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For now, she gets one 5.3 oz can of Lotus' Just Juicy wet food in the morning (either the venison or pork flavor), as well as 1/3 cup of Orijen dry cat food in the evening. With how little she moves about, we discovered it's critical to measure her portions and keep them slightly lower than her food's recommended sizes. We've tried every interactive toy, food brand, diet, etc, but this is the first time she's had noticeable results. We've been doing this for maybe two months... The strict food portions and having litter/food on a separate floor are really working out. On rare occasions when she is particularly hungry, we'll give her a snack of varying fish or shrimp.
The Purina Indoor Advantage made my calico gain weight. She was eating that for several years before I switched. I recommend Science Diet Hairball formula because it's healthy and high in fiber (albeit expensive.) I have three indoor cats and they're all a healthy weight since I've switched foods.
Also, playing really helps. Or get your chonk a new kitten friend to run around the house and play with.
Best of luck fellow cat lover!
Also, this toy has had the most success with every cat I've had or fostered. They just can't resist running and jumping for it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QPLUQXY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_umdcGbE822DQ9
Over the last two years or there abouts I got my chonker down 3lbs simply by getting an auto feeder. I started off using the serving size listed on the bag (it's one of the blue buffalos, linked below) starting about midway between. I think the range was 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup a day, I started at a 1/3 because the weight range was 9 to 12 pounds and my cat was nearly 13.
My autofeeder distributes food in portions of about 9 grams, so I think I started with both feedings at 3 portions. Then I tracked weight and once the weight loss stopped I took away a portion from the second feeding of the day and then tracked weight. Then, like before, once the weight loss stopped I took away a portion from the first feeding, so now it's two and two and my cat is pretty well at an ideal weight of about 9lbs.
This is the autofeeder I have https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KWPGTT7
The directions are kinda jank, but just remember, you can only program it with the lid open.
Here's the food I use https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B00ROM
It was a pretty low calorie density, so the cat can eat more without getting tons of calories.
Note, all the numbers above are just from what I remember off hand, YMMV but it's easy enough to figure out if you have a kitchen scale.
Final note, all of the above is pretty moot if you cat is finding food elsewhere or someone in the house is feeding them "treats" because they feel bad for a cat losing weight. Don't let the household enable them, even if you're the only person in the household.
I don’t have a link (I’m very sorry) but there are feeders that you can get that have a tag that you can put on your grazer’s collar. The feeder only opens when it senses the tag. I think it can work with microchips in the cat too.
Edit: found it :) here’s the link https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-WonderBowl-Selective-Pet-Feeder/dp/B00C1BYETO/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?adgrpid=55870052317&gclid=CjwKCAiAlajvBRB_EiwA4vAqiBgZPYf3gJTm0qFNnlck4BCNpsoKdrsMfAnjpYQSiJSo8Tg0BdwxUxoCgJIQAvD_BwE&hvadid=274742875576&hvdev...
I got one of those roller balls for my fat cat, set to the smallest hole size. Means she had to kick it around a bit to get each piece, which really slows her down
I use a slim ball for my cats entire daily allowance. It gets filled once a day and he has to bat it about to get what he wants. Doesn’t work at it = no food. It’s impossible for him to get it all out quickly aswel. Worth a shot! I like this ball in particular because you can adjust the size of the wholes to make it easier/harder for him.
Automatic Pet Feeder - Sureflap - SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder - MPF001 - Suitable for Both Wet and Dry Food - Bonus eOutletDeals Pet Towel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JM4XK9W/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_zVvODb1BVXJBT
Also, stop with dry food. It's just not healthy, plain and simple. There are quality, affordable wet options out there. Check out Wellness.
An automatic feeder has been such a game changer for our cat too!
Just wanted to add in my rec, we've been really happy with this feeder. Similar to yours but with no app/connectivity
In addition to the other great suggestions in this thread, look into toys like the monster mouth or this treat ball. Treat dispensing toys can be filled with your dog's kibbles instead of treats, encouraging the dog to move around to get their food. With a chihuahua it might be a bit trickier, especially if his kibbles are chihuahua-sized, perhaps look into cat versions of these toys instead.
I also play a game called "kibble fetch" with my dog where I toss kibbles down the hallway and he runs to get them; he loves it, especially when it's really cold outside!
