Fat Cat

[heartmama]

The title says it all.

We have two indoor cats. They are middle aged siblings and look almost identical. Except one is thin and the other is fat. They are fed exactly the same twice a day. Right now they get Chicken Soup for the Cat's Soul Dry Food--I think 1/3 cup but can't remember now. At one time I did homemade food and she was still overweight. Like I said though, her identical twin sister is a normal healthy weight.

The fat cat has always been food obsessed. She will eat ANYTHING. We have 2 house bunnies and she even eats their rabbit food and hay! This is a tough one to solve as rabbits need 24 hour access to hay--I can usually keep her out of pellets though. You can't leave anything out, ever. She will lick coffee, cereal, candy, scraps in the drain, she acts like she is STARVING all the time and has since the day we got her (5 years ago). I even have to keep the cat food and the rabbit pellets in sealed tupperware inside the cabinet--not just in the bags--as she will paw open doors until she can get the bag and then eats her way through the side of the bag!

I also have to isolate the cats in the living room at night, as the fat one will wake me up multiple times crying for food (if I move a muscle she races to the kitchen and looks back to see if I follow). No amount of ignoring her helped. She is that persistent!

What is the best way to help her thin down? It is easy to get lazy about feedings--i need to separate the cats at that time as the fat one will INHALE her food and then run over to her sister's bowl, nudge her, and finish her food too! This is the only time I know she gets more than she should--it isn't always practical to stand there hovering until ever last bit is eaten, making sure fat cat didn't snag her sister's dinner too. I need to get better about that.

[Dar]

Have you had a vet check her out to see if there might be something physical wrong? Hypothyroidism, or something metabolic?

If not, I've heard that wet food is actually better for cats, both to keep their kidneys healthy and to help them maintain a good weight, since the wet food is more filling... most cats who only eat dry food don't get enough liquid.