Total daily calorie intake / Abnormal labs

[Marie & Kevin]

Hello everyone,

Kevin's diabetes has been under good control for the last year and he finally stopped walking plantigrade . My main question is at every vet visit we are told he needs to lose weight and I understand this completely. He is an indoor only cat in a smaller apartment with me and has developed arthritis over the last few years so he just doesn't move well enough to achieve weight loss. He is maintained on Royal Canon Glycobalance (I tried so so hard following the advice on wet food for picky eaters posted on this site but he just would not eat wet food) and has maintained a weight at 21lbs. Last year my vet told me to drop him to 3/4 cup of food a day which equals 240 calories/day per the Glycobalance bag calculation. I noticed since doing this his bloodwork of the last year has had a drop in his ALT (all other values normal). My question is is he getting enough calories/day? He does get some treats with his insulin as well. I know he needs to lose weight but when I look up causes of low ALT online it mentions malnutrition and starvation and his values were normal before when he was getting 1 cup of food a day.

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you

 

[squeem3]

I've seen general suggestions of 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. You don't want to cut calories drastically because that can cause fatty liver disease. Go slow with calorie reduction over time (ie weeks and months if needed) until your cat reaches the ideal weight and maintains it. There might be further info here: https://catinfo.org/feline-obesity-an-epidemic-of-fat-cats/

Have you tried toppers on canned food? Smear a dab of canned food on some dry food? Maybe freeze dried or air dried raw food? Air dried raw food is crunchy like dry food so easier to transition some picky cats over.

 

[Marie & Kevin]

I've seen general suggestions of 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. You don't want to cut calories drastically because that can cause fatty liver disease. Go slow with calorie reduction over time (ie weeks and months if needed) until your cat reaches the ideal weight and maintains it. There might be further info here: https://catinfo.org/feline-obesity-an-epidemic-of-fat-cats/

Have you tried toppers on canned food? Smear a dab of canned food on some dry food? Maybe freeze dried or air dried raw food? Air dried raw food is crunchy like dry food so easier to transition some picky cats over.

I read the same thing as well and even my vet verified 20-25 cal per pound of ideal body weight though he is saying my cat should weigh 14-15lb even though he is a larger cat and I have had several vets say he should weigh 18lbs. Even with me pointing out to that 14lb x 20cal equals 280 cal which is still more than he is currently getting at 240cal it is being suggested that I cut calories even further very slowly. I am just scared to cut him anymore even though I know he needs to lose weight.

I have not tried the topper idea and will definitely look into that. Thank you

 

[squeem3]

There's a thread with info on toppers and how to transition cats to canned food: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/transitioning-your-cat-from-dry-to-wet-food.956/

FortiFlora works for most cats. It's basically animal digest which is the same stuff many dry foods are coated in to make them yummy. FortiFlora is actually a probiotic but not a very good one at that so most people just use it to get picky cats to eat. Your vet may sell it or you can buy it online.

Crushed up treats work well, too. Low carb treats such as freeze dried meat ones are ideal for diabetics but use whatever your cat likes.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I'd suggest taking a look at the section on obesity on Dr. Lisa's feline nutrition page. She suggests taking weight loss slowly and weighing your cat routinely. One thought is that if your cat does need to lose weight, the excess weight may be aggravating his arthritis. On the other hand, you know how your cat is doing. I do wonder if you spread out feedings if that might help to increase his metabolism. Likewise, is there another food that is higher in protein and lower in carbs that may help with weight loss?