How to help my obese cat lose weight when I have multiple cats?

Start feeding them separately and measure their food. Divide the total amount your cat should have per day and split it into two, three or more meals, depending on your schedule so she doesn't have to go too many hours between meals. Check the label on your cat food for feeding recommendations for your cat's weight or, if you haven't yet done this, make an appointment with your vet for an evaluation and a prescription diet and weight loss plan. Feed one cat in one room, shut them in and feed the other cat at the other end of the house, or upstairs if you have a two-story home. Depending on how food motivated your cat is, you can get her to follow you around the house a few laps before putting her food down for her. If she likes to play, take some time to play with her every day, using a wand toy or a ball she can chase and swat around. Drag a toy on a string for her to chase as you walk around the house, anything to get her moving and active.

You are correct that Alby does need to lose a few pounds. This can be a tough situation. While you can feed a food meant for multi-cat households, you may not get the results you desire. These diets are typically medium calorie and meant to keep fat cats from getting too fat and skinny cats from getting too skinny. Your best option is to start separate feedings. Cats generally need to eat 4 to 6 times a day for best results. The skinny cats can eat a food with a higher calorie content while Alby gets a food with a lower calorie content. You can find the calories on the side of the bag. Utilizing food puzzles or kibble dispensing balls can help Alby to burn some calories and stay stimulated while eating. Also setting aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play will help to burn calories. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I would start giving Sedona meals at specific times, once in the morning and once in the evening. Read the instructions on her bag of food on how much to feed her daily, and divide it into two equal portions. This should help her lose weight.

There are only two ways you can control this. The first is to separate them during feeding times, offer multiple feeding times in a day and not to leave food down to free feed. The second option is to purchase one of the specialized automatic feeders with the individual collars. Each cat will wear it’s own special collar and when it approaches the feeder, the feeder will read the collar and dispense food or not. Best of luck.

I recommend feeding an all meat canned or wet diet with added canned plain pumpkin. Cats do not do well with carbohydrates so feeding only meat will help Pumpkin lose weight. The canned pumpkin will help fill her up and add fiber and bulk up the stool to prevent constipation. Increasing her exercise also will help. You can feed her up on the dryer or a table so she has to jump up, and having her increase her activity chasing toys or a laser pointer will help also. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Pumpkin.

I would try to teach everyone to meal feed. this would mean you place everyone’s food bowl down at the same time for 30 minutes. I would put them if different areas of the house if possible. Once that time is up, the food gets picked up. If you have to add canned food to the smaller cats’ food to help entice them to eat and prevent weight loss, that’s ok. This would also allow you to feed Clover a set amount and prevent obesity. Unfortunately, this is the best solution. There isn’t a great way to prevent him from eating too much when it is always available. You can also encourage him to increase his activity by making him play more. I hope this helps.

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!