How to help my senior cat lose weight safely after constipation?

Canned food is an effective way to lose weight. It has a higher moisture content, and had the added benefit of getting more water into Texas's diet. I would see if feeding him canned food will be an option for him. I hope this helps!

I would recommend a prescription weight loss diet. Those are high in fiber and have a lot more fiber than anything you can get over the counter. This will help him lose weight and with the constipation. If he continues being this overweight you are risking him getting diabetes which is very common in obese cats. Diabetes can be a true nightmare to manage. The diet I would say is the best for this issue is either going to be Hill's prescription w/d or Hill's prescription r/d. You can get this from your vet or your vet can give you a prescription so you can order online. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Thanks for more information! Wet food has fewer calories that dry food due to the higher moisture content, so I'd recommend wet food for Snowball. Do not free feed, give him food twice a day at set times, and feed him according to the instructions on the can of food. No treats at all and no human food. I see he's an older boy, so he may not be into playing, but you can look at trying to get him more active with some toys. I hope this helps!

Kit is very handsome! Thanks for posting a picture. Since cats are obligate carnivores, we think the most biologically appropriate food for a domesticated cat is a mouse which is a high protein diet. The closest we can get to that ideal diet with commercial food is a canned food diet. Canned food diets are lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein than dry foods. Since cats are obligate carnivores, they are not able to utilize carbohydrates effectively and will often just gain weight on foods that are higher in carbohydrates. The best website I have found to describe this well is listed below. http://catinfo.org/ The above website also discusses changing cats from dry food to canned food. I most commonly recommend Wellness canned food for cats. It is a very food company with a good history and cats tend to do well on it. The general rule for cats is that they should eat about 5.5 ounces of canned food each day for each 10 pounds of ideal body weight. But be sure to go slowly with any diet changes to prevent GI upset. As far as getting Kit to be more active, I would recommend looking at the website below for ideas to get an indoor cat more active. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Wet food actually helps cats lose weight. It has a higher moisture content, so it takes more of it to give a cat their daily caloric requirements I would have him seen by a vet today or tomorrow. In a senior cat, this weight loss can not only be caused by dental problems, but also diabetes, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, or cancer. I recommend having a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis to diagnose what is causing his weight loss. Once the cause is found, the vet can discuss treatment options.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! What you describe is actually a common issue. There are a few things you can try. This is likely to resolve just by increasing the amount of liquid he consumes and an easy way of doing this is by increasing the amount of wet food and decreasing the amount of dry food or just switching to a wet food diet. You could consider feeding him canned Science Diet metabolic weight management to achieve weight loss. Good luck!

Since constipation issues are directed at increasing water content and fiber, I would recommend sticking with the canned Purina urinary food and then adding in fiber daily with 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin or Metamucil. Also have him checked with your vet if there is ever a time he can't go at all because he may have a condition called megacolon (enlarged colon) which would require medicaiton to treat. You can also try Laxatone over the counter. Here is a website link with more information for you.http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=634 I hope your fur baby gets well soon.