked throught the other notes on food, but thought I'd start a new
thread here.

My wife's 4 year old neutered male just broke the 20lb barrier. He's a
declawed indoor cat, and I guess he just doesn't get the exercise he
needs. He doesn't look fat; he's just one of the biggest cats you've
ever seen, but the vet said he should go back to 17 lbs. or less.
Anyway, the vet said to put him on some low-fat/high fibre stuff, like
Science Diet.  Well, I got a case and was comparing the labels with the
Alpo he used to get:

			Science Diet			Alpo
			Feline Maint. Light
	Crude Protein	Min. 10.0%			Min. 10.0%
	Crude Fat	Min.  3.0%			Min.  5.0%
	Crude Fibre	Max.  2.5%			Min.  1.0%
	Moisture	Max. 78.0%			Max. 78.0%
	Etc. etc.

He was getting 1/4 can of Alpo in the morning, 1/4 can in the evening,
and had Cat Chow Mature crunchies available all day. Now he gets 1/4 can
each of Science Diet in the AM and PM, and has Science Diet Feline
Maintenance Light crunchies in a small bowl all day. ( I would guess he
ate bout 1/2 cup of dry during the day).

So my question is this: is the 5% to 3% difference in fat really going
to make a difference? Is the Alpo maybe much more than 5% fat? Has
anyone else switched diets to help the cat lose weight? Experience?
Advice? I don't mind paying the extra price of the Science Diet if it's
what he really needs, but I'd hate to waste the money...

Oh, and why don't the labels tell you how many calories are in the food?

Thanks,
-stephen

    I know my sister had to put her cat on a diet, only due to a urinary
    tract infection. It is better food nutrition wise, but he got fatter!
    I wouldn't worry about kitty getting fat, just play with him and
    give him some good exercise. Is he lazy? Has he recently been lazy? 
    Some kitty's get depressed and gain weight because they won't get
    playful and run around. How old is he? How long ago did he get
    declawed? 
    		Katy :)

    try the homemade cat food diet described in note # 895. The reason I
    started making this cat food was to reduce the weight of my furry
    friend. 
    
    a helpful hint for weight reduction is to make sure that you leave the
    food down for 1/2 hour only then remove it. Feed your cat twice a day.
    No snacks, no food in the bowl 24 hrs a day. Dont fool yourself, vets
    love big fat unhealthy cats, they will not try as hard as they could to
    make your cat better. You must take control of your animal. Making the
    food from scratch teaches you the value of home care and exposes the
    faults of the pet care industry. 
    
    making my own food takes me 45 min now as i have refined my methods. 45
    min every 10 days is small change compared to the wealth of health my
    cat enjoys.