? Baco update, weight loss still a problem, need help!

Hi everyone,

Baco still is not really losing weight. I did change her calorie intake a couple off weeks ago, she now gets food/calories for a cat that should weigh 4.5KG (9.9LBS) that means she gets 203.65 calories a day of raw food.
She seems fine, not asking for food so the amount is fine (I think) but as you can see in my SS, see tab 4 (Baco's weight loss LBS-OZ) she sticks to the same weight every week, she sometimes drops a little and then will come back up. But never does she really loss weight and stick to that LBS or go even lower.
I do see the difference between the calorie intake she got first (234 calories a day) she was higher in weight than she is now.
So I was thinking, and I want your oppinions on it, to reduce the calorie intake to a cat that should weigh 4KG (8.8LBS) ? That means she will only receive 188.80 calories a day.
I'm asking you all this because the fact she isn't really losing weight, or better said, not sticking to it is a real PITA
But what do most cats weight? Is 4KG (8.8LBS) normal for a cat? If so I do think I can reduce the calorie intake to 8.8LBS. If it's not, than I really don't know what I should do anymore to let her lose the weight...
I already find that the amount (grams/oz) she gets is really not that much but she seems to be fine with it. She gets it spread through the day, 4 times a day she gets food, and really not even asking for more so that should be fine.
I know that my other cat Minnie weights around 3KG (6.6LBS +/-) and I find him so tiny and you can really feel his bones you know? It's not that he doesn't eat, believe me he does eat, but he never puts on the weight so I just came to terms with it that he will always be a tiny skinny cat, he's also already a little bit of a senior, being 13 years old so i'll let him be, he's healthy that's what counts.


Hope to hear some great advice!

ps, she just gave me a beautiful 67

 

What category do you think Baco falls into. Sometimes it is easier to look at the actual body shape to determine where ideal weight should be.

 

Well I would say TOO heavy without a doubt, and then number 6 or 7.
She has a really skinny head but the fat around her belly.... that's the real problem here.

 

OK..then "fatty" needs to get into bathing suit weight . You can try to cut back on the calories she is getting but you don't want to get too low. Weight loss should be slow so as not to cause any liver problems. Is there anyway you can get her to exercise more?

ETA How much weight has she lost in what period of time?

 

hahahahahaha you made me laugh so hard Mary Ann! hahahah
Yes she really needs to get in that bikini next summer 2017!

Well that's why I was asking about the calorie intake reduction. I give her food for a cat that should weight 4.5KG but I want to change that to 4KG (9.9LBS to 8.8LBS) So it's not a big step I'm taking here, I did it already in the past, I reduced it with steps of 0.50KGS. So I think it should be fine. But I was just asking it because I didn't know what the 'ideal' weight is for a kitty so at this time, changing it to 4KG I was like, mmm, is that okay? or is that too less for her considering she weights 7KG (15.4LBS)?
But I think not then, also the fact she doesn't seem to mind that she is getting less food than she was used to a couple of months ago.

No, she is absolutely really lazy I bought her a laser pen and she does like it but then I play with it/her and she runs after it but then after 5 minutes she will throw herself on the ground and give me a look that says 'i'm done, go play with yourself stupid human'
So that is about the only exercise she's getting.. She will go into the garden but it's not like she's willing to run there. She just walks a little and then after walking she will just lie there in the sun, reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyy lazy!

 

Lazy girl...humph..it would be so much easier for her to lose weight and tone up if she could get herself moving more. Too bad they don't have motivational videos for kitties

She really doesn't seem to be losing much weight even with cutting back the calories (just saw your weight loss tab..missed it before )

Since Baco is not hungry with what you are currently feeding her, you could try dropping the calories down to 188 to see if that will get the ounces coming off quicker. When figuring out how many calories a kitty should have you have to take into account that they are an indoor cat AND how much exercise they get. If Baco is a lazy-daisy then she could do with less calories in a day.

 

Again, TOO FUNNY

Well I think she doesn't move so much because of the fact that she is just a fat kitty..... Hope she is not reading this
If she would lose some weight I think she will move more, I think that works the same as for people, if people are overweight they also don't do much and the moment they lose weight they feel energetic and will go out more. It must be heavy for Baco to carry all that extra weight on her so I get the fact that she likes to lie down, more than to move.

yes right? she drops a little but then gains it again in the same week, so anoying! OK well I'm going to cut her calories to 188.80 for a kitty that weights 4KG (8.8LBS) and if that doesn't help I will again cut the calories.
Just like you say, she is an indoor cat that doesn't move a lot so she doesn't need the calories then! She is indeed a lazy-daisy! And if she does move, in the near future, more than now I can give her a little bit more calories again.

