[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

1800.0. "Fat and Skinny" by SEDJAR::MIDTTUN (Lisa Midttun,261-3450,NIO/N4) Tue Sep 27 1988 14:42

    Help!  I am the owner of two cats with very distinct personalities
    and physiologies. Cinnamon- our buff colored tiger cat- is always
    either sleeping or eating- He's up to 22 lbs. as of yesterday! Our
    other cat, Raisin, is a long-haired Torti. She's very skittish,and
    will rarely eat from the double-bowled cat dish when Cinnamon is
    around. She weighs in at about 8 lbs.. I discussed their weight
    with our veterinarian a few months ago. Her recommendation was to
    change the cat's feeding schedules to twice daily for a prescribed
    period of time- this would eliminate Cinnamon's all day/all night
    feeding habits and encourage Raisin to eat when the food was available.
    She also recommended daily exercise for Cinnamon and possibly separate
    feedings for Raisin. So far Cinnamon's weight went UP 1 lb (from
    21 to presently 22) and Raisin's weight has gone down (from 9 to
    presently 8 lbs.). I admit that I haven't been as diligent as I
    could be with this, but we have made significant changes, and it
    doesn't seem to be working. (BTW- the vet. says that Cinnamon's
    ideal weight should be about 14-16 lbs. and Raisin's is 10-12 lbs.
    Also, it was recommended that the weight gain/loss rate should not
    exceed 1/4 to 1/2 lbs per month.) Any help/comments/suggestions??!
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
1800.1Diet time!PARITY::WHALENAnd may the traffic be with youTue Sep 27 1988 22:5616
      When my Noella began tipping the scale at over 20 lbs. and great
    rolls of fat could be grabbed on any part of her body, we both knew
    it was time for a diet. My problem was with 4 cats, they all wanted
    different kinds of food at different times. So there was ALWAYS
    food around. Well, that just had to stop. Now there is 3 feeding
    times, amounts are just right, so that there is only a little bit
    left after they all eat, if anything. No more food left in the dishes
    around the clock. Every moment of her waking time was spent eating.
    Now she gets "normal" mealtime amounts along with the others. It
    means I have to keep an eye open so she doesnt hoover her portion
    down and everyone else's as well, but it seems to be helping. 
    I just started recently, so there isn't a great difference yet,
    but she is a little lighter, closer to 15-16 now.
      And of course since she loves to run, we play chase and peekaboo.
    
                                   Denise
1800.2AIMHI::OFFENWed Sep 28 1988 12:1419
    When Thunder came into our life at three months of age, she was
    a normal kitten at mealtime.  She ate hers and everyone elses if
    she could.  Well, seeing that Deja is not a GOOD eater and has
    NO fat to lose, I took steps to stop Thunder from eating her food.
    
    I feed both Thunder and Lightning (Lightning takes no guff) in one
    area of the kitchen and Deja in another.  I put Deja's food where
    I can see it and watch for Thunder to come-and-get-it.  Every time
    she does, I lightly scold her and bring her back to her area.  Deja
    is grateful for being treated `special' and Thunder is learning
    "NO"....  I feed my cats twice a day and have dry food down all
    day. 
    
    Now, if I could just train Thunder to let me eat in peace without
    a cat on my lap ...............
    
    Sandi (Lightning, DejaVu & Thunder's mom)
    
    
1800.3Behavior Mod.-2 factors?SEDJAR::MIDTTUNLisa Midttun,261-3450,NIO/N4Wed Sep 28 1988 13:509
    Re:.1 and .2-
    How old are your cats? And are either of the "weight watchers"
    candidates nuetered males? My cats are about 4 years old now. 
    Cinnamon didn't really start to put on weight 'til about 1 year
    ago. (He was nuetered when he was 6 months old so that doesn't 
    appear to be the immediate cause of his weight gain.) I'm wondering
    how well all the behavior modification techniques will work for
    him because of these two factors. I can't imagine that I'll have
    too much trouble trying to coax Raisin to eat. 
1800.4diet planSKITZD::WILDETime and Tide wait for NormanWed Sep 28 1988 16:4618
Nick is skinny and needs weight as he gets frightened by almost anything
in life including the twice weekly vacuuming he has always seen, but never
adjusts to....a little dim up top...so I offer him special feedings of
canned science diet, warmed in the micro at 28% power for 25 seconds, twice
an evening - once at 6:00 P.M. and once at 10:00 P.M. - this way he gets
two additional meals besides the normal kibble I leave out for 2 hours
in the evening - approx. 7:00 to 9:30 or so. and 2 hours in the morning.
My fat cat, Sam, is a night feeder so he misses breakfast altogether
and he has lost some weight.  I keep Sam away from Nick's feedings of
canned food - it only takes approx. 10 minutes of guarding to take care of
it.  It has worked to put weight on Nick.  Now I have started leaving
the kibble (Science Diet or Iames) down all the time again as Sam is
not feeding all the time, being lighter and moving more seems to distract
him from eating all the time.  I also make him play each night so he
chases the cat dancer for at least 30 minutes.

	good luck

1800.5Exercise:How to?SEDJAR::MIDTTUNLisa Midttun,261-3450,NIO/N4Thu Sep 29 1988 14:1210
    RE. 4
    Now that brings on another question. I can't seem to get Cinnamon
    to be interested in any playtoy, which involves exercise on his
    part, for more than a few minutes. This, of course, is with the
    exceptions of bugs which occasionally get into the house- he can
    chase them for a LONG time. Catnip just makes his too aggressive
    towards Raisin - our scaredy-cat. Any suggestions? What is a cat
    dancer?
    Thanks for all the help so far.
    Lisa
1800.6play or rough house - it worksDOOBER::WILDETime and Tide wait for NormanThu Sep 29 1988 21:268
A Cat Dancer is a thin flexible wire with little "thingies" on the end.  It
has lots of motion, and seems irresitable to my fat and skinny guys....I
can keep the interest for at least 30 minutes at a time...check pet store
for it.

If you can't get 'em to play, make 'em mad enough to chase your hand or
a stick or something....anger can get 'em moving - and then they discover
they LIKE it.  Keep at it.