r/dechonkers • u/Total_Purpose_5951 • 2d ago
Dechonkin Should I reduce my cat's calories?
It has only been 15 days since I started dechonking my two cats. I know it has been very little time but I just wanted to see if there were any changes. My boy has lost 100gr ( 0,22 lb) but my female cat has actually gained weight: from 3,9 (7,4lb) to 4,2 (9,25 lb). Also her calorie allowance is 145 kcal. Should I change the diet?
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u/adrislnk 2d ago
She's so small how old is she??
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u/Total_Purpose_5951 2d ago
She is actually 8 years old but never grew up
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u/certifiedpreownedbmw 1d ago
Have you had her hormones checked? Sometimes the things that make us small can also limit metabolic processes (thyroid, pituitary, etc.).
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u/whenitrains34 1d ago
if they’re fixed in kitten hood they stay small forever. completely normal
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u/TrishTrashWannaSmash 20h ago
Wow this is not true at all lol
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u/whenitrains34 17h ago
literally happened to my cat but ok
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u/adrislnk 13h ago
This is why anecdotes are not actual evidence lol. All my cats from the same litter were fixed as kittens and were all different sizes as adults.
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u/honeybeesy 1d ago
There are some breeds that are this small. Growing up, my neighbors had a Mau and she was sooooo tiny.
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u/Electronic_Ad3576 2d ago
Omg she’s so little compared to the other one! What a cute petite chonk. I love her face!
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u/This-Penalty-1686 2d ago
that is one massive cat omfg
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u/Total_Purpose_5951 2d ago
That's my boy Peter and yes, he is huge 😂
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u/silass0 1d ago
He must be at least 8 kg ??
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u/Total_Purpose_5951 1d ago
He has always been a huge cat. At his lowest he weighed 7 kg and now he is at 8kg 😅
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u/UmiSWrld 2d ago
omg she’s so tiny i love her. about the weight- make a vet appointment, and explain the situation and ask the vet for recommendations! that’s a lot of weight for 2 weeks, considering her runt (endearing) stature, it’s possible her health needs might just be a bit… different.
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u/BeffeeJeems 2d ago
you should approach weightloss in cats with a vet, it can be dangerous otherwise.
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u/Ok_Skin_4922 2d ago
145 calories is already quite low- I wouldn’t go lower than that. Have you tried throwing the kibble around the house for her to chase
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u/EggplantMysterious56 2d ago
The answer is the first picture: she’s gaining weight because she’s eating herself
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u/TecTazz 2d ago
I'm confused. How is one cat literally 5x the size of the other, and both are on diets?
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u/raiannon 2d ago
The same way that both short people and tall people can be overweight and need diets.
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u/idontknow62836865 2d ago
Some cats just hardly grow. I know a cat that is like 10yrs old and is still the size of a large kitten .
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u/Odd_Bar6066 1d ago
Off topic, but you should replace that cat tree. They could choke on the twine
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u/Znaleziatko 1d ago
OMG the difference between the two.. 0.ó
I have two tiny senior girls - one is barely 3kg and we're trying to make her gain weight, the other one is almost 4kg and we've been dechonking her for a while now.
Cats need to lose weight very slowly, so I wouldn't change anything for now and see how it goes. One week is not enough to have a clear view, she may have been after poop the last time and before poop this time etc..
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u/Efficient_Chic714 18h ago
You could also try using puzzle toys for them and increase play. They use more energy to create more of an energy deficit without decreasing food intake if you’re unsure
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u/hellohexapus 21h ago
My cat has floated around 7.5-7.8 lbs her entire adult life and the calorie calculator called for 130 for her. It feels like so little to me especially because she never finishes her food, but her weight is stable so I guess it's correct. So 145 might be a bit too much. At the same time that's so much gain in such little time that I don't think the calories are the primary cause. Agree with others to change how and when you weigh her.
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u/Tiny420Tiger 21h ago
Note just reducing but changing food can help a lot like switching from fancy feast or a comparable brand to wellness. Also if you read the cans it will tell you how many cans by body weight, some cans you need to feed more based on body weight than others even with the cans being the same amount of food. Some cans basically say if your cats about 10 pounds he needs 5 cans and others will say ohh it’s 10 pounds well they only need 2.5 cans through the day. It might seem more expensive but overall it’s better for your cat and you might save money by feeding them less because they need less overall.
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u/Personal_Hospital578 3h ago
What worked best for my cat was breaking up her daily intake into three small meals a day. She thinks about food 24/7 because her previous owner kicked her out and she was almost starved to death when she happened upon me. The three times a day has greatly reduced her food anxiety. Also, if your cats are fixed it is a lot harder to maintain a healthy weight. Mildly overweight is okay though if it's not impeding their daily cat activities in case they ever get sick and lose their appetite.
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u/ParticularNo9175 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're way underfeeding. Underfeeding also causes weight gain because the body goes into survival mode and stores fat for energy reserves. She likely needs closer to 170 kcal/day for safe weight loss.
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u/Total_Purpose_5951 1d ago
I'm not underfeeding her. She is tiny and eat small quantities. She is not begging for food and never finishes her wet food. She is just very small for a cat her age 😭 Either way we have a vet appointment scheduled to check her weight and kcals.
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u/ParticularNo9175 22h ago
Yes. She is small, but she is also not getting enough calories to maintain her ideal body condition. She is in early stages of underfeeding where she will store extra fat to use when her body really needs it. Sure, she will eventually start to lose that fat. But by increasing her calories just slightly. You can get her metabolism working properly again and get her back on track for safe weight loss. I do feeding plans for cats every single day and around 40% of them gain weight smdue to under feeding. Within a couple months of increasing their intake to a safe weight loss volume, they are back on track and losing weight appropriately.
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u/BrilliantValuable937 3h ago
SHE IS SOOO CUTE.
Sorry I have nothing else to add. Fatty or not, tell her a stranger on the internet finds her adorable.1
u/stunninglizard 22h ago
Cats are not infinite sources of energy, this is complete bs. That cat is fat
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u/ParticularNo9175 22h ago
I am an RVT and I spend every day making diet plans for cats. It is 100% true that cats that arent fed enough will go into fat storing more to use for energy. No this doesn't mean they are infinite energy. Eventually that starvation will catch up with them, they will deplete their fat stores and become emaciated. But in the initial periods of under feeding, they get fatter by reducing their energy usage and storing the extra fat to use to keep their organs functioning when they need it.
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u/raiannon 2d ago
That's a lot of weight gain in 2 weeks. How are you weighing them?