 

Good luck with this, Ruby. Do you happen to live in an apartment with an upstairs and a downstairs? I used to have a fat cat and I got him to exercise by throwing kibble, one at a time, down a flight of stairs so he'd have to go all the way down and then up again to get some treats. It is certainly not easy

 

Hi Carol, unfortunately no... I live in a studio, but it's on the below floor so I don't have a staircase. If I had it I would really use it haha.
I've got a tip from the dutch forum to buy a food puzzle, so that she needs to 'work' for her food. I am going to look into that, hopefully that will help.
The Dutch forum also told me that maybe Baco isn't loosing weight because she is on really small amounts of food and that she is in a 'safe mode' right now... could that be?

 

That is true for humans - when daily calories are below a certain amount, the body goes into starvation mode and metabolism slows so no weight is lost. Ironically, by upping the calories a bit, you can lose weight. One method is to change calorie amount every other day : go low on calories one day, increase the next, repeat - this avoids going into starvation mode. I don't know, but I have been told by my vet that indoor cats that don't move too much don't need many calories.

 

Well yes that is what Mary Ann also said. It's hard this weightloss game.....
I hope she isn't in starvation mode, I can't imagine because she's not hungry you know, she eats what she gets, she mostly eats everything but sometimes leaves a bit... but she is not asking for more food you know....

 

Hi Ruby.
Had a good giggle reading this! Lol
My recommendation is a fishing pole - I don't know what you call them there it's a stick with elastic on it and feathers or a toy attached.
My cat loves them she goes into hunter mode. The light pens are great but I think they lose interest quickly because they never ever catch anything real to bite and hold onto.
I don't let her catch it every time because otherwise she gives up and goes away or flop down.

If you can't get one I would be happy to mail one over for her

 

You mean these bad boys?

Well like you can see, this is the way Baco likes 'to play' just fckng lie there and let her mommy throw it into her paws otherwise she doesn't play.
Lazy diva!

 

And btw now you can also see that beautiful overweight tummy really good......

 

Yep...Baco's got a fat belly....maybe a tummy tuck would help

Can Baco jump at all...you could put her food in higher places, just give her small amounts at a time and make her work at getting it???

 

Yes she can jump, she just doesn't want too! Hahaha but she can, and she also can run, there is nothing physically wrong with her she's just lazy as f*ck!

And yes I would consider a tummy tuck if they would do that hahahahhaa! She really needs one, you see that her head is really small, but it doesn't fit right with her physic!

 

She is still beautiful, even if she is a bit on the rotund side. Any way you can come up to make her move would be good...even if she doesn't think so.

 

Well I will try as much as I can. I need to find a routine to play with her more frequently every day. Maybe the more I play the more she wants to play?

 

And yes I love her the way she is,, and if it all was healthy I wouldn't mind her being the way she is, but I want her to lose the weight because it's something that can make her die earlier or her diabetes can come back again, and we don't want that!

 

Once she gets started she may look forward to it. Too bad you couldn't take her for walks with a harness and leash. Although I know there is NO WAY I could get my two used to that.

 

No she wouldn't mind going outside though, she loves it but there are other cats walking on the streets here and a lot of dogs so I don't want to do that... She will get stressed and you know what stress can do... BG sky high. We also don't want that to happen! I though of going to a quit park with her but there are also dogs there you know, I don't want a dog seeing her, people here are crazy letting there dogs without a rope and then what would happen? Maybe attack her.

 

Baco must me realllllly tired from that 10 minute attempt of playing today
This is basically her everyday..... Eating, peeing, pooping, sleeping. What a life!
And you know what the worst part is?
She snores haha well it's cute but sometimes when I try to sleep and she is next to me I can't sleep because of her snoring. So sometimes when i'm in bed and she decides to join my BF and me for a good night sleep, I first have to poke my darling BF to stop snoring, and then when he stops, BACO STARTS TO SNORE! Hahaha so sometimes that is really anoying

 

You got it from both sides...poor you!!

 

Rofl! She's a diva!

 

LOL but seriously maybe you should try alternating her calories - one day low amount and the next day higher
If you consistently cut her calories too drastically, she is at risk for fatty liver (Murphy had that - the start of all his issues)

 

Well she can only get fatty liver from losing more than 1% body fat a week, that's what i've been by my vet?!