Get a microchip feeder. We have this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0UIPTY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GJ2eFbNXHHF60 Our skinny kitty is now 10lbs (spot on for his build), and our chonker is officially dechonked (down to 8lbs, right for her build). This one is great because it also has an intruder mode where it will shut if the chonker tries to get the food while the other cat is eating or pushes the other cat out of the way. I know it's expensive up front, but it you take the time to get the skinny kitty comfortable with the noise and movement it makes (ours was skittish for a bit), it is the best investment.
Mines the older version of this one. I do 6 meals a day but don't use the voice recorder. It's been a dream!
I bought the Wopet feeder from Amazon. I put industrial strength velcro strips on the bottom & back to secure it to the floor & wall. I can barely pull that sucker off the floor to clean it. My cat will sometimes sit on top of it & will try to fish extra pieces of kibble out of it, but it's been going strong for 3 years now without trouble.
I have a lil chonker myself who lives for meal time. I researched every cat food to find the lowest calorie food. It’s amazing how many “diet” or “weight management” foods are so high in calories!
The ones I found with the lowest calories per volume (non-prescription) are:
- wet food: Royal Canin Weight Care (54 kcal/3oz can); Weruva Meal or No Deal! Grain Free Cat Pate (51 kcal/3oz)
- dry food: Royal Canin Weight Minceur (255 kcal/cup); Iams Proactive Health Adult Indoor Weight & Hairball Control Dry Cat Food (302 kcal/cup)
Just wanna say my guy was just like this but nothing was wrong, he was just eating too quickly. :)
There are automatic feeders for wet food, they work with a timer and ice packs to keep food cold. I have not used one. My friend uses one when she goes on trips.
This is the c200 https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Mate-Automatic-Feeder-Small/dp/B08B6G8PKZ
The cat mate c500 holds more meals.
My dogs have a lot of toys like this
https://www.chewy.com/nina-ottosson-by-outward-hound-brick/dp/186168
You tap it and kibble falls out when it rolls. I think your cat will have a blast hunting it and chasing it around the house.
I highly recommend this one. I have three cats, one being an 18 pound ragdoll. Don’t skimp out and get real carpet so it’ll last longer. This one is big enough for two cats per perch.
https://www.chewy.com/frisco-65-in-real-carpet-wooden-cat/dp/235534
My cat got up to 15lbs, and we have this cat tree. It is very tall, and the boxes are roomy enough that big cats can fit in them. I think the bottom ramp adds stability even though the cats don't really use it. You can also mount it to the wall to add stability, but personally I don't have it mounted to the wall and it's never been unstable. It can have a little wiggle when the cats jump on it, and sometimes I tighten any pieces that have come loose (it screws and twists together mostly).
I have this one: https://www.chewy.com/frisco-62-in-faux-fur-cat-tree-condo/dp/119896
I have two cats. One is small, the other is a large Maine Coon mix and a slight chonk. He loves the shelf while my little one hangs out on the perch above it.
This one is not that tall but is on the more affordable side. I got it because my two cats always competed for the highest platform on my old wobbly tree. They love sharing this one. This one is not really wobbly, though they are 20 pounds together. The larger is ~12 pounds
We have this one from Amazon. Two big boys lunge themselves all over this thing and it’s has never moved. The cats with 17 and 14-16 lbs. It’s not anchored and sits on a hardwood floor next to a window. It even came with replacements for the dangle toys!
As someone who used to free feed and then went automatic, absolutely they'll adapt and adapt easily if you start it right.
I started my girls by taking away their gravity free feeder and then had the automated feeder go off shortly after. My feeder makes bird song type noises when it goes off so it's obviously for them and attracts their attention. Even though they weren't hungry they were curious and ate a little. I then had it go off on regular intervals until they figured out that a. That sound means food, and b. This thing is my new food god. If memory serves they figured it out within a day.
So the pattern then became we moved to 12 hr intervals. An hour before feeding they'd lounge around the feeders. If they were feeling particularly pesty they would try to tip or manipulate the feeder to open. Usually they just laid there though. As you can see, this feeder isn't going to tip and nothing they did would cause it to rotate to a new dish or dispense food until it was feeding time.
