My cat is on a diet and exercising, but still not losing weight. Why?

Getting cats to lose weight can be very challenging. Cats are obligate carnivores and cannot use carbohydrates efficiently, so they tend to be converted straight into fat. Any any dry food needs to have a good amount of carbohydrates in it in order to makes it "dry". So, even using low calorie biscuits, it can be very difficult to get a cat to lose weight. (And the bags generally recommend more calories than a normal cat needs.) My best recommendation for weight loss in cats is to change to a completely canned food diet. This website has some good information about cat nutrition. http://catinfo.org/ Some of the packets are actually also high in carbohydrates, so you have to read the labels carefully. It will seem odd that you are actually feeding a higher fat and higher caloric food in a canned food, but cats tend to lose weight that way. I generally recommend an average of 5.5 ounces of canned food per day for an average ideal body weight of 10 pounds for a cat. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

I recommend changing his diet to a specialized weight management diet such as hills metabolic so he can feel full and receive all the necessary nutrition to be healthy, whilst still losing and then maintaining weight. Mist vets offices provide free weight clinics to monitor and advise on feeding such diets and maintaining health and fitness

It's unusual for Hill's metabolic diet (the prescription version) to not work at the labeled feeding amounts. I would recommend that you discuss your concerns with your vet. They can consult with representatives from Hill's to determine a different feeding regiment. It's also important to point out that some stalled weight loss can be caused by inappropriate measuring tools, feeding treats, or having the pet get food from other pet food bowls. Your vet can help you determine if this may be the case.

This is genetics. Just like people, some are more prone to obesity despite diet. The best diet to feed is actually a canned food to stimulate weight loss in cats. Look for a low carbohydrate percentage... idieally inder 10%. You can also try to increase the exercise and activity level by using treat disornsers or a laser pointer

You're right, there are lots of ways of doing it. I like using the website below, but really you start by decreasing what Snoops is currently eating by 20% for 1 month and re-evaluate his progress. In general, cats will find more satiety eating wet food over dry food, and it is also lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein. I have had success using the "fancy feast" diet, which is one small can twice a day (making sure to choose the ones that sound like normal cat food, not spinach and cream or eggs and bacon!). If you don't see progress after 1 month, then discuss using a prescription weight loss diet with your vet. https://petnutritionalliance.org/cat.php

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, you can cut back a bit on how much you feed her. Ideally, this is based on your veterinarian's recommendations on how much to cut back which is based on how much she weighs and the kind of food she eats. Another alternative, is feeding her a weight loss diet that works great called Hill's Science Diet metabolic weight management diet. This is something you can buy online or at your local pet store. Good luck and have a good night!

I adopted a cat that weighed 28 pounds. I measured his diet food and added in several tablespoons of plain canned pumpkin to his food twice daily. It took almost two years but he is now 12 pounds. He still gets canned pumpkin daily to maintain his weight. Most cats enjoy pumpkin. The cats may lose weight better on an all meat canned diet or Hills metabolic diet. With pumpkin, canned food, or the metabolic food most cats are not as hungry, and can still lose weight. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Miso.