 

I'm not sure - only heard severe calorie restriction causes it - i guess usually it is one in the same

 

Mmm okay, well I will try this reducion for a week or 2. And if that doesn't help I will try what you are saying (on the Dutch forum they are also mentioning that, if this reduction doesn't do anything for her)

 

I know this is almost a serious thread, but I was cracking up LOL. I like the pic from post #13 - so cute on the floor.

Theresa wants to know how Baco got her name. It sounds like Bacon. Oh, and Leo snores too.

She does look chubby. Maybe a cat tree would help with exercise if you put a single treat up there. We tried the cat tree in our house last year. But Chinus and Scoobs literally had a pissing contest on it. We still miss him regardless.

 

Hi Ruby,

I've had many cats. The three I have now are numbers 7, 8 and 9. They've all been very different in size, weight, tendency to put on weight, etc. My first old girl lived to almost 22 and was never more than 3 kg her whole life. I had a small muscular male years ago who topped out at 4.5 kg (passed away at 18). I had a large, rotund female who weighed 8 kg and lived to be almost 18 (non diabetic too). Teasel is young, not overweight for his size - 6 kg - and is diabetic. He has a loose pouch on his lower belly. His brother is a muscular, large 7.6 kg bruiser who needs to lose weight and also has a large belly pouch. I've switched him to one 5.5 oz. can of Teasel's low carb diabetic per day because he should weigh about 6.5 kg. I think it's helping because he can now reach his backside when he's grooming. He's afraid of getting on my baby weighing scale though (bought it to track Teasel's weight). Their sister is a medium sized girl, not overweight at 5.6 kg.

I think that, like humans, some cats inherit tendencies toward obesity and will gain weight with very moderate meals. It's important to keep their weight down as much as possible while making sure the food intake is adequate to prevent hepatic lipidosis (I've dealt with that and the outcome was not good). You're already feeding Baco very low carb/high protein meals and trying to give her exercise. When mine were still receiving kibble as treats, I'd play the "throw" game with them. I'd throw a kibble and they would go run to get it. I live in a single floor apartment. I'd also go around my place and hide two or three kibbles in various locations and they'd have to go hunt for them.

You should keep doing what you're doing but don't get too stressed. Very small weight losses are beneficial and Baco might always be a little "curvy".

 

It never is a serious thread when it comes to Baco,, hahaha!

Baco is short (in The Netherlands) for Bacardi and Coke. That used to be my favorite drink at the time I adopted her, so I was doubting what her name should be, it was or Diva or Baco and I choose Baco, but regret is sometimes because Diva was a better name because she lives up to it.. Although Baco also, because how ironic, Bacardi and Coke is the ultimate drink with all that sugar in it, soo being a diabetic, it also is a great name for her

I got a scratch pool a real big one that she needs to climb to get up, she does that sometimes but prefers to use the TV cabinet to jump on to it….
She loves making her live really comfortable, again, such a diva.

I'm sorry for your loss Jeff, it must have been hard. Although we sometimes are pissed at them, we can not live without those little furry friends. They become such a big part of your family....

Hi @krisu

I think they do indeed, Baco has been gaining weight since the moment she has been sterilized, the vet told me later that some cats (probably Baco) gain weight from that surgery...
I know I have to prevent hepatic lipdosis, but I learned that that can only happen when they loose weight too quick, more than 1% body fat a week, so she's good because she isn't loosing that... She is indeed getting raw food, what is low carb but high in protein (calories) so it is really nice healthy food for her but she does need to have a food reduction as of today again because she needs to loose the weight, I've been doing this diet since the beginning of May and she hasn't lost almost anything.
I will try to excerise with her every day for at least 10 minutes. So like this afternoon I did 10 minutes of playing, and just now I played 15 minutes with her. Will try to do that every day, and if that helps and she looses the weight I will give her some extra food again because then she will burn it off by herself.
Well I would like to do the throwing game, but first let me try this with playing and if she will loose some weight I will do the throwing game. For now every snack she gets she gains weight again so not really into that....yet. Although Baco would LOVEEEEEEEEEE that game especially with those dry freezed snacks she has.

Well i'm not stressed, I'm just frustrated after doing it for almost 4 months and not a single gram/pound has come off you know... That is really frustrating.
I know the weight loss needs to be very small but if she would loose 1% body fat a week, what is good, she would have already been losing weight. For now she hasn't done that. She looses it during the week and then she gains it again....
No problem if she would be a little curvy, but 7KG is just too much. She needs to come down to at least 5.5KG. That isn't too much to ask right?
It's for her own good to be healthy and hopefully live a longer life. Also if she lost some weight I know for a fact she would be more energetic and more playfull. This must be heavy for her carrying all that extra body weight.
I sometimes see her front paws wiggle a bit when she is standing, that is all because (I think) the extra fat... and that's not good. And also she has 'trouble' grooming herself downstairs,, soooooo that's also not nice for her.