Chintu Automatic Cat Feeder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ND958NF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I weigh my cat using this scale https://www.amazon.com/Greater-Goods-Smart-Scale-House/dp/B07WRSJC77?th=1&psc=1#
I work a cat only vet and we recommend monthly weight checks. Some people choose to do every 2 weeks, though.
You can also take the scale to the vet and have them compare the difference between their scale and yours.
If you know your cat’s ideal weight, then you can figure out how their goal weight for any point in time. We recommend losing 1-2%/week.
Example: Say your cat is 15# but should be 10#, and you are weighing the cat for the first time in 4 weeks. You get 1% (or 2%, but I’m using 1% for this example) of the weight which is .15. Multiply that number by how many weeks it’s been (4 weeks), and that will tell you how much weight your cat should have lost since 4 weeks ago. So .15 x 4 = 0.6. Now subtract that from the last weight you had. 15 - 0.6 = 14.4#. Your cat should weigh 14.4# since the last weight check. If you did another weight check in 4 weeks, you would do 1% of 14.4 = .144, then multiply by 4 weeks, so .144 x 4 = .576. Now take the last weight of 14.40# and subtract how much they should have lost to get where they should be at now: 14.40# - .576 = 13.82#. I hope that makes sense! I was typing this on my phone so I didn’t format it that pretty or anything.
I was in the same situation and found it very worthwhile to get a scale due to the stress on my cat of taking him to the vet once a month. I got a baby scale and weighed him every Saturday before breakfast until he was at his goal weight. Now I weigh once every month or two. This is what I currently have because it has up to 8 profiles that I can save the weight it for each of my cats. There are also baby scales in the $30 range that will work just fine
Hi! I finally found it. Its sold as a baby/toddler scale. Smart Weigh is the brand. I purchased through amazon. Though it isn’t currently being sold by amazon, if you scroll down to comparable brands it gives some that look quite similar! Or you might find it on another site
here is a link! Smart Weigh Comfort Baby Scale with 3 Weighing Modes, 44 Pound Capacity, Accurate Digital Scale for Infants, Toddlers, and Babies https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IC7P3GS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_BuwEEEWtyzsCh
Smart Weigh is the brand. I purchased through amazon. Though it isn’t currently being sold by amazon, if you scroll down to comparable brands it gives some that look quite similar!
here is a link! Smart Weigh Comfort Baby Scale with 3 Weighing Modes, 44 Pound Capacity, Accurate Digital Scale for Infants, Toddlers, and Babies https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IC7P3GS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_BuwEEEWtyzsCh
This one is what I got. Now remember I've only had it a month so I can't speak to it's long term reliability but so far it has been great. The company also makes one that can do up to 10 meals per day. In either case, the meals can be scheduled individually so you can give more in one feeding and less in another. And you can make them not evenly spaced throughout the day if you like.
I dechonked my two girls with the help of a Catit digger and food ball. Make him work a bit for his meal! :)
Most pet store have it or other similar. I prefer the one with multiple tube.
I did have to enlarge the hopper with a 2 liter soda bottle to allow for all 5 cats. They drained the small hopper too quickly.
Thanks. Already got this one. I note they've changed the lid as the hole in mine was so large she's stick her head in and eat directly. I had to tape it shut.
https://www.amazon.com/Catit-Senses-2-0-Food-Tree/dp/B00D3NI31Y
She's an expert at it now so it doesn't slow her down much. I also have the type that rolls around on the floor but for some reason she's not interested in even trying to get food out of it no matter how hungry she is.
Something about this toy really works on every lazy cat I’ve come across. Multiple chonk owner friends now swear by it too. We have had to buy the replacement mouse a few times over 3 years but our former chonk (now dechonked) is addicted to playing with it.
Something like this?
Talk to your vet but cats should lose weight pretty slowly.
My girls are 9 now and were free fed since they were babies but 2 years ago, they were gaining too much weight so I decided to start counting their calories and split that between 3 meals a day, every 8 hours starting at 5am.
There was a LOT of begging but that slowed down eventually.
They were still waking me up in the wee hours of the morning because they knew that I would feed them if they could get me awake so just a few weeks ago I decided to get this feeder: https://www.chewy.com/dogness-mini-programmable-automatic/dp/222899
I got this one because I wanted to control their food almost down to the gram. Each "meal" that it dispenses is about 4g worth of dry cat food each rotation.
