It’s been one month now since I changed the way Yella Fella is eating. As you may recall, I told you his vet said he was at risk of developing diabetes and needed to lose some weight. After pondering advice offered by our vet and by our readers, I made a choice on how to change the cats’ diet. So… how’s Yella doing?
This photo of Yella was taken this morning
This was taken one month ago. Yella doesn’t really look any different, but every good weight loss story includes before and after pics.
Pretty darn good!
I don’t know if he’s lost weight because I don’t have a way to weigh him. But he seems to weigh less, based on unscientific lifting of my baby to give him loves.
I can say his fur is softer. Yella has suffered from dry skin on his back, and that has greatly improved even though the heat in this apartment is drying my skin out.
Yella’s activity level is much higher. He likes to play, both with me and his siblings. He has put up more of a fuss when Hissy Fit Jones gets on his nerves. And he loves to lie beside me and purr, much like he is now as I write this blog post.
Here he is giving me a healthy dose of purrs yesterday while I lie on the sofa reading (Wuthering Heights, in case you were wondering).
This is a month-old photo. I can definitely see a difference between this one and the one above.
I am feeding the gang Friskies pate canned food. Why Friskies and not a more expensive food? Well, because compared to some of those more expensive foods, this is a healthier choice and one I can afford (here’s the guidelines shared with me that I used to make my decision). Yella’s no longer acting as though he’s starving and isn’t gobbling down food so fast I fear he’ll choke. I feed them 3 times a day. I leave dry out on a counter for the others and they do eat it, but Yella only eats at scheduled meal times. Once he can jump up on the counter the dry will be put away for good.
FYI, the other cats are also healthier and more active.
I’m grateful to each of you that offered your suggestions for helping Yella Fella lose weight and improve his health. So far, things are working well.
Keep my sweet boy in your thoughts as he continues his journey to better health.
great plan, i’ve recently changed my own orange kitty’s diet in the same way, with positive results
Posted by ksbeth | December 29, 2017, 7:46 AMYay! And thanks for sharing that because it helps reinforce I’m on a good path.
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 7:48 AMMaggie sets her own food intake. We gave up trying to tempt her with variety following vet advice. If she likes it, stick with it, he said. Dried food, meaty chunks, (not available in the 20k bag to save money,) not the variety with biscuits which is available in bulk. Oh no, her shaped biscuits have to be separate as treats. But saying that, being the only animal in the house, we can leave her food down and if she’s hungry, she’ll eat, but never to excess. Her weight has been constant between 14 and 15 kilos all her life (apart from puppyhood), so it suits her.
Yella Fella is looking great, and there is a definite difference in the last photos. Handsome puss.
Posted by pensitivity101 | December 29, 2017, 7:56 AMThere are no easy answers with pets, are there? There are 4 cats here and while 2 were a bit overweight, only Yella was obese, and I feed them all the same. Take care!
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 8:03 AMGreat positive results though and that’s what matters. 🙂
Posted by pensitivity101 | December 29, 2017, 8:05 AMGlad to hear it’s working for all of you! I quit free feeding 30 years ago, and quit feeding dry 10 years ago. I also feed Friskies pate and a few other pate only foods for variety, and added homemade raw and cooked in the past few years. They all enjoy great health and long lives. The same for you!
Posted by Bernadette | December 29, 2017, 8:03 AMThanks. I’m hoping the same for my cats and yours.
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 8:05 AMOh that’s good news and he sure looks content in the photos. You’re a great kitty mama.
Posted by The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap | December 29, 2017, 8:07 AMHe is a sweet baby for sure. Yella Fella was abandoned soon after birth and I bottle-fed him, so I’m his mama.
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 8:08 AMThis brought back memories. I had a diabetic cat and monitored his food. He liked gravy and all the gravy ones are high in carbs. For my 4, I use Friskies and Fancy Feast (the new cat will only eat FF) because it’s widely available and reasonable. I wish I could convert them to pate but they all prefer some gravy. I may try again though. BTW the way I weight Hazel (my dieting cat) is by weighing myself and her on the scale. Then I weigh myself alone and subtract. That won’t help if you don’t have a scale. It does look like he’s lost weight.
Posted by Kate Crimmins | December 29, 2017, 8:40 AMI thought about that but wasn’t sure. Thanks! I’ll try it.