 

Oh and btw, the pictures you see, that is also the way she sleeps. She, I think, can not role into that well known ball anymore like normal cats do. Because her belly is in the way I think.. that's also something that i'm concerned about.
She really needs to come down as quick, but as safe, as possible.

 

Bacardi and Coke - mystery solved. Theresa will enjoy that. She looks very soft. Maybe some nicknames would be good. We always have nicknames for our cats.

 

Yes, I would be a little concerned in the sleeping position. If she rolls that could be a tumble to the floor. She looks too small for that perch. She sure does look comfortable.

 

Well she managed to sleep like a human, she never falls off the bed haha!
My other kitty does, although he's always rolled up like other kitties do, normally. But he, and I don't understand why, always falls of the chair or something like that. I think he's always so fast a sleep that he doesn't know where he is or something like that and then falls on the floor. Poor thing!

 

Poor kitty, falling to the floor. Maybe he meant to do that.

Maybe to get Baco to play, get a toy attached to a string. Chinus and Scoobs always liked that kind best. Chinus just catches them and then does nothing. Scoobs used to catch it and try to kill it, so they didn't last long with him. But those are the good times for both human and pet that we always remember. And it's good for the kitty too.

 

Hi @JeffJ , did you see post #13? I've got that kind of toy, but like you can see, she only will lie on the floor and doesn't really chase it.
She only likes to play on 'her terms' lies down and I need to throw it into her paws
So that's not helping. I've decided to play with her everyday starting since yesterday for at least 20 minutes a day. Maybe that will help her to find the energy to play again a little bit more.

 

Have you tried catnip toys? My cats aren't big on toys, but they LOVE these compressed catnip balls I found!

 

Yes, but even that can't interessed her......

 

We had accidentally had a ribbon in the house yesterday. Great to play with. But a person can't let the cat have it because they can swallow it.

 

Oliver was very heavy and excercise phobic. I did try one of those balls. You put a low carb treat inside and they have to roll it to get one out. Mind you, he only walked around and batted it (never ran) but at least he was up on all fours....

 

@JeffJ yes ribbons really do work, I'm trying to upload a video so you can all see how play time is being Baco........ haha! Will try to get it up tonight (it's night time in my timezone) otherwise I will do it tomorrow morning.

@Sue and Oliver (GA) The balls she doesn't like, even thought there is a treat in it, she really doesn't do anything with them hahaha

 

OMG I've got it up!
@Sue and Oliver (GA) @JeffJ @Bobbie And Bubba @Rachel @Kris & Teasel @Carol & Murphy @TempestsMum @Tuxedo Mom @Marlena (sorry for the overkill in tagging but I want you all to see it!)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9UgQvq-3dGNNVp4ZUt5ZXlPcFk/view

 

I'm talking about her weight loss in the video from today, let me explain btw:
She started with 15.47LBS yesterday and today has dropped too 15.29LBS.
So that's a 'big' weight loss so lets hope she doesn't lose that much this week anymore, if she does than the playing for 20 minutes a day is really effective and I need to bump up her calorie intake again.

 

She's so funny! What a Princess! Cats live life on their own terms for sure. You're doing a good job trying to balance calories in and calories out - not easy.

 

HA! She is going to be wiped out from that work out ! LOL That looks like Bubba when I would try a similar toy with him. Every blue moon, he will get running around. Have you tried a laser toy? Sometimes that will get him going.

Are you weighing at the same time of day? and how long ago did she lose any weight ? I found when I was weighing Bubba everyday it was making me crazy. He could vary as much as 1/2 of pound from day to day. So I stopped weighing him that often. Maybe just weigh once a week. Guess it depends if they drank a lot of water, did she poop? It can make you nuts.

 

Yes I've tried that, she does run sometimes after it but not that much.... She doesn't have the energy I think because all that weight must be heavy for her. So we will try this every day for 20 minutes and lets see if this is the trick for her to lose that extra weight!
Well yes I weigh her almost the same times each day, but indeed it can be poo or whatever but i'm not tracking that. I'm not home during the day due to work so I can't manage to track down who has or hasn't done a #2. It could also be Minnie.
And the water intake is also not possible to track because Minnie also drinks from that. But they don't drink that often anymore because they both just get wetfood, no dry food anymore.
It does make me crazy but I don't want to quit doing it because i've not yet cracked the code of her losing weight..
so the combo with calorie intake and playing (since yesterday) is hopefully the thing that will help her lose the weight but therefore I need to weigh her everyday because she also may not lose more than 1% body weight a week.
So if like today, this trend will progress this week and I wouldn't weigh her untill Sunday then we have a problem because that can cause that liver problem so that's why I want to make sure there is a pattern in the weight loss.
And when I find it THEN I will just weigh her once a week.