So they get 5 "meals" for breakfast (20g total) at 5am , 6 "meals" for lunch (24g total) at 1pm and 6 "meals" for dinner (24g total) at 9pm.
They are used to the new schedule now and KNOW that their food is coming so there's no more waking me up earlier than I need to be.
This one comes with a plug but also has a battery options with low battery indicator.
I'm loving it so far.
I dechonked my two cats (who previously free-fed) using a cat food ball and a Catit digger toy. They also get Greenies throughout the day, but they have to do tricks :)
Food puzzles are a great way to get cats moving or stimulated without you being involved. You don't always have to use treats/food; sometimes you can just put a toy they really like inside or a mix of treats and a toy. I use this site as a resource for craftable food puzzles for my cats.
I also have the intent to one day make this cat grass pond. I think the main play element though is just putting the fish in a bowl of water or a tub. You can buy the robot fish (here)[https://www.amazon.com/BlackHole-Litter-Mat-Interactive-Stimulate/dp/B07M9ZT35W?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1]. Since I haven't bought the fish, I can't speak to their quality.
My cats also enjoy "kicker" toys. They only play with them like 5 min at a time but it's better than nothing. If I throw it across the room, that sparks interest and the cat will go after it and sometimes the catnip or valerian root in the toy will stimulate them more and they'll wrestle with it.
Another thing you could try is a food/treat dispensing ball like this one.
You can adjust the size of the holes to control how quickly the food releases as your cat bats it around. With a decent amount of floorspace she could get some good jogs in :). Good luck!
There is an automatic wet food feeder with ice packs to keep the food fresh for longer if that helps, it's called the Cat Mate C500
Here’s the one I have! You can adjust the hole size to fit the treats/kibble you put in it. My only gripe is that after a while they get kinda gross from the crumbs getting in the crevices, but I found soaking them in hot water with dish soap cleans it just fine.
I got mine on Amazon, you can adjust the size of the holes on it and it loads from a small twisty part on one side, it isn't two separate halves. I had one that was two halves with a different cat and he figured out how to break that thing in two to get at the traats
They make a food bowl for this exact reason. This basically only lets one pet into the designated bowl. SureFlap Bowl Amazon Link
Put it in a puzzle feeder. For wet food you’d need a mat, something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Lickimat-Fish-Shaped-Feeders-Reduction-Alternative/dp/B089DQBBMP/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=wet+food+puzzle+feeder+for+cats&qid=1603395836&sprefix=wet+food+p&sr=8-3
The SureFeed microchip-activated flap-covered feeder bowls I use for my two cats were $150 each on Amazon. Pricey for sure, but worth knowing that my two cats -- who are very different, physically: one is male, 6 years old, active, 16 lbs; the other is female, 11 years old, sedate, 12 lbs -- can't get each other's food (I've seen her steal food from his timed food dispenser before we caved and got a second SureFeed bowl)
no particular brand, but one with rotating cups like this is what we use
We have this one for our cat. He knows how it works, but still struggles with it and eats pretty slowly now. No more puking!
We only have one cat. He would scratch gently at hollow core doors which is crazy loud and then start wailing if that didn’t work. I’d assume if your normal weight cat prefers wet food they wouldn’t challenge your chonk for dry? We got an auto feeder with a hopper. We’ve had it for 3.5 years so far and it works great. The voice recording feature died after a year or so, but otherwise it had been flawless.
Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder Food Dispenser for Dogs, Cats & Small Animals – Features Distribution Alarms, Portion Control & Voice Recording – Timer Programmable Up to 4 Meals a Day https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XBRP7J1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Fq8rFb17YAQ66
Here is the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006N9I68/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9ASsEb46V32ST
And the Chewy link: https://app.chewy.com/JJzjAaFN93
I hope your cat loves it as much as mine does!
There are some supplements you can buy like https://www.amazon.com/Tomlyn-High-Calorie-Nutritional-Nutri-Cal/dp/B000FO3R6K. Kitty may not get fat but it will make sure he is getting what he needs. When I had an old boy it helped. And I am not recommending this one I bought mine locally and don’t remember the brand.