Two (overweight) cats

[Jamilupine]

Yeah, in addition to the beagle puppy, I have two cats! They are both long haired (which is NOT cool when they shed), and a little on the heavy side! Any suggestions about how to reduce thier weight while I'm here? I'm thinking the nerves they are feeling due to the puppy might cuase them to lose some wieght! Just kidding. Anu suggestions?

[SalemWitchChild]

There is ususally healthy weight brands of food you can try.

[Sheltiemama]

I have two long haired cats also but only one has a weight problem. I went to a well respected cat forum and was told to get them off of the dry kibble variety of cat food and put them on a good quality canned wet or raw. I just can't do the raw so I fed three to four small meals a day for the first week with canned and allowed them to set their own schedule for feeding (ours is 7 AM and 5 PM) For some reason the cats will control what they eat with the wet food than the kibble and there are no fillers in it. My fat cat has lost two pounds all by her self since the begining of May. They both have lots more energy than they used to and seem to be very happy with their new food.

[Jamilupine]

Good to know. Right now they only get dry kibble in the morning, and they get wet food at night. What kind of wet food do you feed them? Do you let them free-feed with the canned food, or do you only give them a portion? Thanks for your help!

[Sheltiemama]

I feed Evo canned ( any canned that has meat as one of the first three ingredients is a good brand) and they get a few pieces of kibble around noon just to let them have something to chew. If I were you I'd skip the kibble till noon and just feed a good quality wet morning and night. There are a lot of good brands out there, Evo is the only one available to me here, I live in the woods in North Central Michigan, and it's kind of pricey. But I will be shopping to find a cheaper brand when I get to my Florida house.
We let them eat till they are satisfied, and leave the wet for at least an hour after our dinner time, then pick it up and discard what is left in the bowl and start fresh the next feeding. They usually don't leave much after that time. I usually give two generous teaspoons at each feeding (about half a can per cat), but if they seen like they are not satisfied on that amount I'll give them more. But remember this is almost pure meat with no fillers so they are getting all of the benefit from the food. Even their stools have lessened.