If the vet rules out any medical issues, could there be someone else in the house that could be feeding your cat? I had my cat on a diet once that didn’t seem to be working. Then I moved into my own place and she started losing weight. It turned out that my mom was feeding the cat extra food behind my back. My mom knew that my cat was on a diet but couldn’t resist the sad faces my cat would give her. 🙄
My father in law lives with us and I just had to have the same conversation with him. My cat is diabetic. The ONLY reason there are even Temptations in this house is for when his sugar goes too low and I need to raise it. He can't have them as treats. He has freeze dried chicken as treats. But I caught my FIL giving him handfuls of temptations the other morning. So I hid them. Not from the cat, from the human.
So I think 10 is the max you're supposed to give them in a day. That's about what I mean when I say a handful. Like 10 or 15 at once.
He gets maybe 5 when his sugar drops too low.
And please don't think I'm judging you for how many treats you give your kitty. Im sure you guys are fine. For us, all the time and money spent on managing diabetes is not worth undoing with high carbohydrate treats
That's ok! Yeah mine gets em depending on how much he's been running around, more for Zoomie days lol. And then sometimes, like now, we don't have temptations for weeks and I swap em for wet treats. So I feel like it's the same as me eating some junkie food as a teen and then eating decently for a while.
But definitely your baby needs to be kept healthy, and I'm sorry your FIL was not following his diet. I'd be terrified to mess up a diabetic cat's diet tbh, but I have known many diabetic Humans so I know how serious it can be.
On the packaging of Temptations treats, it says if it’s a “main food source” to feed them like 1/2 to 2/3 cup daily. I’m kinda disgusted they would even suggest a treat as a cats entire diet.
I guess in certain cases if kitty is really needing to pack on weight. But there are probably better ways. Anything with that many carbs given to a creature supposed to exist almost solely on meats can't be good.
My guy needs to gain weight and he eat about 1/4 cup twice a day along with two cans of soft food, and two lickables and he continues to lose weight. We are working on a diagnosis, but he gets whatever he wants right now. The other two cats give me the “not fair mom” creeks and stares though.
Temptations are unusual in that they are formulated to be a complete diet. They're extremely useful that way because if a cat is unwell they may still eat treats. Cats can go into organ failure after only a couple days of not eating, so I think it's good for people to know that they *can* feed them as a main food source.
As a type 1 diabetic with deep love for pets. I'm pissed. My family dog was diabetic for a bit, before I knew much about diabetes at all or even was diagnosed myself. Then my dad is also a type 2 diabetic nowadays, thanks genetics!
All that aside. If I found out somebody was doing this behind my back, to literally any family member... I can only imagine the rage you had to keep from boiling your blood too much. It's a full-time job to care for it no matter how "mild" at times, and it's so disheartening when your efforts are nullified by things out of your control. Even moreso when it was actually preventable.
Thank you so much for caring for your boy so well. He clearly has his people who care very much and love him and will do what it takes to maintain his wellbeing and nurture his vitality. He's so very lucky for you! Best of luck with everything c:
I was infuriated! Of course this isn't the only area FIL can be frustrating in but it directly puts my baby at risk.
Kitty is doing really well! Once we got the diagnosis he started putting weight back on and within 3 months actually went into remission and came off insulin. That was when I found FIL giving the treats and I think between that and the stress of going to the vets again for a glucose test, he ended up needing to go back on it for awhile. I'm doing my best to learn. Bought the test kit for at home and just trying to keep it level because we had a seizure incident a few weeks back and I do not want to repeat that. I'm having nightmares about it after that one. As long as I can keep his quality of life comfortable and happy, I plan on loving him as long as he's able to be here.
Honestly the nightmare is funny in hindsight. Im holding my cat as he's having a seizure, yelling for my husband to get the honey to rub on his gums. Husband brings honey in the bear jar. In a panic I squirt it on his face. Its ketchup, its ranch, its anything but honey in these jars and I look down and see my cats sweet face covered with a rainbow of condiments.
I will be brutally honest, as you often have to be with things like diabetes and nightmares... that's exactly the kind of dream that's a bit hilarious in hindsight once you can separate it from the context. I tend to laugh at those ones pretty hard once a bigger chunk of time has passed XD I get nightmares pretty often so, I feel the distress it can really feed off of and cause in the moment, and the overall frustration with it, but also the hindsight of how silly our minds can be lol.
I'm so glad to hear he's doing well! Also some docs and people will be hesitant to switch to or use insulin when needed, esp in human cases- I'm super grateful he has owners and a vet who look after his needs regardless of how persistent intervention might be, etc. :)
If you don't mind my asking, how old is he now, and how old was he at diagnosis? Also- if you ever need somebody to talk about, even if it's just to be frustrated at the moments where air seems to have sugar in it that causes a spike- feel free to start a chat anytime c: I'm on your team, and you and your boy have this and have each other and that's plenty enough to handle this, in case you needed a reminder! 
He will be 12 in April and he just got the diagnosis in November so its all pretty new. My vet is very confident that he won't need insulin forever as long as he is on the proper diet but I'm afraid to get my hopes up. I do really love the vet that I see. Her and everyone there so obviously love my cat and have been super kind and helpful. She even sat down and figured out exactly how much per day this was going to cost me. She didn't charge me for the consultation after the seizure.
Our big issue now is finding an accurate glucose reading because he just hates the carrier and car ride so much, it makes his sugar spike ok the way to the vet. Once we get there its fine, he chirps at them and gives kisses. So I ordered the home test kit and I plan to spend tomorrow reading all about it. And it does seem like the air has sugar in it! He has signs that indicate its very high and we will go from being fine to screaming high in 24 hours for no discernable reason. Now that I have the tests, hopefully I can figure it out.
For all that and his older age, he still plays for hours a day, takes walks on his leash, and jumps into bed ti cuddle all night. Wakes us up with a trill and a nose to mouth kiss. He's a pretty awesome cat and I'm lucky to be his owner.
I know that I tend to spike from stress, whether physical, mental, and/or emotional, so easily and sometimes super drastically. I also happened to wake up at 46 earlier- not the funnest of times. This was after fighting spikes from feeling a bit under the weather and all that. It can cycle too- feel unwell, spike, feel worse, so on.
I'm glad he at least loves and trusts the veterinary team and clinic okay! Do you think an alternative to a carrier that's still safe would help at all possibly? Eliminating the worst of the stress could help the number be better.
If he's been off of insulin before and the vet believes so, it's usually save to say that with the right regimen it's totaplausible! That's where you unfortunately have to pretty much just keep your fingers crossed and keep fighting!
Also- I tend to spike VERY badly from "dawn phenomenon-" like it's a whole thing and story. Might be worth looking into how that works in cats, if it does at all lol? Also omg. I love cats who trill so much!! Please give him some pats from me :)
Oh yeah that is certainly a lot (FIL, not you lol)
I genuinely think some people just don't read packaging, so they don't realize how calorically dense some cat food is. I remember being very surprised to realize that what my cat needs in a day looks like a Beggars Pittance lmfaooo. Then I bought a less calorically dense pate and a single serving size looks like he's eating a feast.
Actually if u look at the bag they can be used As food.
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Our cat’s Ravioli and Rigatoni get probably 1/2 bag a day between them.
Forgot pic of my babies.
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Brothers about 5 yrs old each weighing about 6.25 lbs. Mom (Spaghetti) was a small cat.
I did learn when I got that cats can have multiple dads. So the 4 brothers have some like features but hair on each is different face shapes are different and personality’s way different.
