My cat is going into a weight loss clinical study

no thoughts at all? My posts continue to go ignored.

That sounds cool. Check back tonight because more people check in then. I am not a cat specialist but I think it would be good to get some of the excess weight off. Do you get to take him out if he does not accept the new food? I bet he will like it.

Good luck to you.

doxie

Is your cat a Maine Coon, because they are large, or does he have a huge tummy making it obvious that he is overweight? When I was in rescue, I was presented with an overwieght cat. In addition to feeding less, I exercised her with a cat top on a wire which looks like a bug as it dances across the floor. It makes cats crazy chasing it, lol, and she did lose weight.

not a Maine coon but his daddy was a big ole tom cat that roamed around the horsebarn. He has been a big cat since he was a year old. I look at pictures of overweight cats and they say they will not have a waistline. Well, he does have a waist, his chest is quite big from the shoulders down to his abdomen.

I always thought he was just a big cat with a unique body but he does weigh more than he should according to the vet. So hopefully we'l see at the evaluation. He has been checked twice in his life for thyroid condition but does not have tat problem. Either way, he is a big sweetie and a big scaredy cat. His "sisters' OTOH are big brave kitties.

I don't think 18 pounds is that big for a tom cat.

Gosh, do you just want support for your decision. I struggle with what to say, because there is no way I'd feed Royal Canin to my fur babies. So a study with their food would not be a choice I'd make. Just look at the ingredient list of their spayed/neutered appetite control 7+ in order

Corn, chicken meal, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, wheat, powdered cellulose

Cats are not biologically designed to be eating corn, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, wheat or powdered cellulose. Plus the fact that all those grains ( cats are obligate carnivores) is spread out over 5 different ingredients shows there is little meat in this food.

If they aren't raw fed then the next best alternative is feeding a wet food ( dry food isn't healthy for cats) that is meat based with no grains.

On 3/24/2015 mochachino said:

not a Maine coon but his daddy was a big ole tom cat that roamed around the horsebarn. He has been a big cat since he was a year old. I look at pictures of overweight cats and they say they will not have a waistline. Well, he does have a waist, his chest is quite big from the shoulders down to his abdomen.

I always thought he was just a big cat with a unique body but he does weigh more than he should according to the vet. So hopefully we'l see at the evaluation. He has been checked twice in his life for thyroid condition but does not have tat problem. Either way, he is a big sweetie and a big scaredy cat. His "sisters' OTOH are big brave kitties.

From your description, he doesn't sound overweight for his frame. He just sounds like a big cat. Hopefully at the evaluation they will tell you he is healthy and of proper weight for his size.

On 3/24/2015 jaxs mom said:

Gosh, do you just want support for your decision. I struggle with what to say, because there is no way I'd feed Royal Canin to my fur babies. So a study with their food would not be a choice I'd make. Just look at the ingredient list of their spayed/neutered appetite control 7+ in order

Corn, chicken meal, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, wheat, powdered cellulose

Cats are not biologically designed to be eating corn, corn gluten meal, wheat gluten, wheat or powdered cellulose. Plus the fact that all those grains ( cats are obligate carnivores) is spread out over 5 different ingredients shows there is little meat in this food.

If they aren't raw fed then the next best alternative is feeding a wet food ( dry food isn't healthy for cats) that is meat based with no grains.

no, I thought others might have some input into this food as I never used it, and also thought I could see if anyone else has a cat that big.

I am actually retired as a Vet Tech and did a study on pet food so I do know the pitfalls of all the junk they put in food, that's why I have been feeding mine good food. But I plan to ask the vet a lot of questions and see what he says about this food. Perhaps for the study Royal Canin has developed a new food that is only going to be available at vets offices. I know they carry other pet food that is not found anywhere else.

Ok great, sometimes I'm not sure what to post when people ask about pet food because I really don't want to come off as rude but it's something that is really important to me.

I have two cats with a large frame but my older one has always been on the thin side as far as body condition. I even had a vet tell me that if he filled out he'd be really big. This boy has been skinny since we got his as a kitten, even back when I was still free feeding. My other large framed cat had a huge papa but he isn't full grown yet so we're waiting to see how big he gets. His mom was small though and so is his sister so that could mitigate his size potential. Just have to wait and see.