Q: Interesting article on pet obesity. I have been looking for some answers to my “fat cat problem”. I have two cats, one 4/5 and the other 10. Both need to lose weight but, when I have chosen a higher quality holistic food in the past they just keep gaining weight. My other option was the “vet” food option (Medical and Hills Prescription). I personally do not like the “vet” options. The ingredient list makes my stomach turn. I copied a portion out of one of the other articles (see below) on this website but and confused about how I figure out how many calories a day my cats will need.

What does the #30 represent and what does #70 represent?

“Inactive 10 year old, 13 pound (5.9 kilogram) domestic shorthair cat. Ideal weight is determined to be 9 pounds (4.1 kilograms). The calories that an average 9 pound cat requires each day are calculated as follows: (4.1 x 30) + 70 = 193 calories”

How do I find out how many calories are contained in the food I am feeding. Currently my ten year old is eating the Halo Seafood (dry). I would like both cats to be on the same food and be able to lose weight. Any advice you could give would be most appreciated.

Thanks
Terri

A: Terri, Thanks for your questions. I will try to clear up any confusion.

Once cats become overweight or obese, their metabolism slows down and it takes very few calories to keep them fat. Cat owners and vets alike often make the mistake of feeding too many calories and then are frustrated that even though they had chosen a “diet” food or a high quality holistic diet, their cat is not losing weight.

It is imperative that a cat’s IDEAL body weight be determined. This is usually around 8 or 9 pounds for most domestic cats (yes, even most of those 16 pound cats should only weigh 8 or 9 pounds…unless they are a purebreed larger breed cat).

Then the following formula is used to calculate calories:

[Ideal weight (in kilograms) x 30] + 70 = number of calories needed at ideal weight.

Than take that number and multiply it by 75% (0.75) to get the number of calories that your cat can eat each day in order to reach that ideal body weight.

The numbers 30 and 70 are just the nutrition formula for figuring out calories…you use the same numbers for every cat.

So lets say for example a cat currently weighs 12 pounds but his ideal body weight is 8 pounds. This means that he is 50% overweight.

8 pounds is 3.6 kilograms.
(3.6 kg x 30) + 70 = 178 calories. Then 178 calories x 0.75 = 134 calories.

This means he should eat approximately 134 calories in order to reach his 8 pound goal weight. He should lose approximately 1 to 2% of his body weight each week. So since he is 50% overweight it is going to take 25 to 50 weeks (6 months to 1 year) to lose this weight safely.

Some cats that are very lazy or very overweight need even further calorie restriction than this. So if you find your cat is not losing weight after 2 weeks on the new plan, see your veterinarian for advice. A common diet pitfall is treats. It is imperative to count the calories in treats and if you are giving treats, you have to decrease the amount of food you are feeding accordingly. Halo lists the calories in each of their cat treats for ease of calculating how many your cat should have each day.

The amount of calories in the seafood dry food is 400 calories per cup. So in the example above where the cat can have 134 calories, they would be able to eat 1/3 level cup of food for the entire day. Remember this is just an average calculation and if a cat doesn’t lose weight after 2 weeks with the calculated calories, talk to your vet about a further decrease.

Cats should also be examined by a veterinarian BEFORE they start any diet regimen to make sure they don’t have medical diseases predisposing them to obesity (such as diabetes, etc) and to make sure the rate of weight loss is safe for your particular cat.

Good Luck and hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Ask a Vet, Dr Donna Spector, Pet Health, Pet obesity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.