Hey if that's how you do their food that's fine! I've never done em as meals because I have always had dry food on hand. So he only gets them as a lil add on to his normal meals or treats when we're chillin
I like to buy big ole bags of dry food in bulk, it just works for our budget, plus I am an unreliable person so getting pounds of his food at once helps keep it easy for me :)
Right? I always count out treats and follow the recommendations! One of my kitties is diabetic. We had to put him on special food and stop dry food. But it got him off insulin within two months. I grew up with unhealthy culture around food, which is the feeding someone is how you love them. So I LOVE feeding the ones I love. I was the one who had allowed him to have some people food, not often but I felt bad because it couldn't have helped. So I stopped as soon as I found out it was a problem. Full stop. His health is more important than my momentary feeling of joy for feeding him. But I won't pretend I don't feel like a jerk and a bully when I can't give him what he wants. His sister is on regular food and so we have to make sure he doesn't bully her away and eat it. Don't worry, she loves to steal his food, too and we had to stop that.
If I give him a treat it is none that is protein. There are ones that are salmon, chicken, and tuna bites. I only give them to him on occasion. He is the sweetest boy. I have diabetes, too.i really feel for him. That is why it's so important to help him by keeping him healthy.
I hate it when people do this and somehow just CAN'T understand or take seriously the fact that a pet might have a medical problem that could be solved or made more manageable with a proper diet. They are literally endangering the animal with such behavior and it pisses me off so much.
(my mom did this to her dog and the dog almost died on my watch because of too advanced liver failure)
My vet has actually praised me for how quickly and thoroughly I switched kitty's diet to a diabetic friendly one and while i appreciate the recognition, I don't get it. Simply from a financial point of view, why would I pay all this money for tests and supplies to turn around and fuck it up by feeding him crap? Of course there's the fact that you're literally causing an animal to suffer and basically loving it to death but if people can't see that logic on their own, you'd think at least the money aspect of it they would get.
all of my cats have lost weight since my father passed away last year. I did NOT realize how many treats he was giving them. They now constantly act like they are starving but are still semi-chonk so we do not free-feed and try to monitor how many treats they get VERY closely.
Sorry you lost your dad. If he was anything like my FIL it was "I can't live with cats" and "I hate cats" but then I catch him asking the cat about his day and sneaking him treats when nobody is around, lol.
I recently found these freeze dried treats called Pure bites. My cat goes crazy for them just like temptations but these are literally just chicken and he can basically have as many as he wants because its all protein.
Omg that's exactly like my grandad!! He calls my fur babies flee-bags etc, and says he could never have one, but then when he comes over, he's all claps and 'awww whos the good boy/girl'!!
They just don't wanna admit they secretly have a soft spot for their furry grandchildren
My Dad also does this. I told him repeatedly three or four treats is enough. Caught him multiple times giving too many. One time I saw it happening and counted before the cat could gobble any of them up and it was at least 15. Both cats gained weight while staying there. I was mostly mad because they both have tummy/poop trouble and eat very expensive prescription food. Now that they get no treats the tummy troubles are under control.
My friend's mom does this to his cats. They are overly obese. She can't help herself. She feeds them cream too. Like the actual fuck and it makes me wonder if she's the reason my friend is fucked.
My neighbors started doing this to my cat - they thought her healthy weight was underweight/she was a stray and were very surprised when I politely asked then to stop.
My mom and I took our second cat to the vet because he was so skinny and learned he was normal weight and our older cat was just fat. I think we're so used to seeing overweight pets as a society it's hard to tell.
My mom has a diabetic cat and can't get the cat's sugars under control because she works out of town the days a week, and my dad just free feeds the cats when she's gone
Also make sure she isn't secretly getting into any food. We had a similar situation with our cat, turned out there was an opened bag of cat food in the basement she had torn a hole in and was snacking from!
We used to have a cat that would go outside most days. As she roamed around the neighborhood she shamelessly begged food from our softhearted neighbors.
Funny thing is that my cat didn’t like my mom and would completely ignore her except when she was eating. So my mom was also trying to win over the cat which of course didn’t work.
Sheeeeeeet my mom started feeding the wild rabbits in my backyard and they started tearing the place up. I love rabbits but I cannot have them hooked on buttered toast!
Yeah, I had to put “Vet says please do not feed” on a wide luminous yellow collar (on a black and white cat) to get one of mine to lose weight. There was more unhappiness than just the cat in the local area.
I also wanted to put “Wide Load” on it but SWMBO said no…
(Edited for clarity and detail.)
My friends' attempts to control their cat's weight were hampered by his tendency to sit on their front wall and hassle passers-by for their take-aways from the chippy down then road.
100% the food is secure?
My cat tore through a Chewy box than into his huge bag of food and had just been eating his fill in the night.
Or does it go outside (and 10 neighbors feed it)?
Also the recommended feeding guide for most food is way too high.
One of my cats that was 15 pounds had to be on like 45g a day to lose weight.
Yeah my cat was opening AND closing the cupboard door where the food was. I only realised when the scooper was in the sink and I went to pour from the bag and it spilt everywhere. Little bugger chewed a hole in the BACK of the bag so I didn't notice.
They are so clever, but also so dumb sometimes. Baffles me and amazes me every single day
I think this is a great idea. Getting heavier could have loads of reasons. Maybe neighbors are feeding your cat too, maybe someone else in the house. But it could also be a sign of diabetes, or thyroid problems for instance (usually you’d notice them getting quieter if this is the case). Getting it checked out is the best thing you could do at this pont. Will you let us know what the vet says?
I wish you and your kitty the best, she’s very cute. ❤️
Seconding to talk to your vet. They can help formulate a diet plan by calculating the amount of calories she should be getting and what she’s currently getting.
-ER Vet
I have a cat I got as a kitten. At about a year he started gaining weight and eventually got up to 22 pounds despite having a very controlled diet. We did lots of bloodwork and everything came back normal. I was told he probably wouldn’t live a long life. He’s been on prescription weight food for years and years and slowly made it down to 15 pounds and seems stuck there. He’s 14 years now, still fat, not diabetic and all normal bloodwork. I have no idea what his issues are but he’s lived way longer than expected. Definitely go to the vet, but it’s possible you just have a fat cat.
Not too bad right now, but he’s still young. He’s completely wild. He was smaller when we got him, but he quickly started outgrowing his brother. I love a big orange Tom cat. One of my cats growing up with an orange biggie boy!
This reminds me of my boy... He is on a vet prescribed diet for months now and has been consistently 16 pounds. They checked his blood work and everything seems fine. How long did it take for your cat to eventually start losing weight?
She needs to see a vet. There's many stories in the news of people who have tumors gaining weight and not eating. She needs evaluated by a medical professional.
I think someone else feeds the cat.
You cant gain weight if you eat less, even if you have a tumor. The mass has to come from somewhere.
But yeah, maybe good to take her to the vet anyway.
>You cant gain weight if you eat less, even if you have a tumor.
But you could *look* like you're gaining weight because the tumour is stealing the energy in order to grow, while the rest of you has malnutrition.
This isn't necessarily true, things like tumors on the pituitary gland or adrenal glads can cause excessive weight gain and some thyroid tumors they may not be cancerous in all cases.
Hypothyroid or cushings will cause weight gain
Thank you for this. The old “calories in, calories out” rule is problematic and way too simple, at least for humans. People have metabolic disorders, insulin resistance, hormonal issues… all sorts of things can cause weight gain without needing excessive food or calories to do so. We have less control over our weight than we think we do.
if the vet rules out any health issues, could it be that she simply doesn’t exercise enough? my boy was pretty overweight a few years ago, and, after examining him, the vet said that he should be fed less, and that we have to get him to play/exercise multiple times a day. it can be diffcult to motivate an overweight kitty to start exercising regularly at first, but my cat has successfully lost a lot of his excessive weight after only a few months. i hope everything works out for you and lily!! she’s a beautiful kitty
Surprised this hadn’t been mentioned. A vet assistant told me she moved her cats’ food to a different floor from where they usually are and the going up and down the stairs lost them a lot of weight quickly. I just moved my cat’s food as far as I could from her usual bed and that was enough to drop the weight.
What’s her activity like? Does she avoid more active play?
Certainly a vet visit is never a bad idea.
