Our cat, which another family member has care of, is badly overweight. I had care of her for a week, during which I radically cut down her food to 50g (one small packet). She was constantly pestering but polishing off her food with gusto, whereas she normally leaves a lot of it. She's back out of my care now, so the intake will shoot back up to at least 135g (small packet and big packet). The vet said she had to lose weight about a month ago - he weighed her at 5.5 kilos, which is probably obese.

Nothing I say really makes any difference. Any ideas?

I always understood that a cat didnt overeat............. I might be wrong of course tho but I was always thought they would only eat until they are full, unlike a dog who just continues to eat

has she been wormed recently? if the kitty has worms that will cause her to overeat

just curious, why is she in the care of someone else if she is yours? if you are worried about her weight, cant you take her back?

That's what I thought. Mine eats a little and often and as we are at home all day this is not a problem. The last time we had cats we were both working so we tended to put down much more food to last them through the day. In both cases, therefore, they regulate(d) their own intake and none were overweight but it undeniable that there are a few fat moggies around these days. I wonder if some food now has additives, much like our junk food, that makes the cat overindulge?

If cats are free fed they tend to balance themselves out. Cats fed meals on the other hand can end up extremely greedy and more food orientated

I'd check the worming thing as mentioned. Just to say it's very dangerous to 'diet' a cat quickly, and indeed introduce new foods quickly.

Cats can develop hepatic lipodosis if they are obese then have drastic food reductions, and indeed go off their food for only a few days. It's a toxic build up in their liver, and needs veterinary intervention, as it often leads to coma and death.

Best avoided by not letting cats get obese/overweight in the first place, if a cat looses too much body weight too quickly, it stresses the liver, as mentioned above. Also an obese cat has more to loose, so a greater risk, say she gets a bad tooth, or a little ill and stops eating a day or two... They'll be a huge build of fats that cannot be processed efficiently, leading to low liver function, jaundice, coma and death if not treated.

Slowly reduce food intake, get advice from vet if need be, but theses a plethora of online information on dieting cats, and cats far larger than yours! Best of luck!

According to my Vet, female cats, when spayed, tend to eat more, because their appetites are affected.

It was just for a week, during a holiday. She's our cat, but I'm not the feeder (apart from that week).

Her diet has been marginally reduced now. Not enough, but better than nothing.