Fat Kitties?

[Davis]

Yes, and I wonder how many adult cats would try to nurse off of a mother cat if they had the chance.    

The only thing that is concerning me about the dairy is that it has carbs, but since my cat is so difficult, at least it's a wet food I can give him that he's willing to eat.  Sometimes we just have to do the best that we can, even though it's not ideal.  I'm still working him toward a wet meat diet, and a small amount of dairy is at least a start to his adjustment.

[garypen]

Gary, the oil is a really great idea, but I'm not sure about vegetable oil.  I'm thinking maybe something like salmon oil would be better.  What do you think?

Fish oil sounds great. Maybe Flaxseed oil? Even Canola oil is probably a good way to add calories and get a shiny coat. Just make sure you use a healthy oil.

[Davis]

Yep, I thought about flax oil too.  I think the fish oil would be the most ideal, so I'll try that first.  I'm even thinking about those capsules they sell for humans, often salmon oil.  Those might work really well, and could easily be squeezed onto his food daily.  They would keep well too, since they're in capsule form.  If it doesn't work out, I can always find another oil for the cat and take the capsules myself.  

[Cindy Nevarez]

Omega 3 is probably the best bet. The stuff I buy at Costco made by Nature Made is molecular distilled to remove the toxins, and it has anchovy and sardine fish oils in it.

[garypen]

The Costco fish oil capsules would have me burping up salmon tase all day long. But, that might be a good thing for a cat. 

[Cindy Nevarez]

You must be referring to the Costco brand....I don't get that one...I get the Nature Made ones. There's no salmon oil in these.

[mel_t]

Cats should get their EFAs from animal fats.  you can give unsweetened full fat yogurt, wild salmon oil, even a pat of butter  I think cream would probably be ok too, although it might be too close to straight milk and many cats are intolerant of milk.

Here's Dr. Hodgkins' comments on it:
"Remember that vegetable oils do not contain arachidonic acid, which is essential (meaning it must be supplied in the diet) for cats but not for omnivores like people and dogs. So, while the seed oils can be very nutritious for cats in limited amounts, we do need a good source of all of the EFAs for our cats. Animal fats supply all of the EFAs."
link: http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2873

Also, it would be best for weight loss if you could switch your cats over to low carb canned.  Dr. Lisa Pierson has lots of tips for transitioning dry-addicted cats over to canned at her website: http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_

[Davis]

Thanks Mel.  That is exactly what my instincts were telling me.  Fish oil it is!  I also like what Cindy mentioned about some oils being distilled to remove toxins. And I'm glad to know that some full fat dairy is okay. 

That link for transitioning to wet is exactly the one I've been using for reference, but unfortunately with limited success.  It's got some great tips. I've had some recent breakthroughs, so it looks like maybe it's slowly working.

[mel_t]

persistence is the key, I guess.  I was lucky, it didn't take much to switch from dry to canned for my two, but it took me over 6 weeks to transition to raw from canned for one of mine. (and of course, the one most resistant was my IBD cat who needed it most!)

have you already switched your cat to "meals" instead of free feeding?  I think that helps immensely.

for the particularly hard cats to transition, I've also seen Dr. H mention giving cyproheptadine (an appetite stimulant) to help them want to eat the canned you offer.  that's by prescription, so you'd have to have a vet willing to prescribe it.

I have a friend with a carb-addicted cat, so if you find the magic bullet, let me know so I can pass it along!

[jenny]

mel-t:  "and of course, the one most resistant was my IBD cat who needed it most!)"

I can relate.  I transitioned two of my three cats now from all dry Royal Canin Weight Control 38 food (we never free fed) to all canned.  My third cat has IBD/pancreatitis and has insisted most of his life on eating the stupid weight control food.  He is the difficult one to transition.  He is now half dry and half canned (EVO).  I think it will take a while to complete.

[garypen]

Cats should get their EFAs from animal fats. 

Of course, if they are eating a quality cat food, they already are. So, the addition of a quality vegetable oil for caloric intake would seem to be fine. Remember, his primary reason for adding any oil to the diet will be for the add'l calories.

you can give unsweetened full fat yogurt, wild salmon oil, even a pat of butter  I think cream would probably be ok too, although it might be too close to straight milk and many cats are intolerant of milk.

Wouldn't the same intolerance of cow's milk apply to yogurt and cream?

[jenny]

I think the cat's issue with milk is related to lactose?  Although I'm not 100 % sure since we have a cat that will vomit on lactose free milk too.  But if it is the lactose, I think someplace I read that yogurt has less lactose than regular milk.  I could be wrong though.

[Davis]

Yes, that's right.  Cultured dairy products have less lactose, since the culturing  process breaks down lactose.  It's my understanding that yogurt is really good in that way.  I've known lactose intolerant people who have no problem eating yogurt.  Cream might be a problem, unless a "lactaid" (contains enzyme to break down the lactose) type of cream is available.  I know this type of milk is available, so maybe?

Gary, you're probably right about the vegetable oil and cat food, but I'm thinking that the smell of the fish oil may help attract my cat to his food so that he eats more...in particular, more of what I want him to eat, such as homemade or canned.

[Cindy Nevarez]

Usually not because of the acidophilis, and the high fat. Even many people with lastose intolerance, can eat those.

[Davis]

Here are some references:

Yogurt is easier to digest because enzymes from the yogurt bacteria break down some of the lactose during the fermentation process. There's also preliminary evidence that once the yogurt's eaten, the bacteria may continue to help break down lactose in the intestinal tract.

Source: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00150.html

Not all dairy products have the same amount of lactose. For example, hard cheeses such as Swiss or cheddar have small amounts of lactose and generally cause no symptoms. You may well be able to tolerate cultured milk products, such as yogurt, because the bacteria used in the culturing process naturally produce the enzyme that breaks down lactose. However, some yogurts have milk added back after fermentation and may cause symptoms.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00530.html

Yogurt still contains some lactose, but the levels are reduced. However, obviously some label reading is in order to make sure the yogurt does not have milk products added back in after culturing.  Most probably do, in the form of dried milk solids, etc.  I only know that for whatever reason, the yogurt has not bothered my cat.