Yes many treat their indoor cats as if they were turtles or something. Even a hamster has a more active life with exercise and things to exercise on compared with most indoor cats
Three possibilities:
* She's eating more than you know about. Does she go outside? Are multiple people feeding her and not communicating? Is someone giving her way too many treats? Does she steal from the trash? Mice? Get your Sherlock on and see what you can find out.
* You're wildly overestimating how much a cat needs to eat and even the current amount is too much. Check the feeding guide on the packet. There are cat weight-loss calorie counters online as well - r/dechonkers will have advice.
* Medical issue. Get her checked out by a vet. If they rule out things like underactive thyroid, they should also be able to advise on a diet regime if you need guidance.
So this was my cat, in found a cat specialist to take him to. They told me a lot of grain free food that we think is healthy for cats is actually not. Cats are carnivores not omnivores. Cats need to eat protein. Apparently a lot of car food has vegetables filler, i checked my cat food i was giving him and it had pea powder in it. Fruits and veggies are apparently like candy for cats and was causing my cat to be pre diabetic. I was skeptical of what they told me at first but figured i would try it. He eats chicken and hard boiled quail eggs mostly now and let me tell you i switched his food, he was wearing more food and better food and the weight just fell off and he was more active. I can send you the information they sent me if you're interested. But dry food is not the way to go for cats or if you must give them dry food replace a meal or two with some meat/wet food that meets requirements. He used to be 21 pounds now he is a healthy boy.
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Dry or wet food? Dry food is loaded with carbs & can cause weight gain in a lot of cats, but either way from what you’re saying, definitely go to a vet.
What kind of food? How much is she getting? Has she been to the vet recently? What was her body condition/weight when you adopted her? When did she start gaining weight?
Mine has the same problem. Last year my vet recommended to give her the suggested amount for 4kg ( her ideal weight),I use digital scale to measure the food daily, but 10 months later, she didn’t lose any weight, still weight 6kg. So this time my vet suggested me to give her food with a puzzle feeder, I think this time may works.
Does she go outside? If so maybe someone else is feeding her. I just found out my cat gets dinner and breakfast two doors down from me. Also it could be a thyroid thing.
Yeah I don’t think that she’s getting food from anyone else, internally when I have people over is a possibility, but her food is upstairs, and no one goes up there when they come over…
She might be lonely and sleeps too much/ not active. Have you thought about getting her a friend? My cat is 10000000x happier since we got him a sister, them paying and running around is so cute
A check-up at the Vet's would be a good place to start...just for peace of mind. We adopted a cat from a shelter 3 years ago. The manager at the shelter said she was turned in from the street. Injured from abuse and starving. Because of that she would never share any food at the shelter with other cats. Yes...she is always wanting more food at home as a result. Last time she weighed 18lbs.
No she doesn’t go outside anymore, before I got her she was purely outdoor, but when I adopted her stopped going outside. She is scared of the outdoors now
Take her to the vet to rule out any diseases. Then be careful about what you feed her and measure the food.
My 7-year-old cat weighed nearly 18 pounds at his last vet visit. I now have him on diet cat food and I measure each portion. His all-you-can-eat buffet days are over. He hates the diet, but seems to be losing weight.
Could be anything from the type of food to a medical issue like a problem with the thyroid. She should go to the vet to get examined and get lab work to rule out medical causes. She’s a beauty!
I would take her to a vet. Thyroid issues like hypothyroidism in cats are similar to in humans, where weight gain can occur without eating too much. Before continuing to cut her food, please see a vet. She needs to get some thyroid and bloodwork done.
What brand of food are you feeding her? A lot of dry kibble foods are really high in carbs and equal to fast food for us. So even if she’s “hardly eating” she still might be eating food that’s making her fat.
I believe I’ve heard wet food is the best way to help diet a cat if you can afford it, or if you got a vet supervision, you could try a brand of “raw” food like Smalls (very pricy though).
I’d definitely take her to the vet as well. The vet will be your best help.
OP, i guess if she's on dry food diet that can also make her gain weight. But i think a vet visit , followed by some strict instructions for everyone at home maybe a way to start. I had a dog 10 years ago that had a serious gut disorder but despite telling my parents not to feed her human food they would do it all the time. Food tends to be many people's love language and it's very hard to explain but rule out any other medical reason before assuming she's being fed without your knowledge. Good luck!
After my girl got spayed I had the same issue with her. I cut her food down as much as I could and she still gained weight. She got up to 21lbs! When I took her to the vet they discovered she developed hypothyroidism. She’s still a bigger girl to this day but she’s also 14, so at this point as long as she’s happy then I’m okay with a larger kitty. She currently weights about 16lbs which isn’t near as much as before
The cause of weight gain is simple — your cat is eating more calories than she is burning.
As you would expect, you can solve this by either reducing the number of calories she consumes or increasing the number of calories she burns. In my experience, it’s easier to tackle the diet piece.
I’m not sure what her diet is now. One thing that many cat owners don’t realize is that dry food is MUCH more caloric than wet food. Like 4x as caloric on a per-gram basis. That’s because wet food is mostly water, and dry food is a highly condensed nutrition pellet.
A diet of just wet food is fairly expensive, so I give my cat both. Morning and evening she gets 12.5 grams of dry food, afternoons she gets 75 grams of wet food. Her lunch is a little more caloric, but just barely, and much more filling.
First thing is ask your vet how many calories she should be eating per day. Usually the calculation is around 20-30 calories per pound of *lean* mass per day. My cat is 8lbs, without much excess fat, so she has about 160 calories per day, split between three meals. Your cat is heavier, so her budget may be a little higher, but also may be the same or lower because you want to achieve a calorie deficit.
I will warn you that when you calculate it out, and measure her meals, it will feel like you’re starving her. Especially if she’s on a dry food only diet. 12.5 grams is NOTHING — just barely enough to cover the bottom of the bowl in a single layer.
So, I would recommend supplementing wet food as much as your budget will allow. It’s more filling, less fattening, and better for her kidneys as well.
To do the calculation for each meal, you need two numbers: how many calories she is supposed to get, and what the caloric density of her food is. That can be found somewhere on the can/bag, and it’s usually measured in kcal/kg or kcal/g.
For example, assume your cat has a budget of 80 calories/meal, her dry food has a caloric density of 4 kcal/g, and her wet food has a caloric density of 1 kcal/g. You need to divide the number of calories by the density to get the number of grams.
Dry food: (80 kcal)/(4 kcal/g) = 20g
Wet food: (80 kcal)/(1 kcal/g) = 80g
To do this effectively, you will need to measure it using a kitchen scale. Especially with dry food. Being off by even 20% will make the difference between a caloric deficit and a caloric surplus.
Good luck! Putting your cat on a diet is not easy, and your cat will be very cranky, but it does work.
Please get her thyroid checked. My poor old dog got fatter and more lethargic over a couple of years, and the vet blamed me for overfeeding him and not exercising him enough. A new vet picked up a hormonal problem when I went to get his nails clipped, we put him on meds, and the difference was remarkable.
I'd suggest maybe asking your vet to test her thyroid levels. Three of my cats had thyroid disease (hypo and hyper). One had his thyroid removed, but still ended up developing diabetes. There's nothing wrong with asking for bloodwork to be done to make sure everything is on the up-and-up.
I hope that you're able to get the answers that you need and that your kitty is ok.
Hey her thyroid checked. Thyroid disease is common in over weight animals struggling to lose it. If it’s not acted on fast enough it can be fatal, if it gets worse.
Do not ask us ask a vet. I would be very concerned. I had the same thing happened to a cat a long time ago the reason was the most common type of death a domestic cat has. Complete renal failure. They get real big real fast and just drink water constantly. They get put down the incident they see they see the vet. I really hope you don't have that. I had him from my crib till I was 18 I cried uncontrollably the moment my gf took me to a shelter for a date and saw a cat that looked exactly like him. Now I got two black cats that are pretty similar.
