i could really use some advice for my cat..he's 3 yrs old and at his last check-up he weighed in @ 17lbs..way too much according to my vet, so my vet strongly urges me to put him on a diet of cat food from the clinic(Hill's Prescription Diet)..BooBoo(my cat) has been on it since May of this yr and has not lost anything in terms of weight..he was neutered when he was 8 mths old and was a svelt 9 lbs b4 he got snipped..am i just waisting my money on a food that's not going to work?..i'm paying just over $60 for a 10kg bag but i had a friend who's got like 3-4 cats and he suggested i try Science Diet(either the lite or the indoor formulas as Boo is an indoor cat)..any suugestions or tips would be most helpful..i only want to do what's best for my cat..thx
Hi there!
My personal opinion on Hills Science Diet is very swayed. We sold it at the vet clinic I worked for as a tech for a few years. Personally unless it is a restricted diet for medical conditions I think you would be just as safe using over the counter brands of catfood, rather than spending a ton of money on food that doesn't really help. I generally go with IAMS (though the "pro-biotics" have been scaring me) otherwise I would do something that is not Purina based (I have had some bad problems with it in the past) All natural foods/ restrictive food are also very good if you choose this route they can be pricey, however.
17lbs does seem a bit hefty, however if you take into account the breed/body mass index---say if you were to have a mainecoon possibly mixed in there--he might not be too terribly overweight. Looks for well muscled defined bodymass under the fur, no floppy pouch belly. If you can stretch him out with your hands under his armpits and under his back legs (look up how to do a "showcat stretch") and don't have any floppyness over your hands then he should be around the correct weight.
I find looking for a food with limited "fillers" and "by-products" going for foods that have a meat product listed as #1.
Also don't rule out EXERCISE!!! Getting a tall cat tree for climbing (one that goes to the ceiling would be optimal)and various entertainment objects/toys to play with while you are away are always a great idea. Coupling this with a lower fat high quality diet should leave you with a lean muscled kitty cat in no time!!