Cat can't groom her backend anymore

Regarding the "free-feeding" debate, there are clearly two schools of thought. Yours, and the other side which believes that leaving food out all the time prevents the cat from getting frustrated, as they’ll usually self-regulate, with a few exceptions.

In the wild, as you know better than I do, cats will eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. It’s not two big kills morning and night.

My cats aren’t obese; two of them are a bit on the chunky side, but they have outdoor access so they still get plenty of exercise. A cat that puts on weight is one that can’t self-regulate and/or eats out of boredom. I’m keen for them to maintain a healthy weight to avoid any secondary health issues, but I also adapt to their individual needs.

In my experience, an all-wet food diet led to this: too long a gap between meals meant they got hungry and ended up vomiting bile in the morning because of an empty stomach. After trying a few things, I’ve settled on wet food morning and night, plus a small bowl of dry food in individual portions for each cat, just to keep the greedy ones in check.

Does a BARF diet keep them fuller for longer? Possibly, but I don't do it and don't intend to. It feels a bit like a "revolutionary" new trend where we don't know enough about the long-term benefits or risks. Besides, it’s a practice that requires expert knowledge of feline nutrition; not everyone shares your passion, and switching to raw feeding can do more harm than good (vets are already starting to see the consequences in their surgeries).

Look, if it’s working well for you, that’s great, but we shouldn't generalise. Everyone does their best based on their own cats' needs.

If this lady’s cat prefers dry food, there are other ways to help her lose weight—weight-management kibble, puzzle feeders, and so on.

@Norpenna

The idea that cats need to graze all day is a complete myth created by the pet food industry. It’s somewhat justified because dry food takes a very long time to digest, so eating small amounts is less of a strain on the system, but it means the cat is constantly digesting. It’s just conditioning that everyone goes along with, and then you end up feeling guilty, like you do, because you’re out of the house.

Free-feeding is the absolute enemy of the overweight cat. If a cat is obese, it’s precisely because they have food available to them 24/7. They aren’t like cows, chickens, or pigs that eat non-stop; they are carnivores.

Any vet will tell you to restrict their portions, but then your overweight cat will just scoff everything at once and start pestering you for more the moment you get back, which can drive you mad. If you leave enough out, they’ll leave you alone, but they’ll stay obese...

Wet food should be given once in the morning and once in the evening, and if you want to offer a third meal, you can give them a little more later on. But a cat really doesn’t need to have food available all the time.

My cats (even though they are on a raw diet, it’s the same principle) eat once at 7 am and then again around 8.30 pm—basically every 12 hours—and the rest of the time they don’t beg or hang around their bowls every five minutes.

My advice on grain-free wet food for a cat that is already overweight is that there are numerous benefits:

It isn’t left out for free-feeding

The cat feels full much quicker

Digestion time is much shorter

There are no carbs

Hydration is optimal

Portion control is much easier

A quarter of the calories

Much higher nutritional quality...

For context, on their raw diet, my cats only have two meals a day. The daily amount is constant, but sometimes they leave some or even skip a meal entirely for a few days...

They actually eat less when the temperature rises (they have access outside via the balcony), so the summer rations are a bit lighter than the winter ones.

Best regards

I have two spayed female cats, and neither of them is overweight. My Norwegian Forest Cat has a massive appetite. I mainly feed her wet food, giving her tiny portions several times a day. On top of that, she regularly scoffs down half a field mouse or whatever else she’s caught, plus any bits and bobs she’s managed to beg for while we’re eating. She’s a total glutton, yet she’s still a bit on the small side for her breed.

Hi, thanks for your advice. Ever since they arrived, I’ve wanted to feed them wet food, but unfortunately, they weren’t having any of it. And they are very stubborn cats, believe me! Normally, as they are quite leggy and long, they should weigh a maximum of about 13 lbs as adults. My girl should really be at least 4.5 lbs lighter. And since females are usually slightly smaller than males, maybe even 12 lbs. What sort of portions would you recommend (if I can actually get them to accept wet food)?

Many thanks for your reply.

However, I’m still wondering why the female put on weight at such a young age, while the male is at a healthy weight? Do you have any ideas? Thanks for everything.

Hi Babhy

Vets are absolutely useless when it comes to nutrition; their advice is only fit for the bin.

Behind those white coats, they’re mostly just dry food salesmen working for the big corporations that funded their degrees, conferences, and practices. Sadly, it’s the pets who pay the price for this money-spinning racket—the same pets you then take back to them for treatment (the irony!).

Switch your cat to an exclusively wet food diet, grain-free of course. What makes cats put on weight is the ridiculous amount of carbs found in this industrial food, which is made of cheap scraps and fillers then sold at a premium.

In the wild, cats don’t eat carbs; their bodies synthesise them if needed.

Wet food is much more filling than dry food and better meets their nutritional needs. It stops them from gorging on dry food and those useless carbs that just turn into fat.

Steer clear of vet-recommended or supermarket brands. On sites like Zooplus, you can find grain-free wet food brands like Animonda Carny, Feringa, Mac’s, or Catz Finefood. They offer decent value for money and are far better suited to what a cat actually needs.

During the transition, you might want to try a course of probiotics (like Fortiflora) to reduce the risk of diarrhoea.

If you need help working out the daily portions, let me know his current weight and what his target weight should be (roughly, in lbs or stones and lbs).

Best regards