My cat is chubby. How to diet one cat in a two-cat household?

Start feeding them separately and measure their food. Divide the total amount your cat should have per day and split it into two, three or more meals, depending on your schedule so she doesn't have to go too many hours between meals. Check the label on your cat food for feeding recommendations for your cat's weight or, if you haven't yet done this, make an appointment with your vet for an evaluation and a prescription diet and weight loss plan. Feed one cat in one room, shut them in and feed the other cat at the other end of the house, or upstairs if you have a two-story home. Depending on how food motivated your cat is, you can get her to follow you around the house a few laps before putting her food down for her. If she likes to play, take some time to play with her every day, using a wand toy or a ball she can chase and swat around. Drag a toy on a string for her to chase as you walk around the house, anything to get her moving and active.

You are correct that Alby does need to lose a few pounds. This can be a tough situation. While you can feed a food meant for multi-cat households, you may not get the results you desire. These diets are typically medium calorie and meant to keep fat cats from getting too fat and skinny cats from getting too skinny. Your best option is to start separate feedings. Cats generally need to eat 4 to 6 times a day for best results. The skinny cats can eat a food with a higher calorie content while Alby gets a food with a lower calorie content. You can find the calories on the side of the bag. Utilizing food puzzles or kibble dispensing balls can help Alby to burn some calories and stay stimulated while eating. Also setting aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play will help to burn calories. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I would try to teach everyone to meal feed. this would mean you place everyone’s food bowl down at the same time for 30 minutes. I would put them if different areas of the house if possible. Once that time is up, the food gets picked up. If you have to add canned food to the smaller cats’ food to help entice them to eat and prevent weight loss, that’s ok. This would also allow you to feed Clover a set amount and prevent obesity. Unfortunately, this is the best solution. There isn’t a great way to prevent him from eating too much when it is always available. You can also encourage him to increase his activity by making him play more. I hope this helps.

I have a couple of suggestions for you. First, one of my friends used a latch to create an opening in their laundry room door that only the skinny cat could fit through. They left food in there for the skinnier cat to free feed throughout the day and meal fed the heavier cat. Second, if your skinnier cat will eat from food balls or no-bowl feeders, I would feed all meals in that way. Third, I would only feed twice the amount of food that the heavier cats needs twice daily. That way the skinnier cat has enough to eat, but there isn't enough extra for Luna to eat. The skinnier cats tend to get this concept after a couple of days and eat more at a meal instead of grazing as much. Finally, you could consider changing to or adding a canned food meal. That may help the skinnier cat eat a "meal" instead of grazing. Canned food is less "addicting" and less fattening than dry food, so it might be beneficial for both cats. I use a timed feeder (CatMate C20) with canned food to keep my cats from waking me up too early in the morning. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There are only two ways you can control this. The first is to separate them during feeding times, offer multiple feeding times in a day and not to leave food down to free feed. The second option is to purchase one of the specialized automatic feeders with the individual collars. Each cat will wear it’s own special collar and when it approaches the feeder, the feeder will read the collar and dispense food or not. Best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question! Most indoor cats tend to be a bit over weight as a result of plenty of food and little exercise. First off, encourage plenty of play time. You can feed them on elevated surfaces so they have to jump up to get a meal. You can also hide kibble around the house (out of their pre-measured daily amount) to engage them in their natural hunting behavior. This is mentally stimulating for them and encourages more exercise. Science Diet is a high quality food and would be a good choice for them. I do not typically recommend grain free formulas as they are high in carbohydrates and result in weight gain. Measure the food daily for each cat and feed them separately (several small meals throughout the day). This way you will how much each cat is receiving. Lastly, feed them less than recommended for their weight bracket since they are both overweight. Good luck!

Thanks for more information! Wet food has fewer calories that dry food due to the higher moisture content, so I'd recommend wet food for Snowball. Do not free feed, give him food twice a day at set times, and feed him according to the instructions on the can of food. No treats at all and no human food. I see he's an older boy, so he may not be into playing, but you can look at trying to get him more active with some toys. I hope this helps!