Dieting Your Cat? Proceed With Caution

Angel came to our Older Cats Program when she was

16 years old.  Her obesity had led to uncontrollable

 diabetes and other pancratic problems which made

 her life and her care very challenging. 

The recent death of the 2-year old, 39 pound cat “Meow” in the Santa Fe Humane Society Shelter highlights the feline obesity problem in this country.    Our pampered feline friends are often overweight – largely a product of too much food and too little activity – the tradeoff of giving up their outdoor life to have a roof over their head and 3 squares a day as indoor-only pets -- a change that has occurred only over the last 60 years – since the invention of kitty litter. 

Before then, cats lived outdoors largely as wildlife relying on what they could catch to survive -- which was typically a few rodents a day – and some days even less than that.    These rodents – typically mice – were the perfect feline diet – high in protein, low in fat with zero carbs – and because the cat had to catch the mouse --- they provided a source of exercise as well.    

Cat food –as we know it today – became available about the same time as kitty litter – in the 1950’s.    Purina had developed an extrusion process to produce dry cat  food – and to make that process work – as well as cost effective -- a large amount of starch was added to the cat’s diet – typically corn.    And the only exercise the cat gets from eating it, is the short walk from the couch to the kitchen, where many caregivers leave a large bowl of food out for the cat to munch on at will -- trusting the cat will know when they've had enough. 

For cats prevention of obesity is much easier – and safer -- than dieting.  Here are some simple guidelines to help keep your cat fit:

1.      Always feed cat-specific food according to the label on your food package.  Feed only the amount recommended by the manufacturer.  You may be surprised by how little food the cat is intended to eat and may be unintentionally overfeeding. 

2.      Feed grain-free foods with meat as the first ingredient – these are closer to the cat’s natural diet and should be higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. 

3.       Exercise your cat for 15-20 minutes daily.  Use interactive toys like Da Bird – or if your cat will tolerate a harness and leash -- take him for a daily walk outdoors.

4.       Track your cat’s weight monthly – invest in a baby scale -- or simply hold the cat while you’re on your scale and subtract your weight from the total.    A cat’s weight – going up or down – is usually a cause for concern.  Knowing what your cat’s normal weight is will help identify illness before other signs appear and will help you monitor their diet to keep them healthy and trim.

If your cat is already obese – that is beyond being “kitten plump” -- dieting may be necessary.   If so, consult with your vet before starting a diet and proceed with caution.   Overweight cats can easily become anorexic or develop fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis) if you try to quickly drop their weight.    This can result in liver failure and ultimately death – and can happen very quickly without you being aware until it’s too late.   

April Showers Bring May Flowers -- And Lots of Kittens Too

If you find newborn kittens nestled in with your daffodils and tulips this spring, don’t be surprised.  Unlike dogs who are largely commercially bred, cats mostly reproduce the old fashioned way – randomly.   And – with the majority of pet cats now sterilized as kittens -- most of this random breeding happens outdoors in feral cat colonies.   

These colonies consist of lost and abandoned pet cats (who revert to feral behavior for survival) and their feral offspring.  They reside anywhere they have a stable food source and available dry shelter:  in rural fields with healthy rodent populations and thick vegetation --in commercial areas with dumpsters (that attract rodents) and protective landscaping -- and in residential yards with outdoor garbage cans or food left out for wildlife -- using log piles, sheds, undersides of mobile homes or similar structures for shelter.   You may have feral cats living very close to your home and not know it because they maintain such a low profile – active only between dusk and dawn when they’re least visible to people.  But their kittens -- who are not mobile -- are much easier to spot. 

Feral kittens come in a rainbow of colors -- black, grey, orange, yellow, white, brown – and a kaleidoscope of patterns – solid, striped, swirled and patched – with fur ranging in length from short to medium to long.  Some even look like purebred cats – complete with color points and blue eyes.  They supply our shelters and rescues with a bumper crop of adoptable kittens each year – with the excess often put down for lack of homes or for contracting stress-induced illness.  And in spite of the number taken to shelters, more are passed person-to-person to friends, relatives and co-workers or through “free cat” ads in newspapers and on Craig’s List.  Still others go unnoticed and remain in their colonies permanently living as wildlife – often producing kittens themselves when they’re as young as 4 months old.

If a litter of kittens is born in your yard, leave them with their mother until they’re old enough to walk and eat on their own – usually about 4 weeks old.  Observe them --but don’t disturb them -- or the mother will move them.  Put kitten food out nearby at the same time each day for the mother to eat – leaving it out just long enough for a meal – and then pulling the remainder when she walks away.

You can (and ideally should) separate the kittens from their mother at 4 weeks – otherwise she’ll train them to be as afraid of people as she is.  Wearing protective clothing or using a live trap, very carefully bring the litter indoors as a group to socialize – both to people and to their littermates -- or find someone who loves kittens to do it for you.  No special skills are needed other than a desire to spoil them with lots of human attention.    When you start handling them, wrap them in a towel for your protection.  Socialization occurs quickly in kittens this young – taking just a few weeks’ time – and it’s most effective when it’s done in private homes (not shelters) where they get exposed not only to people but to other pets and household noises like TVs, washers and doorbells.   

While they’re being socialized, start networking to find good homes for them and -- whenever possible –fix them before giving them away --many vets sterilize kittens at 8 weeks of age provided they weigh at least two pounds.  Fixing the kittens not only makes them easier to place, but it also optimizes their chances of keeping their homes permanently.    Once they’re sexually mature, the persistent kittening, yowling and spraying often becomes more than even a committed caregiver can handle.  And – if they lack the money to fix the cats themselves -- they’ll face the tough choice of giving them to a shelter where they fear they’ll be put down –or abandoning them outdoors where they’ll have to fend for themselves – creating more feral cat colonies in the process.     

And – to prevent an encore litter later in the year –fix the mom cat too -- mom cats can get pregnant while they're still nursing.  When you separate the kittens, live trap the mother at feeding time and get her to a clinic for spaying.  Once she’s fixed, bring her back and release her outdoors.  If you can, continue feeding her meals --and if you find other cats coming to eat– get them fixed too.  If financially this is more than you can handle, check with cat rescues and vet clinics to see if there is funding – as there often is.