 

Well, even though I don't rate enough for a tag I have to comment. Baco, what's the deal? You call that play? You make Colin look like a frisky kitten!

 

Oh come on, I saw some walking there...

 

Holy smokes! Baco joins Leo in the laziness of the month club. Very cute though.

I think Baco exerted a whole 2 or 3 calories there. What an effort! Ruby - you are probably getting more exercise than Baco. On the positive side, Baco looks incredibly fluffy and soft.

 

Sharon, you do! I just forgot, you know I wouldn't want you to miss this hahahaah

 

Yes walking, for 1 minute, and no running hahahaha

 

Hahaha Funny ! Well yes, really like 2 or 3 calories i will go an weigh her now see if that 'playing' yesterday helped her lose some weight again!
Baco is indeed fluffy !

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9UgQvq-3dGNNVp4ZUt5ZXlPcFk/view[/QUOTE]

This won't play for me do I need to put an app on my iPad?

Scratch that I got it this time she's soooo cute!

 

This won't play for me do I need to put an app on my iPad?

Scratch that I got it this time she's soooo cute! [/QUOTE]
Did it work for you?

 

Did it work for you?[/QUOTE]

Yes! she's adorable

 

So she gained again this morning some weight but not that much as you can see.
I do think the playing is a real good effect on her weight loss. See here her weight loss:

8/21 7.03KG 15.47LBS
8/22 6.95KG 15.29LBS
8/23 7.01KG 15.42LBS

So I think it has more effect on her, she does go up and down during the week but that’s of course because she eats, and then needs to do a #2 hihi .
So I’m confident this new routine of playing 20 minutes (minimum) a day will help her lose the weight.

 

Couldn't hurt!

 

All those small losses will add up over time. Like humans, losing slowly is probably better for her. The video is very funny and she's so much like many cats - rest and relaxation is at the top of their list of things to do each day. Stick with the program!

 

When I was trying to get BOB to exercise and he did the same thing, I took advantage of the time spent and I did lunges as I threw the toy into him. I did this down in the basement so no one could see me. LOL Then I the idea of making an "Exercise With Your Feline " CD but figured there probably wasn't much of a market for it.

 

That is the funniest think Bobbie, hahaha "Exercise With Your Feline " CD!
Well did you manage to get Bubba to exercise? We are on day 2 and nothing has changed yet in the way she wants to play.
When I will come home today I will let her go into the garden because it's beautiful weather this week here in The Netherlands. (77F)
So and after that, it's dinner time and then after dinner I will play with her again!

 

The only exercise BOB got when he was house bound was leaping up the stairs to eat, true story.....

 

Ok well Baco, aka miss diva decided today that she didn't want to play (so this is a new one were I don't know how I should handle this) I tried everything just now, for 20 minutes but she even hissed at me when I touched her to get up sooooo after that hiss I decided that it was over.... Wtf is wrong with her today

 

Oh deary me, maybe she's cottoned onto this exercise regime! Lol I'd leave her then try again in a little bit or try a new tactic?

 

Well i will let it be for an hour and then indeed try again. She needs to exercise, little miss piggy is not going to skip her training today!

 

Haha! God love her! She has no idea!

 

Aaaahh ... now we need to address cat psychology. She's sensing that she's not in charge of her activity level and, unlike most dogs, cats are NOT people pleasers. She needs a method whereby she thinks that moving around is her idea, not yours. Easier said than done I know. You have her very best interests at heart but all she's seeing is her !@#&*!! human forcing her to move. I agree with your idea of leaving her alone for a while and trying later. Would it help to try in a different spot - eg. on the bed instead of on the floor?

 

I just read a comment online from the owner of a fat cat. That person moves the cat's bowl from place to place during its meal so the cat has to move to finish eating. The person moves the bowl to a different room or from the floor up onto a chair, etc. If Baco is a really keen eater, this might be something to try. Is she a cat that is very territorial about her food bowl when she eats - ie., would she growl or scratch you if you tried to take it?

 

No she won't so I will try that. I do that with every bite she takes?