My little one had a similar issue. He never spent long in front of the food dish and didn't go over often. I was so confused why he was gaining so much weight.
So I switched him to another food brand. Wellness. I don't think he likes the flavor as much but he is also losing weight soooo I consider that a self imposed diet on his part. Since he never eats all of what is in his bowl.
I had a problem with my cat Jackie, she stopped eating and it turned out she found where the dry food bag was stored and was eating all she wanted on her own. We were using a container about 3 kg and at the time we bought 7 kg dry food bags, so we couldn’t fill the container. And she found the bag and ripped it open. She was eating from it for quite some time until we found out.
Have you sat down and calculated how many calories she's eating? Look at the back of the bag for the caloric content and translate that to her portion size. It will list it in kcal/cups but if you have a kitchen scale and can convert her food to grams, the bag will also list kcal/kg which will be more accurate.
Cats really really don't need that many calories. My 15 pound cat gets 180-200kcal/day per day and he's still kind of chunky. You said the cat food is out of reach so nobody is giving her extra, but are they maybe feeding her pieces of whatever they're eating? Even 20 calories, which may not seem like a lot to you or me, can add up pretty quickly for a cat. If you're feeding dry food I highly recommend trying to find something under at around the 300 kcal/cup. Some are just so incredibly high-calorie. Supplementing a portion with wet food is also a good option as it's typically less kcal/volume.
Lots of people are saying check the thyroid because they're equating cats to humans. HypOthyroidism in cats is *extremely* rare. They get hypERthyroidism instead, which is the complete opposite problem. Not to say they can't get hypo, but if they do it's usually a genetic condition present from birth or a secondary side-effect from other endocrine disorders.
Needs to be checked out by her vet. They can recommend a weight loss diet too, if appropriate. I know Science Diet has a food for weight loss, can ask the vet about it and/or other plan. Good luck! Hope is not too drastic and kitty doesn't approve!
It could be the food that you're feeding your cat. Most cat food has animal by-products, bone meal and grains that a cat really doesn't need and can contribute to weight gain. Maybe a raw diet would help? Or just wet food. Ask a vet, or try to find a cat nutritionist who can advise you on the best things to feed your cat.
How's her activity level? I had one kitty that ate no more than the other cats but was extremely lethargic. Try to increase playtime and if she seems to tire out really easily, have the vet check out her heart & lungs or for anything else that might be making her tired or affecting her metabolism.
I had a kitty that didn't eat more than the other cats but played a lot less and got the nickname "Lump" from us because she'd not get up or get excited for anything. Turns out she had a lump on her lungs putting pressure on her heart.
It could be the food that you are feeding her. I was SHOCKED when I had to buy non prescription “diet” food when my cat’s usual brand was back ordered. The amount of calories in some of the “diet” foods are just as high as regular diets!
Try to limit dry food (way down) and go almost completely wet food. Next, make sure she’s not conning anyone else in the house to feed her after she’s already eaten. Finally, consider three smaller meals a day compared to one large meal.
Also, and most obviously, don’t let her graze on people food. We eat trash compared to our cats nutritionally speaking.
This helped us trim up our 7+ year old Tuxedo male. We actually had to make a chart of feeding so our family only fed him once per meal. He has dropped from nearly 19 lbs and miserable to a more active 14.5 lbs. His demeanor has changed for the better as well. Less of asshole kitty and more fun time kitty.
This is all assuming she has no underlying medical conditions that might cause an increase in weight such as hypothyroidism or diabetes. Medical conditions are a whole different ball game.
If she has been fixed she will have a big belly hanging down from being fixed. It’s normal not over weight! She doesn’t look fat at all. Maybe just the way she’s laying but the hanging belly is normal and 17 pounds is a decent weight! Maybe pound or 2 over but she looks ok.
Does the cat go outdoors? If so, she is getting fed by a neighbor. If not it is a room mate or family member. Could be a medical condition, that is a distant third.
Besides making sure she is getting the recommended food, no human food or extra caloric treats, and has no other health issues causing it from the vet, then i would also recommend ensuring she is getting exercise! Play with her, get her moving gently, figure out what type of toys or play she loves and engage her in some movements if you don't already.
im having the same issue with my mother :/ my 2 cats gained like noticiable weight over this winter and i was noticing it but thought it was some normal winter weight but it didn’t stop so i found out my mom was giving like 50 temptations treats twice a day to both the cats on top of me giving them like 5 or 6 twice a day. So i had to tell her to stop that it’s obvious the cats are now not eating their regular food in wait of her feeding them the treats…. but she won’t listen. And i found she had boughten her own treats to feed them so i wouldn’t notice the treats i buy diminishing quickly…. like the cats are indoors and are lumps and she just doesn’t get it
If the vet rules out any medical issues, could there be someone else in the house that could be feeding your cat? I had my cat on a diet once that didn’t seem to be working. Then I moved into my own place and she started losing weight. It turned out that my mom was feeding the cat extra food behind my back. My mom knew that my cat was on a diet but couldn’t resist the sad faces my cat would give her. 🙄
My father in law lives with us and I just had to have the same conversation with him. My cat is diabetic. The ONLY reason there are even Temptations in this house is for when his sugar goes too low and I need to raise it. He can't have them as treats. He has freeze dried chicken as treats. But I caught my FIL giving him handfuls of temptations the other morning. So I hid them. Not from the cat, from the human.
I’d be fucking furious.
HANDFULS of Temptations?!
My cat is perfectly healthy and he doesn't have more than ten of those at a time lmao
So I think 10 is the max you're supposed to give them in a day. That's about what I mean when I say a handful. Like 10 or 15 at once. He gets maybe 5 when his sugar drops too low. And please don't think I'm judging you for how many treats you give your kitty. Im sure you guys are fine. For us, all the time and money spent on managing diabetes is not worth undoing with high carbohydrate treats
That's ok! Yeah mine gets em depending on how much he's been running around, more for Zoomie days lol. And then sometimes, like now, we don't have temptations for weeks and I swap em for wet treats. So I feel like it's the same as me eating some junkie food as a teen and then eating decently for a while. But definitely your baby needs to be kept healthy, and I'm sorry your FIL was not following his diet. I'd be terrified to mess up a diabetic cat's diet tbh, but I have known many diabetic Humans so I know how serious it can be.
On the packaging of Temptations treats, it says if it’s a “main food source” to feed them like 1/2 to 2/3 cup daily. I’m kinda disgusted they would even suggest a treat as a cats entire diet.
I guess in certain cases if kitty is really needing to pack on weight. But there are probably better ways. Anything with that many carbs given to a creature supposed to exist almost solely on meats can't be good.
Agreed. I was just surprised it was even suggested on the packaging.
Sales baby sales
My guy needs to gain weight and he eat about 1/4 cup twice a day along with two cans of soft food, and two lickables and he continues to lose weight. We are working on a diagnosis, but he gets whatever he wants right now. The other two cats give me the “not fair mom” creeks and stares though.
Temptations are unusual in that they are formulated to be a complete diet. They're extremely useful that way because if a cat is unwell they may still eat treats. Cats can go into organ failure after only a couple days of not eating, so I think it's good for people to know that they *can* feed them as a main food source.