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 9:14 AMhugs and lots of weim-power to you …;O)
Posted by easyweimaraner | December 29, 2017, 9:32 AMThank you Phinney!!!! ❤
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 9:41 AMHe’s Definitely Looking good and looks a little slimmer to me.Healthy weight loss takes time any way but he looks like the scheduled mealtimes is working so all good.sigh. with Speedy its a constant battle especially when you have some one sneaking treats and banana at night…..doesn’t help when he has had lots sent as Christmas presents so I won’t be buying any for a long time cause they will be all broken up to spread them out….should last the until Christmas next year,xx Rachel
Posted by speedyrabbit | December 29, 2017, 9:35 AMAh, the perpetual problem with treats. I have quit giving my gang treats so Yella doesn’t feel left out. In my case I’m feeling more guilty than they are feeling left out. LOL Hang in there Speedy!
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 9:42 AMIt seems his daddy has been sneaking more treats again so yesterday he had a good telling off.And I have cut back again on Speedy’s pellets so even less of those, now we just need to get Speedy moving a bit more even though he’s slowing down not he’s getting older,My baby boy is not so Speedy anymore,xxx Rachel
Posted by speedyrabbit | December 30, 2017, 12:53 AMGrowing older is tough! Hard to believe my guys are all 9 years old.
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 30, 2017, 7:42 AMReally?well they look Spritely and well,xx
Posted by speedyrabbit | December 30, 2017, 10:59 AMLooking good Yella Fella!! he definitely looks slimmer & from your post is doing MUCH better! Well done Jenn. You’re a terrific Cat Mum!
(((hugs))) Sherri-Ellen
Posted by NylabluesMum | December 29, 2017, 9:39 AMThank you! Who knew this diet would be harder on me than on him?
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 9:43 AMHe still looks cute but has a way to go on his diet. I’m glad he’s feeling better and is more active. When he gets used to it, he’ll stop complaining that you are starving him to death (his words, not mine).
Posted by Lynda and Duncan | December 29, 2017, 10:09 AMLeave it to you to point out the negative. 🙄
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 10:14 AMYay! We love good news!
Posted by KDKH | December 29, 2017, 1:26 PMSo glad Yella Fella is doing well on his new diet. That’s so encouraging.
And thanks for posting the chart. It was really easy to understand. I shared it with my sister whose cat is often a hungry boy.
Posted by somethingwagging | December 29, 2017, 2:14 PMSure. I can attest Yella’s transition to canned low-carb food has made a big difference in how much he eats.
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 29, 2017, 2:26 PMGood for Yella - and for you !
Posted by Mary McNeil | December 29, 2017, 4:58 PMI’m so glad to hear that you feel much better after starting current diet Yella Fella! To be honest, I like a little over weight cat, but it easily causes health problems like you now concern…. so we have to think what our cats eat….Oh by the way, it made me laugh when Jen talked about you like ‘ he used to gobbling down food so fast, I fear he’ll choke’ .I know it is not funny but just I imagined how you are eating….:)
Posted by eripanwkevin | December 30, 2017, 8:28 AMP.S. I keep you in my thoughts as you continue your journey to be better health, Yella Fella. 🙂
Posted by eripanwkevin | December 30, 2017, 8:36 AMMy diabetic cat eats Friskies Pates as do my other 3 indoor cats (and our outdoor cats although their dry food is a cheaper variety). It is one of the best foods for diabetic cats as well as other cats because it’s low carb. My indoor cats also like dry food but most dry food is high in carbs. They eat Young Again Zero Carb. It’s only available online and is expensive but very dense so they don’t eat large quantities of it. My diabetic cat also gets boiled chicken as a treat. The foods that vets sell for diabetes is really not good for diabetics.
Posted by Candace | December 30, 2017, 10:27 AMWhich makes one ask: why do they sell it????
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | December 30, 2017, 11:01 AMTo make more money.
Posted by Candace | December 30, 2017, 3:01 PMMay 2018 be a pawsitive and healthful journey for you and the whole crew.
Posted by Tails Around the Ranch | December 30, 2017, 11:47 AMAwesome job, Yella Fella and Jen! It does look in those pictures like Yella’s lost some weight, and we love that his activity level is so much higher. 🙂
We weigh our cats by first standing on the scale while holding them, then doing it again without them. A little subtraction and there you have it. It’s not totally scientific, but it works.
Hey, happy new year to you. Thank you for being our friends!
Posted by meowmeowmans | December 31, 2017, 8:51 PMI like when I’m going through a build up of emails and I find some good news! Cheers,H
Posted by helentastic67 | January 1, 2018, 2:51 AMHappy New Year!!!!
Posted by Rumpy's Kitty Siblings | January 1, 2018, 8:05 AM