 

No my house is really small so the best place to play is on the floor were she has the room to play you know.
I really love how you are helping me Kris! You are so right about cat psychology, it's so true!

 

The comment I read didn't say. I think it would depend on the quantity of food in her bowl and how fast an eater she is. You might have to experiment. Do you feed her as set meals at set times or is she a free feeder? I think it would be easier if it was set meals because she'd be waiting for it and just thinking about her food. That's good motivation! If she's a real keen eater, she would at least walk fast to where you take her bowl. Can she jump onto a low table like a coffee table? That would give her exercise too. Once she's slimmer, maybe you could make her jump up onto a counter in your kitchen. I realize that not everyone likes the idea of cats up there.

 

She is such a wh*re for food so she does everything for it! Hhahaha! And yes she can jump en stuff like that, she doesn't want to, but I think for food she will.
She gets little meals 4 times a day, 2times are when i'm not home (work or in the middle of the night) but the other 2times is in the morning and beginning evening so I can try that then! Try it for 5 minutes or so. See if that helps.
Thank you so much Kris!

 

I'm glad I've given you an idea for a starting point, Ruby. Who knows? Maybe this will be helpful. If she goes for it, later on in her training, you could try closing her in the bathroom, say, while you put tiny (the more the better) portions of her breakfast/supper in many places around your studio when she can't see you do it. Then let her out and she has to go hunt for her meal. You might have to build up to this. This is modelled on what I used to do with mine when I made them hunt for kibble treats.

 

Thats really clever Kris, thank you so much. I love the idea of making her hunt for her food! And I for sure know for a fact that the weight she is 'carying' is also effecting her in her play routine. She needs too lose a bit so she can feel energetic again and wanting to play.

 

@Kris & Teasel omg I did a little 'run for the snack' game and she totally bought it
I let her see the snack and I said 'come get it' then walked around the house for almost 10 minutes, jumping on chairs, sofa, tv cabinet, throwing it but then I would be there quicker to grab it before she did. But men oh men did she work out! And all that for one snack!
Hahahaha well nice to know that this works, although I already knew because she's a slave for food!

 

Hurray Ruby!! Was this with freeze dried treats or little bits of her regular food? Now you have something you can work with and change to suit the food, etc. And you got your exercise too!

 

Yes it is freeze dried, she doesn't get any other than raw food and somethimes does treats!

Well I already got my exercise yesterday, did dome kickboxing so I'm reallt having muscle pains already haha so this wasn't a nice exercise for me to do with Baco, I really hated it but oh well, hopefully she loses the weight!

 

Hahah sounds like you figured it out!

 

Ruby, don't despair over difficulties you're having with Baco's weight.
I think they are like us - thin and too chabby for no detectable reason.
With people calorie restriction does not really work long term as body tries to compensate and slows down metabolism. I'm not really sure how cat's metabolism works and whether we can apply the same rules as to people. And even with people we don't know why something works for one person and does not for another!
I'm struggling with Rocky's weight as well. He is 6.3 kg at the moment but I think he would be perfect on 5.7 kg. He lost some weight since July 19th due to reducing frequency and amount of food so he went from 6.68 to 6.3.
The lowest he has been in recent years was 6.2.
As you know he is on ketogenic diet at the moment, I might still just ever so slightly reduce his portions.
The problem with Rocky is he does not want to move because he is in pain from arthritis but I still try to exercise him as much as he would tolerate. He sleeps all day in the garden because it is so hot! Being occupied with other health problems I have with him I sort of put arthritis problem away for now but I'm going to start doing something about it a.s.a.p.
So, going back to Baco, do you think she might have some health problem which makes her "lazy"? I don't apply "lazy" to anybody because I think it is not fair as I think if a person or a cat does not want to do anything (does not want to enjoy life) might be due to an underlying condition either physical or mental. I'm a bit careful about it as I have a close person who is very up and going and does not understand other people's issues and labels everybody "lazy" hence my attitude to it.
So if Baco does not do much (and Rocky) it will be very difficult to slim her down. I agree with Carol that feeding different amounts on different days might be helpful since Baco is not on insulin and we have no worries about that. There is this method with people (again, I don't know if applying it to cats is the right thing to do) which suggest that to boost our metabolism you could reduce calories for few days then have a feast alternating amount of food so body has to work harder and does not think you're starving on low calories days. Actually I think it should be beneficial to cats as in the wild they would not eat the same amount of calories every day, on some days they would starve until next meal when they catch a prey.
I'm going to try that with Rocky if he stays off insulin (wish us luck).
Let me know what your thoughts on this are.

