Yet another stupid cat question

[The Snark]

Noticing the cat is starting to look circular I weighed it today. 11 lbs, 7 months old. She eats a small amount of chicken about once a week, 3 or 4 small geckos a week, and otherwise, refuses any other food except a certain variety of dry dog food. She's lazy and bored, an entirely indoor cat due to several feline diseases now decimating the local cat population. Aside from building a treadmill, installing her and dangling a gecko in front of her, any suggestions on weight control?

 

[SPIDERGRL]

Limit the amount of food its getting. My cars get 1/4 cup dry and about 2 ounces of wet a day. If I'm just feeding dru they get no more thsb half a cup. They are 10-12 lbs and a perfect weight for them. I started measuring my kittens food after he got fixed.

 

[The Snark]

1/4 cup. Plus what meat I can get her to gag down. Got it. I forgot to ask, is there some reason why she only eats dry dog food? She won't touch cat food in any form and shuns all meats except tiny amounts of braised chicken? She won't touch boiled or baked chicken, just wok fried. Just a cat being arbitrary?

 

[Kazaam]

Give the cat to someone that actually knows how to take care of it.

 

[pitbulllady]

1/4 cup. Plus what meat I can get her to gag down. Got it. I forgot to ask, is there some reason why she only eats dry dog food? She won't touch cat food in any form and shuns all meats except tiny amounts of braised chicken? She won't touch boiled or baked chicken, just wok fried. Just a cat being arbitrary?

No clue why it only eats dog food, but I DO know dog food is not good for cats! It has too little protein, and lacks a vital amino acid, Taurine, that cats MUST have. Taurine is present in raw meats, especially fish, but cooking destroys it, so it must be added back to commercially prepared cat food. Without it, cats can suffer retinal degeneration, leading to blindness and a host of heart ailments, including congestive heart failure, with a build-up of fluid in the chest and abdominal cavities. Dogs apparently do not need Taurine like cats do, so food manufacturers don't bother adding it to their food. Is it possible to feed the dog where the cat won't have access to the dog food? When she gets hungry enough, she'll eat meat, but you will have to make sure to include not just muscle but organ and bone tissue, as I'm sure you know already. Cats are lazy, though, and indoor cats usually do gain weight because they don't have to do anything to survive, like running away from bigger predators, plus most are spayed/neutered, and that does change their metabolism considerably.

pitbulllady

---------- Post added 11-21-2013 at 12:43 PM ----------

Give the cat to someone that actually knows how to take care of it.

You DO know that the Snark lives in Thailand, right? Cats are not generally considered pets in that part of the world, but just street animals, with no value at all for the most part. Most people would not even consider actually keeping a cat and taking care of it, but would just let it run loose and survive as best as it could. Commercial products made for cats are not easy to come by in many parts of the world, because few people would even think of spending money on an animal that they basically thought was worthless, so the cat is extremely lucky to have found someone who actually IS making an effort to care for her and treat her as a pet, not street vermin. That's pretty much how it was here in the Southeastern US throughout most of my own childhood; cats were worthless other than their assumed role of rodent control and no one would have thought of spending money to feed a cat, let alone take it to the vet's if something happened to it. They were just more or less thought of as wild animals that were equal parts pest and pest control, but not PETS.

pitbulllady

 

[Kazaam]

so the cat is extremely lucky to have found someone who actually IS making an effort to care for her and treat her as a pet, not street vermin.

Except that he treats his cat as street vermin, so we're not getting much further here.

 

[BobGrill]

Just ignore him. I know it's hard but we're all just better off if we don't give the trolls the attention they seek.

It's very difficult for people in many parts of the world, including my own, where cats are kept as domestic animals, to really understand cats being seen as simply street animals. It's sad, but it's just a part of life over there. Anyway, a good thing to do is to ration the cat when it comes to feedings. What a lot of people (my mother included) do is simply fill up the cat's bowl and let it graze whenever it wants to. This would most likely explain why one of mine is pretty overweight. Also, as was suggested, give it cat food not dog food. After all it is a CAT

 

[zonbonzovi]

Give the cat to someone that actually knows how to take care of it.

Is this your standard reply to nearly everything? It's getting old. We get it. You're smug and curmudgeonly. How very clever. :sarcasm: So why don't you either take a break or put a little more effort into posting, eh? That's not a request, BTW.

 

[Kazaam]

Is this your standard reply to nearly everything?

It's not my fault that people don't think twice before getting a pet.

 

[Bigboy]

It's not my fault that people don't think twice before getting a pet.

No, how others behave and what they do in their lives is not your fault, that is correct. What is your fault is your behavior, and so far you have been behaving like a spoiled child whose only satisfaction in life is getting a rise out of others by being rude.

Make meaningful contributions to threads or don't make any at all. There is no place here for people who make a habit of behaving like rude children.

