aceofkittens (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aceofkittens) wrote2011-01-26 02:37 pm
aceofkittens) wrote2011-01-26 02:37 pm
Your Sprat on a Diet
I thought I would post a little update about Sprat! When I rescued Sprat on May 1, he weighed a whopping and rather unfortunate 23 lbs. Sprat's current weight is...
...16 lbs, 7 oz! He has lost almost 30% of his total body weight.
Sprat is really a great cat. We continue our clandestine affair: no sooner do I sit down on the couch, he immediately joins me. Things with him and Chip seem to be getting a little better. The other day, I walked in on them cuddling together on the bed! They immediately sprang apart in guilt and shame, but I saw what they did there! It was so cute. So cute!
ETA: Everyone asks how I got him to lose the weight, which I should have written about in the post... duh! So basically, I knew from Sprat's case file that he had previously been free-fed dry food (hairball control). In other words, he was a dry food addict/junkie. Chip only gets wet food, so I put Sprat on the same plan: 2 cans (7 oz total) of wheat-free wet food a day, split into 4 portions. For Sprat, I alternate Fancy Feast (surprisingly not bad as long as it's wheat-free) and raw food from a local store (unfortunately, raw food makes Chip barf every time). They both get freeze-dried chicken as treats. Essentially, this is the "Catkins" diet - low in carb, high in protein.
However, I actually do have to feed them in separate rooms. In the beginning, Sprat was a slow eater, because he wanted his dry food and kept hoping the wet food would go away. So Chip would finish his own food, then muscle Sprat out of the way and finish his. :) But now, it's the other way around: Sprat hoovers down his own portion, then runs to the kitchen in the hopes that Chip is still eating, so he can steal the noms! :)
They have more or less equalized now at 16.5 pounds, but Chip is much taller/rangier overall, so Sprat probably still has another 2 or 3 pounds to go before he's at his ideal BMI.
...16 lbs, 7 oz! He has lost almost 30% of his total body weight.
 |  |
| This is what Sprat looked like when I rescued him. | This is what he looked like at the end of December. He's lost a little more since then. |
Sprat is really a great cat. We continue our clandestine affair: no sooner do I sit down on the couch, he immediately joins me. Things with him and Chip seem to be getting a little better. The other day, I walked in on them cuddling together on the bed! They immediately sprang apart in guilt and shame, but I saw what they did there! It was so cute. So cute!
ETA: Everyone asks how I got him to lose the weight, which I should have written about in the post... duh! So basically, I knew from Sprat's case file that he had previously been free-fed dry food (hairball control). In other words, he was a dry food addict/junkie. Chip only gets wet food, so I put Sprat on the same plan: 2 cans (7 oz total) of wheat-free wet food a day, split into 4 portions. For Sprat, I alternate Fancy Feast (surprisingly not bad as long as it's wheat-free) and raw food from a local store (unfortunately, raw food makes Chip barf every time). They both get freeze-dried chicken as treats. Essentially, this is the "Catkins" diet - low in carb, high in protein.
However, I actually do have to feed them in separate rooms. In the beginning, Sprat was a slow eater, because he wanted his dry food and kept hoping the wet food would go away. So Chip would finish his own food, then muscle Sprat out of the way and finish his. :) But now, it's the other way around: Sprat hoovers down his own portion, then runs to the kitchen in the hopes that Chip is still eating, so he can steal the noms! :)
They have more or less equalized now at 16.5 pounds, but Chip is much taller/rangier overall, so Sprat probably still has another 2 or 3 pounds to go before he's at his ideal BMI.
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Short answer: No free feeding and portion control. And Sprat really loves to play, so I work him out a few times a day with the laser pointer!
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Of course, it is not all sunshine and roses — not free-feeding means that I get clawed awake every morning between 5:30 and 6 a.m. :D
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