 

Well she lost weight again today (woehoe) due to my new tactic off her running for a treat.
Yesterday I posted here that she didn’t want to play. Then Kris explained to me that Baco is now well aware of the fact that she is not in charge of exercise , but that I am, so that it’s psychological right now for her. So I let her be for 2 hours and then Kris came up with the ‘treat game’ so I know she’s crazy for those dry freezed treats and I grabbed on and walked around my studio with her, trying to let her jump onto the chairs and the table, sofa, stuff like that for almost 10 minutes and then gave her her treat. She did not like the fact she needed to exercise for it but she did like the treat after the exercise! Well all that for 1 treat…
So she did lose weight today and I figured that a visit to the litter box (#2) is a real heavy one I guess.. So this morning I put her on the scale and her weight was 7.06KG(15.53LBS) and I was like, you’re kidding me right? Exercising doesn’t get weight on but it should keep the weight OFF. But after her weighing moment I gave her some food but she decided to go to the litter box and after she had done her ‘business’ I thought well let me check how much this would take of her original weight from this morning. So she went onto the scale and it was 6.99KG (15.38LBS) So that ‘business’ did weigh 0.07kg (0.15LBS) WOOOOOWWWW heavy business guys haha!

And this morning she decided, on her own, that I had some time before leaving for work to play with her! so I of course did that because I was like "what's going on? you want to play out off the blue?" So I played with her for almost 10 minutes.
Hopefully she wants to play tonight again for like 10 or 20 minutes.

 

This is great Ruby! I hope that Baco will let you build it into her routine. It might be good to do some treat "chasing" when she's hungry for her meal so that she's extra motivated - another tool to keep in your back pocket. Doing some training when they're very receptive (hungry) should make it stick better. And if she's receptive and motivated, then chasing a treat is HER idea.

 

Yes well she is hungry before dinner time so I will do that when I come home today haha. Again some extra exercise today. How great would it be to build it up to 30 minutes a day without any fuzz from her side??

 

Ok guys, i need some help here. I just picked up anti flee medicin for Baco and Minnie. I could force Minnie to eat it directly in his mouth... Baco on the other hand (aka diva) spit it out a couple of times, then I put it trew the food Minnie gets because she goes crazy for it, but even that spoon of Minnie's food with the crushed pil in it she won't eat. Before she got diabetic I would just let her 'starve' until she ate it, and I'm wanting to do that again tonight but well because she's on a strickt diet and stuff, is this a problem? Not giving her her raw food but just watch this battle go on untill she eats it? The pil is expensive so I don't want to waste it you know? It's €10 and only works for 4 weeks.

 

Hi Ruby,
Have you ever tried a pill popper plunger (don't know the correct name)? It's like a long (about 15 cm) narrow plastic syringe cylinder with a soft rubber tube end that has a slit in it so you can fit a pill there and the sides of the rubber tube will grip the pill. You pry open the cat's jaws with one hand, put the syringe's rubber tube containing the pill near the back of the tongue using your other hand, then push the plunger on the syringe quickly to shoot the pill down her throat. I buy these at my vet's office and find them useful. Some people are very skilled at popping the pill on the back of the cat's tongue with a finger. I'm not one of them. And it depends on the cat too ...

Here's a link to show you what I mean:
https://www.amazon.com/Mikki-Pill-Gun/dp/B0002AL6U6

 

No I don't have them, the vet does indeed. but you know what it is... She is batteling me to eat the food with the pill in it soooo we see who will hold out the longest..... She ate like 1/4 but then 10 minutes later vomits everything out.. She really hates pills so it's always a real struggle but I will keep that in mind the next time I go to the vets to buy those pill poppers. The vet has done the most pills already for her because I just brought her in to the vets and then she did it for me. But she didn't have time today so I decided to do it myself,, well that was a real failure
Well like I said, she isn't going to win this battle. It's for her own good you know, she needs to get the pill in because she has to be protected for flees.

 

Never give up!! Miss Baco is an iron-willed Diva/Princess .

 

Amen to that Kris, jeeezzzz she can hold this game untill tomorrow evening, believe me! She's such a diva in this case...

 

:/ don't fancy that! Lol hate worming tablets it's a struggle I'm thinking the all in one flea & worming drops are the way to go back of the neck and it's done. No fuss! x

 

OMG, Baco is still not eating the DIVA that she is.. But she just climed the couch and is seeking for my attention...
Trying to lie down on my laptop so I can't type, or just meowing really loud... She wants food alright..... but i'm not giving in! She needs to eat that food with the pill in it!