 

[Kazaam]

Being rude? I'm simply giving him advice.

 

[pitbulllady]

It's not my fault that people don't think twice before getting a pet.

If you'd been here long enough, darling, you'd know that Snark did NOT go out and "get" a cat. The cat showed up, a stray, if I recall correctly. He had three choices: kill it immediately, ignore it and allow whatever happened, to happen(and the life spans of cats in that part of the world, or ANYWHERE that cats are simply feral vermin, is notoriously short and painful), or he could take it in and care for it as best possible given the resources at hand. Like I said, cats in Thailand are not typically regarded as valued pets. Products made specifically for cats, like cat FOOD, are going to be difficult, if not impossible to find. It's not like the US or most European countries where you can simply drive to a chain supermarket and buy cat food, cat toys, etc. That's a totally different situation from someone saying, "oh, I'm going to get myself a cat", and having no idea how to care for a cat. There aren't animal shelters there, no cat rescues, that can take in an unwanted cat. Veterinarians are few and far between. This is a totally different world from your little Utopia. The cat is actually very, very fortunate to have found someone willing to feed it, protect and it care for it AT ALL, considering that cats are not regarded as pets there. There are no "someones who actually knows how to take care of it", as "taking care" of an animal that is typically thought of as useless or even regarded as bad luck usually involved killing the cat, or leaving it to scrounge for whatever it can find and take its chances with diseases, predators, cars, etc. Now, while it might not be your fault that people who DO actively go out and get pets don't always think twice to see what's involved in caring for them, it IS your fault for not bothering to do a bit of research or pay attention to what I said about where The Snark lives and how that is different from where YOU live, in terms of how people treat animals. He does NOT "treat his cat as street vermin", otherwise why would he even bother ASKING about how to get it to eat something other than dog food that isn't good for it? Why would he even bother feeding the cat, AND keeping it INSIDE HIS HOME, if he was treating it as "street vermin", hmm?

pitbulllady

 

[The Snark]

I appreciate the info and have something to work with now. I'm going to try to 'force' the cat into a sensible diet. I admit I have permitted it to bully me. If it doesn't get what it wants it harasses me, in my face or underfoot, meowing constantly. Normally it simply is not my way to impose my will and desires on animals. That is the reason we don't keep pets, just rescuees.

I am tempted to ask that this thread be closed, but not yet. These personal attacks are revealing and worth taking a little time to try to understand the thinking behind them.

So in keeping this going, what am I supposed to do? Be the hard hearted, give the cat only what it should eat and ignore it's resistance? Of character note, I find doing that little different than a bullet and bury it out with the other failed rescue attempts.


As an afterthoiught, something interesting that I'd like to hear comments on. We have various animal rescue efforts here which I personally feel are misguided by that's a different thing altogether. One couple sponsored by a large organization was going to all the temples where unwanted animals gravitate or are abandoned at. They administered ivermectin and massive vitamin shots. All strays have mange and live on a diet primarily of rice and thus nearly all have rickets. They and their organization underestimated the problem somewhat and quickly ran out of funds.
So AB animal lovers, what is your take on their efforts? Your suggestions?

 

[Aviara]

Cats are obligate carnivores. When it comes to commercial food, few brands cut it for cats and cats should not be fed kibble - dry food - regardless of brand. The best thing for your cat is to let it hunt or offer it a variety of meats - about 90% meat and edible bones (edible bones include smaller chicken bones such as wing bones and bones of whole animals such as mice, rabbits, geckos, etc.), 5% liver and 5% other organs, not including the heart as it is mostly muscle tissue. Cats cannot digest and therefore should not consume any grain product or any other plant-derived ingredient. Unlike dogs which are preferential carnivores, cats are obligate carnivores and as such they will not scavenge plant matter when prey is unavailable.

In terms of vitamin supplementation, you will need to do your own research as this topic is far too vast and debated to summarize information here. The best thing is to either offer live/prekilled whole prey (if you have it available and your cat will eat it), but making "frankenprey" is also a valid option. Commercial diets are poor at best, but wet food is far superior to dry, as dry food is very hard on a system built to digest warm, fresh meat. When cats are fed a natural diet of raw meats, they tend to self-regulate consumption and, barring a medical issue, the weight gain should be corrected naturally.

 

[jecraque]

Sheesh, I thought any trolling would stay in the PETA thread but I guess now that folks don't get to work out their anger issues anonymously on Youtube anymore the whole internets will feel the repercussions....

Have you tried other meats than chicken? Fish usually go over well. I have one that would do backflips for any pig product, despite the unlikely picture of a kitty taking down a boar or sow. As the others have said, dog food won't cut it, nutritionally. Hopefully you can get some offal for cheap and see if she'll bite. I understand the misery of an unhappy, demanding indoor cat, though, and wouldn't blame you if you gave in once in a while.