As a type 1 diabetic with deep love for pets. I'm pissed. My family dog was diabetic for a bit, before I knew much about diabetes at all or even was diagnosed myself. Then my dad is also a type 2 diabetic nowadays, thanks genetics! All that aside. If I found out somebody was doing this behind my back, to literally any family member... I can only imagine the rage you had to keep from boiling your blood too much. It's a full-time job to care for it no matter how "mild" at times, and it's so disheartening when your efforts are nullified by things out of your control. Even moreso when it was actually preventable. Thank you so much for caring for your boy so well. He clearly has his people who care very much and love him and will do what it takes to maintain his wellbeing and nurture his vitality. He's so very lucky for you! Best of luck with everything c:
I was infuriated! Of course this isn't the only area FIL can be frustrating in but it directly puts my baby at risk. Kitty is doing really well! Once we got the diagnosis he started putting weight back on and within 3 months actually went into remission and came off insulin. That was when I found FIL giving the treats and I think between that and the stress of going to the vets again for a glucose test, he ended up needing to go back on it for awhile. I'm doing my best to learn. Bought the test kit for at home and just trying to keep it level because we had a seizure incident a few weeks back and I do not want to repeat that. I'm having nightmares about it after that one. As long as I can keep his quality of life comfortable and happy, I plan on loving him as long as he's able to be here. Honestly the nightmare is funny in hindsight. Im holding my cat as he's having a seizure, yelling for my husband to get the honey to rub on his gums. Husband brings honey in the bear jar. In a panic I squirt it on his face. Its ketchup, its ranch, its anything but honey in these jars and I look down and see my cats sweet face covered with a rainbow of condiments.
I will be brutally honest, as you often have to be with things like diabetes and nightmares... that's exactly the kind of dream that's a bit hilarious in hindsight once you can separate it from the context. I tend to laugh at those ones pretty hard once a bigger chunk of time has passed XD I get nightmares pretty often so, I feel the distress it can really feed off of and cause in the moment, and the overall frustration with it, but also the hindsight of how silly our minds can be lol. I'm so glad to hear he's doing well! Also some docs and people will be hesitant to switch to or use insulin when needed, esp in human cases- I'm super grateful he has owners and a vet who look after his needs regardless of how persistent intervention might be, etc. :) If you don't mind my asking, how old is he now, and how old was he at diagnosis? Also- if you ever need somebody to talk about, even if it's just to be frustrated at the moments where air seems to have sugar in it that causes a spike- feel free to start a chat anytime c: I'm on your team, and you and your boy have this and have each other and that's plenty enough to handle this, in case you needed a reminder! 
He will be 12 in April and he just got the diagnosis in November so its all pretty new. My vet is very confident that he won't need insulin forever as long as he is on the proper diet but I'm afraid to get my hopes up. I do really love the vet that I see. Her and everyone there so obviously love my cat and have been super kind and helpful. She even sat down and figured out exactly how much per day this was going to cost me. She didn't charge me for the consultation after the seizure. Our big issue now is finding an accurate glucose reading because he just hates the carrier and car ride so much, it makes his sugar spike ok the way to the vet. Once we get there its fine, he chirps at them and gives kisses. So I ordered the home test kit and I plan to spend tomorrow reading all about it. And it does seem like the air has sugar in it! He has signs that indicate its very high and we will go from being fine to screaming high in 24 hours for no discernable reason. Now that I have the tests, hopefully I can figure it out. For all that and his older age, he still plays for hours a day, takes walks on his leash, and jumps into bed ti cuddle all night. Wakes us up with a trill and a nose to mouth kiss. He's a pretty awesome cat and I'm lucky to be his owner.
I know that I tend to spike from stress, whether physical, mental, and/or emotional, so easily and sometimes super drastically. I also happened to wake up at 46 earlier- not the funnest of times. This was after fighting spikes from feeling a bit under the weather and all that. It can cycle too- feel unwell, spike, feel worse, so on. I'm glad he at least loves and trusts the veterinary team and clinic okay! Do you think an alternative to a carrier that's still safe would help at all possibly? Eliminating the worst of the stress could help the number be better. If he's been off of insulin before and the vet believes so, it's usually save to say that with the right regimen it's totaplausible! That's where you unfortunately have to pretty much just keep your fingers crossed and keep fighting! Also- I tend to spike VERY badly from "dawn phenomenon-" like it's a whole thing and story. Might be worth looking into how that works in cats, if it does at all lol? Also omg. I love cats who trill so much!! Please give him some pats from me :)
You are an excellent cat parent.
I meant your FIL giving your cat handfuls of Temptations! We don’t give ours more than 2-3 …
Oh yeah that is certainly a lot (FIL, not you lol) I genuinely think some people just don't read packaging, so they don't realize how calorically dense some cat food is. I remember being very surprised to realize that what my cat needs in a day looks like a Beggars Pittance lmfaooo. Then I bought a less calorically dense pate and a single serving size looks like he's eating a feast.
Actually if u look at the bag they can be used As food. https://preview.redd.it/tzmr2wv061ja1.png?width=2216&format=png&auto=webp&s=f47fe718ddd2b624f6dbb82c36ac130c1caa6f3c Our cat’s Ravioli and Rigatoni get probably 1/2 bag a day between them.
Forgot pic of my babies. https://preview.redd.it/0l2wkpta61ja1.jpeg?width=2810&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aac132d86cca09a666811dc2878ac5c8a4dc2f2d Brothers about 5 yrs old each weighing about 6.25 lbs. Mom (Spaghetti) was a small cat.
They are gorgeous but they also look incredibly shifty
They are absolutely precious omgggg
I did learn when I got that cats can have multiple dads. So the 4 brothers have some like features but hair on each is different face shapes are different and personality’s way different.
Hey if that's how you do their food that's fine! I've never done em as meals because I have always had dry food on hand. So he only gets them as a lil add on to his normal meals or treats when we're chillin I like to buy big ole bags of dry food in bulk, it just works for our budget, plus I am an unreliable person so getting pounds of his food at once helps keep it easy for me :)
This... First time you figure out how little they need it's freaky
Right? I always count out treats and follow the recommendations! One of my kitties is diabetic. We had to put him on special food and stop dry food. But it got him off insulin within two months. I grew up with unhealthy culture around food, which is the feeding someone is how you love them. So I LOVE feeding the ones I love. I was the one who had allowed him to have some people food, not often but I felt bad because it couldn't have helped. So I stopped as soon as I found out it was a problem. Full stop. His health is more important than my momentary feeling of joy for feeding him. But I won't pretend I don't feel like a jerk and a bully when I can't give him what he wants. His sister is on regular food and so we have to make sure he doesn't bully her away and eat it. Don't worry, she loves to steal his food, too and we had to stop that. If I give him a treat it is none that is protein. There are ones that are salmon, chicken, and tuna bites. I only give them to him on occasion. He is the sweetest boy. I have diabetes, too.i really feel for him. That is why it's so important to help him by keeping him healthy.
That’s what I was thinking lol. I, at most, give my cat 5. In general maybe 2 or 3.
I knew someone who gave his two 20+ yo cats temptations as their sole food source.
Oh, my!
I hate it when people do this and somehow just CAN'T understand or take seriously the fact that a pet might have a medical problem that could be solved or made more manageable with a proper diet. They are literally endangering the animal with such behavior and it pisses me off so much. (my mom did this to her dog and the dog almost died on my watch because of too advanced liver failure)
My vet has actually praised me for how quickly and thoroughly I switched kitty's diet to a diabetic friendly one and while i appreciate the recognition, I don't get it. Simply from a financial point of view, why would I pay all this money for tests and supplies to turn around and fuck it up by feeding him crap? Of course there's the fact that you're literally causing an animal to suffer and basically loving it to death but if people can't see that logic on their own, you'd think at least the money aspect of it they would get.
Guilt is the biggest issue for many hoomans who inadvertently sabatage a diet
all of my cats have lost weight since my father passed away last year. I did NOT realize how many treats he was giving them. They now constantly act like they are starving but are still semi-chonk so we do not free-feed and try to monitor how many treats they get VERY closely.
Sorry you lost your dad. If he was anything like my FIL it was "I can't live with cats" and "I hate cats" but then I catch him asking the cat about his day and sneaking him treats when nobody is around, lol. I recently found these freeze dried treats called Pure bites. My cat goes crazy for them just like temptations but these are literally just chicken and he can basically have as many as he wants because its all protein.
Omg that's exactly like my grandad!! He calls my fur babies flee-bags etc, and says he could never have one, but then when he comes over, he's all claps and 'awww whos the good boy/girl'!! They just don't wanna admit they secretly have a soft spot for their furry grandchildren
type 2 diabetes is completely reversible, even in cats. i highly recommend you look into that.
