With all the big issues in play, both in local and national elections and in world affairs, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’m celebrating a small bit of progress on a totally different kind of issue.
1.76.
That is, 1.76 ounces.
That’s how much weight Duke lost in the last week after I tightened his dietary restrictions.
Duke has always been a big cat. But when he was diagnosed with feline diabetes back in 2010, trying to keep his weight under control became very important. It can make the difference in whether or not his diabetes can be controlled.
Well, despite what I thought was a pretty tight diet, he’s gained weight steadily over the past year, weighing in recently at over 18 pounds. Not good. It seems he has gotten very skilled at quickly and quietly moving around the house at mealtimes, cleaning his own dish and then searching for any kibbles left by any of the other cats. He’s like a little fat ghost when he sneaks from dish to dish consuming all leftovers. And, unfortunately, it adds up.
So I made another resolution last weekend to become the cat diet nazi. Now Duke gets 1/4 cup of dry diabetic cat food twice a day. I would like to feed him canned food, but it’s much easier to measure and control the dry food, and luckily he likes it. I have to feed him in another room, and keep him shut in there until all the other cats have finished and I’ve picked up any leftovers. Then I open the door and he races down the hall to see if there’s any scrounging to be done.
1.76 ounces doesn’t sound like much, but it’s movement in the right direction. If he continues at that pace, he’ll be down almost half a pound in a month. That will be progress!
Measuring progress by the ounce, and at a pace that takes time to see any results, is a reminder that not everything moves at the speed of the 24-hour news cycle.
It’s an important reminder.
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It’s true that dry cat food is easier, but add water to it after you measure it to hydrate it. Cats are notorious for not drinking water because of low thirst impulse. From Pets MD website:
Cat Feeding Mistakes: Feeding Only Dry Food
“The biggest mistake people make is feeding cats dry food,” says Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, a California veterinarian focused on feline medicine and nutrition, and creator of CatInfo.org.
As it turns out, today’s domestic tabby evolved from desert-dwelling ancestors, a heritage that no doubt left our furry felines with their grace, hunting prowess — and low thirst drive.
“We know that a cat’s sensitivity to thirst is blunted compared to a dog,” Case says. “They don’t voluntarily drink water like a dog would.” And because cats naturally produce highly concentrated urine “we’re setting them up for urinary tract problems when their diet is low in liquids.”
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I’ve also read that natural prey contains about 70% water; dry food is water-depleted & only contains about 10%.
I feed my outdoor kitties dry (vegan) cat food with added water. It then becomes more like ‘wet’ and they don’t seem to mind at all. I’m sure it tastes better than a cockroach. >.<
Thanks for all you do for Duke.
Congratulations! 1.76 oz. is 1.76 oz. I know that it is a huge challenge to keep Duke on a strict diet when there are so many cat dishes for him to steal from. Meanwhile, we struggle to help our Kaniba, almost 18 years old, sassy but not fat, keep her weight above six pounds!