As for the rescue ops... I think people do largely underestimate the problem. My best guess would be to spay/neuter any strays first, then worry about medicating if there are still funds. The longer they're breeding, the longer it'll be an issue. I suspect it's far more complex than that, though--I know a lot of the quick/cheap neuter operations are less than sanitary, even in the states.

 

[PlaidJaguar]

Cats are notoriously picky and sometimes difficult to feed. Furthermore, a hunger strike can quickly lead to hepatic lipidosis, which is life threatening. My cat had this last year. The vet had to install a tube in his esophagus and we had to feed him a special food mixture via syringe every two hours for a month. Not fun.

So you're right in not letting her go hungry. Maybe you could try sneaking some cat food in with the dog food she likes? More exercise is always good, but that's difficult with an indoor cat. Does she have cat furniture or anything similar to climb on? We helped my fatty lose weight by leaving his meals at the top of a six foot carpeted post.

 

[Shell]

Give the cat to someone that actually knows how to take care of it.

Really? If you can't help, don't post. An overweight pet does NOT mean an owner can't care for it (sometimes it does, but in this, and many cases, it absolutely does not). Are you qualified to give that "advice"? Because I AM and i am a NOT telling the snark to give the cat away...

As a (certified) vet tech of 13 yrs, I've owned, dealt with overweight cats many times. I agree with cutting kitty down to 1/4 cup a day, and going from there. I took in a boy once who was 22lbs, on a 1/4 cup a day (with a couple tbspns wet also), I slowly got him down to 14 lbs (slow weight loss with cats is key or else you're asking for other more serious health issues).

And yes, cats are little jerkface bully's....don't let her bully you into feeding her whatever she wants, when she wants. Be tough, and she will adapt to her new diet/feeding schedule. Cats can be picky, yes, but they are not stupid, and WILL eat what is offered when they get hungry. Stay strong. I have a picky girl, who needs a special diet, it took almost a week to get her switched, but now she loves it.

 

[cantthinkofone]

Kazaam... What has gotten into you? You've just become a bit of a mean one. And to agree with the others most of your posts are just complaining and mean.

 

[The Snark]

A LOT of very helpful bits of info. Lot lot. I'm saving some posts on the desktop for reference as I'm an airhead and need things as up in my face as the cat is.

Please allow me to bounce some things off you people.
Lazy. It's a refined art form to her. Her normal exercise regimen is wake up when we do, claw a chair or two, stretching exercise, claw a box, claw my leg and it's time for a nap. The nap resembles torpor. On several occasions she has accidentally got locked in our closet all day. She doesn't even notice. When we discover the cat is definitely missing we check the closet, often having to poke her to wake her up.

The food and exercise issues overlap. She would get a lot more exercise, and catch a lot more geckos, if we let her romp outside. However, leptospirosis is presently rampant around here along with other diseases the government won't talk about lest it damage the tourist trade, and on every occasion she goes out she gets loaded up with mites, fleas and other dermal parasites. And of course the road out front and cobras have removed our last 5 rescue cats from the horizon.

And on that note, as mentioned, she will only eat braised chicken. With the leptospirosis rampant, cooking everything thoroughly is mandatory. Any form of cooked pork, fish or other is completely shunned and ignored. And as mentioned, all cat food in any form is entirely ignored. We combined a $2 little can of gourmet treat cat food this morning along with some chicken liver and a fresh mashed up hot dog. It remains untouched 4 hours later.

And that brings us down to the one obvious solution for both problems and that one depends on the availability of geckos. She is completely obsessed with hunting and eating them. She even employs her humans in knocking them down off the walls and ceilings. (Either pamper her and become an assistant ghoul or she is IN OUR FACES: * gecko alert * gecko alert * gecko alert * gecko alert * gecko alert ... AHHHHG!!!) She even has us trained: please check behind all the pictures on the walls, shoot the water behind the toilet and move the dressers and chairs away from the walls.
So if I had an infinite supply of geckos my problem would be solved. But I doubt there is an ecosystem in this galaxy that could supply her demand. We've tried leather and rubber gecko chew toys. They last about 20 minutes per. Chewed to pieces and 'HEY HUMAN! MORE! NOW !!!'

PS I am presently laboring under the surmise that smoked liver dog kibbles tastes like gecko. Maybe my detractors on AB would be willing to make an in depth taste test comparison? In the name of science and correcting me in the errors of my ways of course.

 

[Silberrücken]

I am going to look & sound stupid, but....

The Snark, offer your cat canned, drained green beans. See if she accepts and eats them. Let it be known here if she does indeed eat some. IF she does, I will explain something.

If she does not, I will just look like a fool.

BTW, I am quite serious.