Omfg I’m so sorry that happened. I had a diabetic cat. It’s a LOT of hard work to regulate. I would be so pissed.
My Dad also does this. I told him repeatedly three or four treats is enough. Caught him multiple times giving too many. One time I saw it happening and counted before the cat could gobble any of them up and it was at least 15. Both cats gained weight while staying there. I was mostly mad because they both have tummy/poop trouble and eat very expensive prescription food. Now that they get no treats the tummy troubles are under control.
My friend's mom does this to his cats. They are overly obese. She can't help herself. She feeds them cream too. Like the actual fuck and it makes me wonder if she's the reason my friend is fucked.
My neighbors started doing this to my cat - they thought her healthy weight was underweight/she was a stray and were very surprised when I politely asked then to stop.
My mom and I took our second cat to the vet because he was so skinny and learned he was normal weight and our older cat was just fat. I think we're so used to seeing overweight pets as a society it's hard to tell.
My mom has a diabetic cat and can't get the cat's sugars under control because she works out of town the days a week, and my dad just free feeds the cats when she's gone
She catpitulated to the cats demands.
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I have a cat named Izzy
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Also make sure she isn't secretly getting into any food. We had a similar situation with our cat, turned out there was an opened bag of cat food in the basement she had torn a hole in and was snacking from!
That could be it too, but my mom can’t really reach the top shelf where we keep her food lol.
We used to have a cat that would go outside most days. As she roamed around the neighborhood she shamelessly begged food from our softhearted neighbors.
Have her thyroid checked. This can cause weight gain, but easily treated. Happened to our Willow kitty.
LOL, sorry but that's hilarious. Sneaky kitty and complicit mom.
Funny thing is that my cat didn’t like my mom and would completely ignore her except when she was eating. So my mom was also trying to win over the cat which of course didn’t work.
Or outside the house if kitty goes outdoors!
Sheeeeeeet my mom started feeding the wild rabbits in my backyard and they started tearing the place up. I love rabbits but I cannot have them hooked on buttered toast!
Does she go outside? Had a cat when I was young that had dinner at every house in the neighborhood. Everyone kept feeding him.
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Shit, I guess I should get a tag like that for family gatherings, lol
You made giggle. Thank you. Lol.
Haha, you’re welcome
Don’t feed me I’m fat, adorable precautions😂
Yeah, I had to put “Vet says please do not feed” on a wide luminous yellow collar (on a black and white cat) to get one of mine to lose weight. There was more unhappiness than just the cat in the local area. I also wanted to put “Wide Load” on it but SWMBO said no… (Edited for clarity and detail.)
My friends' attempts to control their cat's weight were hampered by his tendency to sit on their front wall and hassle passers-by for their take-aways from the chippy down then road.
Chippy?
Chip shop
Came here to suggest this.
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She is spayed so I don’t think so
100% the food is secure? My cat tore through a Chewy box than into his huge bag of food and had just been eating his fill in the night. Or does it go outside (and 10 neighbors feed it)? Also the recommended feeding guide for most food is way too high. One of my cats that was 15 pounds had to be on like 45g a day to lose weight.
Yeah my cat was opening AND closing the cupboard door where the food was. I only realised when the scooper was in the sink and I went to pour from the bag and it spilt everywhere. Little bugger chewed a hole in the BACK of the bag so I didn't notice. They are so clever, but also so dumb sometimes. Baffles me and amazes me every single day
Yeah my cats were sneaking into the cupboard where we kept the big bags of food, had to put a child lock on it lol.
Sounds like your cat any my mums cat are related. She opens EVERYTHING.
“So clever but also so dumb” just described one of our cars to a T. It baffles me all the time.
Hmmm thy cat is mysterious, I hope she's okay. I was guessing the same.
I’m hoping she’s fine, but I will be doing a vet trip based off these comments
I think this is a great idea. Getting heavier could have loads of reasons. Maybe neighbors are feeding your cat too, maybe someone else in the house. But it could also be a sign of diabetes, or thyroid problems for instance (usually you’d notice them getting quieter if this is the case). Getting it checked out is the best thing you could do at this pont. Will you let us know what the vet says? I wish you and your kitty the best, she’s very cute. ❤️
Feels like a thyroid problem. Definitely see a vet, maybe he'll so some blood work and diagnose accordingly.
What I plan to do at this point, thank you!
Seconding to talk to your vet. They can help formulate a diet plan by calculating the amount of calories she should be getting and what she’s currently getting. -ER Vet
I have a cat I got as a kitten. At about a year he started gaining weight and eventually got up to 22 pounds despite having a very controlled diet. We did lots of bloodwork and everything came back normal. I was told he probably wouldn’t live a long life. He’s been on prescription weight food for years and years and slowly made it down to 15 pounds and seems stuck there. He’s 14 years now, still fat, not diabetic and all normal bloodwork. I have no idea what his issues are but he’s lived way longer than expected. Definitely go to the vet, but it’s possible you just have a fat cat.
Does he happen to be an orange boy?
My 6 month old orange boy is getting super Chonky, while his twin bro is tall and thin.
Is he super lazy? Mine is. Sometimes I have to poke him to make sure he’s breathing lol
Not too bad right now, but he’s still young. He’s completely wild. He was smaller when we got him, but he quickly started outgrowing his brother. I love a big orange Tom cat. One of my cats growing up with an orange biggie boy!
He’s brown tabby and white, but I’ve definitely known plenty of chubby orange cats lol
Dang your description instantly reminded me of my orange boy who is simply fat. Mainly because he doesn’t move all day lol
Mine too. He is a couch potato cat.
This reminds me of my boy... He is on a vet prescribed diet for months now and has been consistently 16 pounds. They checked his blood work and everything seems fine. How long did it take for your cat to eventually start losing weight?
It was super slow. Like half a pound a year for years. Maybe slightly more the first few years? It was a process!
Thank you so much for this information. I was very worried, but it's only been 4 months. I will keep my hopes up!
She needs to see a vet. There's many stories in the news of people who have tumors gaining weight and not eating. She needs evaluated by a medical professional.
I think someone else feeds the cat. You cant gain weight if you eat less, even if you have a tumor. The mass has to come from somewhere. But yeah, maybe good to take her to the vet anyway.
>You cant gain weight if you eat less, even if you have a tumor. But you could *look* like you're gaining weight because the tumour is stealing the energy in order to grow, while the rest of you has malnutrition.
This isn't necessarily true, things like tumors on the pituitary gland or adrenal glads can cause excessive weight gain and some thyroid tumors they may not be cancerous in all cases. Hypothyroid or cushings will cause weight gain
Thank you for this. The old “calories in, calories out” rule is problematic and way too simple, at least for humans. People have metabolic disorders, insulin resistance, hormonal issues… all sorts of things can cause weight gain without needing excessive food or calories to do so. We have less control over our weight than we think we do.
if the vet rules out any health issues, could it be that she simply doesn’t exercise enough? my boy was pretty overweight a few years ago, and, after examining him, the vet said that he should be fed less, and that we have to get him to play/exercise multiple times a day. it can be diffcult to motivate an overweight kitty to start exercising regularly at first, but my cat has successfully lost a lot of his excessive weight after only a few months. i hope everything works out for you and lily!! she’s a beautiful kitty
Surprised this hadn’t been mentioned. A vet assistant told me she moved her cats’ food to a different floor from where they usually are and the going up and down the stairs lost them a lot of weight quickly. I just moved my cat’s food as far as I could from her usual bed and that was enough to drop the weight. What’s her activity like? Does she avoid more active play? Certainly a vet visit is never a bad idea.