 

Fleas: if she doesn't have them, maybe she doesn't need the medicine. I agree with Kris, the pill popper is a good method.

Weight: sounds like progress. Now that the diva is OTJ, maybe you could make a new column in your spreadsheet and track weight. You could also graph it over time. I made some graphs for Leo on his second tab. They are easy in google sheets...well easy for tech geeks like me anyhow.

 

Well she doesn't have them but has an allergy for them, also my other cat Minnie has that. So I need to give them both those pills because if they do get bitten then they develope a real bad itch for like 3 months. So the vet wanted me to keep giving the pills to them because they both are not getting prednison anymore for that itch (because that's the main reason Baco developed diabetes) so in this case I need to be pro active about the flees..
Update, Baco ate everything FINALLY! Haha
@JeffJ I keep track of her weightloss, check tab 3 or 4 (don't know if you work with KG or LBS) but I will make some graphs. I'm one of those 'geeks' haha I have to work with excel at work all the time making analyses and stuff like that so I will make it for Baco as wel. Thanks for the tip!

 

Oh, that's good. You already have the raw data for the graphs.

Google sheets is odd. When you edit the sheet, the tabs are on the bottom. When you share the sheet, the tabs are on the top. I update Leo's graphs every couple of days. I don't know how to make the graphs auto include new rows of data.

 

yes I know,google sheets works different indeed, I already noticed that but haven't found the time yet to dig deeper into 'how it works' and get graphs and stuff like that... So I will maybe this weekend or next week look into that.
I think you should be able to auto include new data into the graphs (that is how it does work in excel, just add data and the graphs should update by itself) But I will have a look at it and if I find it I will let you know how it works!

 

@JeffJ I was curious to check it out and I did make some graphs now. Check it out (the tab is calles graphs) but I only made it for now in KG instead of LBS.
I figured out how to add data and that the graphs update it automatically.
You just need to select the data you want, but instead of selecting the rows, select the whole column. So everytime you add something it will automatically update. (it works the same in excel)

 

Thanks for the tip on how to auto-update the graphs. I'll fix mine.

Your graphs look real good Ruby. In fact they are all lined up, and neat looking. I didn't know I had competition. I'm going to have to line mine up too now.

 

You're welcome @JeffJ .
haha I guess you definitely have some competition?! Well we don’t see it that way, or do we?
I can help you out with those things if you need me too. I’ve got a lot of excel knowledge because I’ve been working with it for over 6 years and like I said need to make a lot of analyses for my job. I work as a supply chain coordinator so I need to make a lot of forecast models and analyses with a lot of data.. Well then you will learn quickly and the ‘hard’ way to use all the tools you get in Excel. And you know what? You will ‘think’ you know everything about Excel, but I don’t even know 50% of what is possible with Excel haha. I learn everyday new things about it.

 

It's a friendly competition. I'll figure it out. I'm a computer guy, and work in security audits and data center security. I see the charts as a good tool to track trends. Easier than looking at the daily data in a spreadsheet.

 

Hi Ruby,
How is Baco's weight loss going? Is she still keen to run after a treat for you? I was telling a friend about your funny cat and she said maybe you could try putting a freeze dried treat into something that lets its smell through (a piece of thin fabric?) and tie that to one of Baco's "fishing rod" toys, Then you could get her to run after it or even jump for it without wearing yourself out. Just an idea....

 

Hi Ruby I have see you are struggling with Baco's weight. My kitty Fritz is also struggling big time with his weight..... He was 28lbs at DX lost 3 pounds when we first started Prozinc. He eats 234 to 250 calories a day raw Rabbit, Venison or Quail all lean meats. It is so frustrating and I have lost so much sleep and stress over his weight. This has been going on what seems like forever.
I just read about weight gain on insulin. I am leaning towards believing this as I have been doing everything I can to get his weight to budge.
Fritz has gotten so bad it is major effort just to move around. I have tried to play with him with every toy under the sun, leash walks, free walks out doors he walks a few steps and lays down. I even put freeze dried chicken treats in a food ball for him to roll around the RV.
I do weight him weekly up a tiny bit down even a tiny bit less.

 

Hi Kris, thanks for asking! She is doing fabulous! She's at 6.92KG (15.22lbs) today! Sooooo great because if you check her weight loss in the SS you can see she has been under the 7KG mostely! soooo great, the decrease in calories really did the trick and also playing with her is the key to her weightloss!
OMG Kris that is the best idea ever! so funny you told your friend about Baco's diva behaviour, haha
I'm going to try is, need to figure out how to tie it to the fishing rod toy...