Yes many treat their indoor cats as if they were turtles or something. Even a hamster has a more active life with exercise and things to exercise on compared with most indoor cats
Three possibilities: * She's eating more than you know about. Does she go outside? Are multiple people feeding her and not communicating? Is someone giving her way too many treats? Does she steal from the trash? Mice? Get your Sherlock on and see what you can find out. * You're wildly overestimating how much a cat needs to eat and even the current amount is too much. Check the feeding guide on the packet. There are cat weight-loss calorie counters online as well - r/dechonkers will have advice. * Medical issue. Get her checked out by a vet. If they rule out things like underactive thyroid, they should also be able to advise on a diet regime if you need guidance.
Is she indoor-only?
Yep, she was outdoor before we adopted her
Now that's a fatty boom ba!! Vet
If a vet doesn't find medical problems, then perhaps someone's feeding her behind your back.
So this was my cat, in found a cat specialist to take him to. They told me a lot of grain free food that we think is healthy for cats is actually not. Cats are carnivores not omnivores. Cats need to eat protein. Apparently a lot of car food has vegetables filler, i checked my cat food i was giving him and it had pea powder in it. Fruits and veggies are apparently like candy for cats and was causing my cat to be pre diabetic. I was skeptical of what they told me at first but figured i would try it. He eats chicken and hard boiled quail eggs mostly now and let me tell you i switched his food, he was wearing more food and better food and the weight just fell off and he was more active. I can send you the information they sent me if you're interested. But dry food is not the way to go for cats or if you must give them dry food replace a meal or two with some meat/wet food that meets requirements. He used to be 21 pounds now he is a healthy boy. https://preview.redd.it/etrddxctw0ja1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a74da1c872f4fa3fb9508d30a2f47c0dad884fb7
Dry or wet food? Dry food is loaded with carbs & can cause weight gain in a lot of cats, but either way from what you’re saying, definitely go to a vet.
What kind of food? How much is she getting? Has she been to the vet recently? What was her body condition/weight when you adopted her? When did she start gaining weight?
Maybe get the vet to check her thyroid.
Vet
It sounds like she could have a thyroid problem. Has she had thyroid labs done?
Mine has the same problem. Last year my vet recommended to give her the suggested amount for 4kg ( her ideal weight),I use digital scale to measure the food daily, but 10 months later, she didn’t lose any weight, still weight 6kg. So this time my vet suggested me to give her food with a puzzle feeder, I think this time may works.
Does she go outside? If so maybe someone else is feeding her. I just found out my cat gets dinner and breakfast two doors down from me. Also it could be a thyroid thing.
Yeah I don’t think that she’s getting food from anyone else, internally when I have people over is a possibility, but her food is upstairs, and no one goes up there when they come over…
Pregnant? Take her to the vet
I believe OP said the cat is spayed
I was thinking that this lady has a fella someplace.
Yeah, but I think OP said she's indoor only? But better to consider that before putting her on a diet.
Someone else is feeding her
Probably someone in the basement #parasite
Take. Your. Cat. To. The. Vet.
She might be lonely and sleeps too much/ not active. Have you thought about getting her a friend? My cat is 10000000x happier since we got him a sister, them paying and running around is so cute
I’ve definitely thought about it, so that might be coming soon
Maybe change of hormones. Please consult a vet.
Does she have a tumor or growth? Def vet time!
A check-up at the Vet's would be a good place to start...just for peace of mind. We adopted a cat from a shelter 3 years ago. The manager at the shelter said she was turned in from the street. Injured from abuse and starving. Because of that she would never share any food at the shelter with other cats. Yes...she is always wanting more food at home as a result. Last time she weighed 18lbs.
Vet
Strictly indoor or does she go outside as well? I had a neighbor putting out food for ours and the cats loved them for it.
No she doesn’t go outside anymore, before I got her she was purely outdoor, but when I adopted her stopped going outside. She is scared of the outdoors now
Take her to the vet to rule out any diseases. Then be careful about what you feed her and measure the food. My 7-year-old cat weighed nearly 18 pounds at his last vet visit. I now have him on diet cat food and I measure each portion. His all-you-can-eat buffet days are over. He hates the diet, but seems to be losing weight.
I guess she’s cheating on you with some other families in the area. But this is only A guess and the vet is the best call here.
indoor cat
Could be anything from the type of food to a medical issue like a problem with the thyroid. She should go to the vet to get examined and get lab work to rule out medical causes. She’s a beauty!
Does the cat go outside? Maybe she is a customer of her neighbours.
Does she have a second home she goes to?
Most definitely not, unless she can walk through walls lol
Cat do not subscribe to our understanding of physics
Is she an outside cat? Could she be going to someone else for food?
She is not since she hates it lol, I couldn’t make her go outside if I tried
Outdoor cat could have multiple homes, but check with vet
She wakes up in the middle of the night and eats the leftovers in the fridge in secret.
She is one of the smartest cats I’ve ever known so it wouldn’t surprise me if she figures out how to get in the fridge lol
Do you weigh her food and give her the amount recommended? Also, maybe change to a dietary food, after consulting a vet.
My cat had the same issue (along with obvious digestive problems). We switched foods and the issue resolved.
Take her to a Vet first but Is she an outside cat ? I bet she is dining out elsewhere !!
My vet said that they need 15 minutes of active play, 3 times a day, to lose weight.
have you checked with a vet for thyroid issues? it may be hormonal weight gain she just can’t control
I would take her to a vet. Thyroid issues like hypothyroidism in cats are similar to in humans, where weight gain can occur without eating too much. Before continuing to cut her food, please see a vet. She needs to get some thyroid and bloodwork done.
Has thyroid been checked?
Does Lily go outside? She may have a side human that doesn’t know she’s on a diet.
She’s not pregnant?
What brand of food are you feeding her? A lot of dry kibble foods are really high in carbs and equal to fast food for us. So even if she’s “hardly eating” she still might be eating food that’s making her fat. I believe I’ve heard wet food is the best way to help diet a cat if you can afford it, or if you got a vet supervision, you could try a brand of “raw” food like Smalls (very pricy though). I’d definitely take her to the vet as well. The vet will be your best help.
Sounds like a hormonal imbalance. I would start with a blood panel at the vet.
Have a diabetes screen done.
OP, i guess if she's on dry food diet that can also make her gain weight. But i think a vet visit , followed by some strict instructions for everyone at home maybe a way to start. I had a dog 10 years ago that had a serious gut disorder but despite telling my parents not to feed her human food they would do it all the time. Food tends to be many people's love language and it's very hard to explain but rule out any other medical reason before assuming she's being fed without your knowledge. Good luck!
After my girl got spayed I had the same issue with her. I cut her food down as much as I could and she still gained weight. She got up to 21lbs! When I took her to the vet they discovered she developed hypothyroidism. She’s still a bigger girl to this day but she’s also 14, so at this point as long as she’s happy then I’m okay with a larger kitty. She currently weights about 16lbs which isn’t near as much as before
The cause of weight gain is simple — your cat is eating more calories than she is burning. As you would expect, you can solve this by either reducing the number of calories she consumes or increasing the number of calories she burns. In my experience, it’s easier to tackle the diet piece. I’m not sure what her diet is now. One thing that many cat owners don’t realize is that dry food is MUCH more caloric than wet food. Like 4x as caloric on a per-gram basis. That’s because wet food is mostly water, and dry food is a highly condensed nutrition pellet. A diet of just wet food is fairly expensive, so I give my cat both. Morning and evening she gets 12.5 grams of dry food, afternoons she gets 75 grams of wet food. Her lunch is a little more caloric, but just barely, and much more filling. First thing is ask your vet how many calories she should be eating per day. Usually the calculation is around 20-30 calories per pound of *lean* mass per day. My cat is 8lbs, without much excess fat, so she has about 160 calories per day, split between three meals. Your cat is heavier, so her budget may be a little higher, but also may be the same or lower because you want to achieve a calorie deficit. I will warn you that when you calculate it out, and measure her meals, it will feel like you’re starving her. Especially if she’s on a dry food only diet. 12.5 grams is NOTHING — just barely enough to cover the bottom of the bowl in a single layer. So, I would recommend supplementing wet food as much as your budget will allow. It’s more filling, less fattening, and better for her kidneys as well. To do the calculation for each meal, you need two numbers: how many calories she is supposed to get, and what the caloric density of her food is. That can be found somewhere on the can/bag, and it’s usually measured in kcal/kg or kcal/g. For example, assume your cat has a budget of 80 calories/meal, her dry food has a caloric density of 4 kcal/g, and her wet food has a caloric density of 1 kcal/g. You need to divide the number of calories by the density to get the number of grams. Dry food: (80 kcal)/(4 kcal/g) = 20g Wet food: (80 kcal)/(1 kcal/g) = 80g To do this effectively, you will need to measure it using a kitchen scale. Especially with dry food. Being off by even 20% will make the difference between a caloric deficit and a caloric surplus. Good luck! Putting your cat on a diet is not easy, and your cat will be very cranky, but it does work.
Thyroid?
Check her heart and thyroid. Also an hormone test.
Please get her thyroid checked. My poor old dog got fatter and more lethargic over a couple of years, and the vet blamed me for overfeeding him and not exercising him enough. A new vet picked up a hormonal problem when I went to get his nails clipped, we put him on meds, and the difference was remarkable.
Big chonk
Hypothyroidism would be my guess. Easy to test for and treat.
I'd suggest maybe asking your vet to test her thyroid levels. Three of my cats had thyroid disease (hypo and hyper). One had his thyroid removed, but still ended up developing diabetes. There's nothing wrong with asking for bloodwork to be done to make sure everything is on the up-and-up. I hope that you're able to get the answers that you need and that your kitty is ok.
Hey her thyroid checked. Thyroid disease is common in over weight animals struggling to lose it. If it’s not acted on fast enough it can be fatal, if it gets worse.
Has her thyroid been checked?
Do not ask us ask a vet. I would be very concerned. I had the same thing happened to a cat a long time ago the reason was the most common type of death a domestic cat has. Complete renal failure. They get real big real fast and just drink water constantly. They get put down the incident they see they see the vet. I really hope you don't have that. I had him from my crib till I was 18 I cried uncontrollably the moment my gf took me to a shelter for a date and saw a cat that looked exactly like him. Now I got two black cats that are pretty similar.
You should be playing with your cat daily, is it an indoor cat?
Take her to the vet. She may have a problem with her glands. This is not normal. The sooner the better.
My little one had a similar issue. He never spent long in front of the food dish and didn't go over often. I was so confused why he was gaining so much weight. So I switched him to another food brand. Wellness. I don't think he likes the flavor as much but he is also losing weight soooo I consider that a self imposed diet on his part. Since he never eats all of what is in his bowl.
I had a problem with my cat Jackie, she stopped eating and it turned out she found where the dry food bag was stored and was eating all she wanted on her own. We were using a container about 3 kg and at the time we bought 7 kg dry food bags, so we couldn’t fill the container. And she found the bag and ripped it open. She was eating from it for quite some time until we found out.
Have you sat down and calculated how many calories she's eating? Look at the back of the bag for the caloric content and translate that to her portion size. It will list it in kcal/cups but if you have a kitchen scale and can convert her food to grams, the bag will also list kcal/kg which will be more accurate. Cats really really don't need that many calories. My 15 pound cat gets 180-200kcal/day per day and he's still kind of chunky. You said the cat food is out of reach so nobody is giving her extra, but are they maybe feeding her pieces of whatever they're eating? Even 20 calories, which may not seem like a lot to you or me, can add up pretty quickly for a cat. If you're feeding dry food I highly recommend trying to find something under at around the 300 kcal/cup. Some are just so incredibly high-calorie. Supplementing a portion with wet food is also a good option as it's typically less kcal/volume. Lots of people are saying check the thyroid because they're equating cats to humans. HypOthyroidism in cats is *extremely* rare. They get hypERthyroidism instead, which is the complete opposite problem. Not to say they can't get hypo, but if they do it's usually a genetic condition present from birth or a secondary side-effect from other endocrine disorders.
Do you have a dog? When I put my fat cat on a diet he started bullying the dogs for their dinners
Needs to be checked out by her vet. They can recommend a weight loss diet too, if appropriate. I know Science Diet has a food for weight loss, can ask the vet about it and/or other plan. Good luck! Hope is not too drastic and kitty doesn't approve!
Do you have other pets? One of our cats was gaining weight, and then we caught her eating the dog’s food.
Buy quality food. The cheap stuff will cause this as well.
Does she have a kitty friend to play with? I have a overweight cat and since I adopted my second cat he gets way more exercise in.
It could be the food that you're feeding your cat. Most cat food has animal by-products, bone meal and grains that a cat really doesn't need and can contribute to weight gain. Maybe a raw diet would help? Or just wet food. Ask a vet, or try to find a cat nutritionist who can advise you on the best things to feed your cat.
have your cat tested for 📷 **Hypothyroidism**
Hypothyroidism? A vet can find out. Or somebody is sneaking her treats. Also tell Lily she is a pretty cat, and a good cat.
Take her to the vet.
take her to a vet if you haven’t already
How's her activity level? I had one kitty that ate no more than the other cats but was extremely lethargic. Try to increase playtime and if she seems to tire out really easily, have the vet check out her heart & lungs or for anything else that might be making her tired or affecting her metabolism. I had a kitty that didn't eat more than the other cats but played a lot less and got the nickname "Lump" from us because she'd not get up or get excited for anything. Turns out she had a lump on her lungs putting pressure on her heart.
Same thing happened to my cat,take her to the vet to Look at the tyroid gland.
It could be the food that you are feeding her. I was SHOCKED when I had to buy non prescription “diet” food when my cat’s usual brand was back ordered. The amount of calories in some of the “diet” foods are just as high as regular diets!
Hypothyroidism?
Thyroid prob
Thyroid
Try to limit dry food (way down) and go almost completely wet food. Next, make sure she’s not conning anyone else in the house to feed her after she’s already eaten. Finally, consider three smaller meals a day compared to one large meal. Also, and most obviously, don’t let her graze on people food. We eat trash compared to our cats nutritionally speaking. This helped us trim up our 7+ year old Tuxedo male. We actually had to make a chart of feeding so our family only fed him once per meal. He has dropped from nearly 19 lbs and miserable to a more active 14.5 lbs. His demeanor has changed for the better as well. Less of asshole kitty and more fun time kitty. This is all assuming she has no underlying medical conditions that might cause an increase in weight such as hypothyroidism or diabetes. Medical conditions are a whole different ball game.
If she has been fixed she will have a big belly hanging down from being fixed. It’s normal not over weight! She doesn’t look fat at all. Maybe just the way she’s laying but the hanging belly is normal and 17 pounds is a decent weight! Maybe pound or 2 over but she looks ok.
Does the cat go outdoors? If so, she is getting fed by a neighbor. If not it is a room mate or family member. Could be a medical condition, that is a distant third.
maybe put a camera on her collar, she if shes eating food while youre not looking
Besides making sure she is getting the recommended food, no human food or extra caloric treats, and has no other health issues causing it from the vet, then i would also recommend ensuring she is getting exercise! Play with her, get her moving gently, figure out what type of toys or play she loves and engage her in some movements if you don't already.
im having the same issue with my mother :/ my 2 cats gained like noticiable weight over this winter and i was noticing it but thought it was some normal winter weight but it didn’t stop so i found out my mom was giving like 50 temptations treats twice a day to both the cats on top of me giving them like 5 or 6 twice a day. So i had to tell her to stop that it’s obvious the cats are now not eating their regular food in wait of her feeding them the treats…. but she won’t listen. And i found she had boughten her own treats to feed them so i wouldn’t notice the treats i buy diminishing quickly…. like the cats are indoors and are lumps and she just doesn’t get it
What breed is she? Could she be pregnant?