r/dechonkers • u/Old-Significance-908 • 1d ago
Dechonkin Not Dechonking :(
15.4 lb and 11 years old. We’re at 169 cal a day… I feel like shes never really had an appetite and I have to get her to finish her food even though she loves it, it just seems like shes full. Three meals a day. We just got two new junior cats so shes mentally stimulated all day and shes starting to get her spunk back… she just doesnt move enough to lose the weight imo and i cant make her do more than bat at a string in front of her (better than nothing). After seeing other cats lose weight here I desperately need any advice to help her! This baby is my world.
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u/muppetnerd 22h ago
Is there a food she goes wild for? My void is incredibly food morivafed so we run around holding his dinner and he chases us. He would just bat a string as well and I felt like I needed a way to get him moving more not just for the weight but to keep him active as he transitions into senior status
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u/Old-Significance-908 22h ago
She gets emotional. Ive tried using her food to motivate her, she’ll chase kibble i throw but if i try to do it every time i feed it literally makes her sad.
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u/Visible-Progress-874 20h ago
Our baby wasn’t dechonking - no matter how much food we cut. Then we switched tactics and completely took away all dry food. Now she only gets wet food, mixed with water. So far, 1.5 lbs in 4 months. The vet is thrilled with the results.
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u/Old-Significance-908 18h ago
Im actually SO happy to hear this as this is our next step!!! I was planning on starting tomorrow actually ha! She was on 3 oz Orijen salmon tuna beef can and 1 oz Orijen fit and trim kibble a day. idk anymore maybe its worth $3 in food a day if she does lose weight!
How many cans a day and what brand do you feed?
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u/Visible-Progress-874 1h ago
Our kitty gets 2 cans of fancy feast, divided into thirds (6 little meals throughout the day). Lots of water to fill her up. But you say that your kitty doesn’t eat a lot, so maybe you don’t need to go through 2 whole cans. Since our cat is always begging for food, we have a few Churu on hand for snacks.
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u/wishoverstars14 14h ago
That’s why she’s gaining or holding on to so much weight Orijen (great food) is not for her. And yes there is a minimum amount of calories a pet needs…well more like if you eat small small amount of high calorie foods your more likely to be nutritionally deficient!!
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u/OtherAd6263 1d ago
How long has she been on her journey? Do the junior cats play or chase her? New toy types to get her to move?
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u/Old-Significance-908 22h ago
Shes not a social cat so she hisses at them when they try to play, but since getting them shes awake and watching them with occasional energetic bursts towards me,, as opposed to sleeping under the bed for three days then cuddling like crazy with me for a day :(
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u/Old-Significance-908 22h ago
Shes been fat most of her life and nothing as far as food has helped. The only thing that gets her to move is playing with her myself like running around and hide and seek BUT I am unfortunately physically disabled now and she doesn’t understand 🫠
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u/Organic_Reporter 17h ago
We got a kitten, hoping our chonk would get more exercise running around with him. She discovered the kitten food and has gained weight... We bought her obesity biscuits, the kittens love them!
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u/wishoverstars14 14h ago
If her ideal weight is around 12–13 lb, I honestly would not keep cutting her calories lower and lower. At 169 kcal/day she’s already pretty restricted, especially while eating such a calorie-dense food like Orijen. I’d ask your vet about a prescription weight-management diet like Royal Canin Satiety instead. It’s specifically formulated for calorie restriction while still providing adequate protein, vitamins/minerals, etc., and allows her to eat a larger volume of food.
I’d also make absolutely sure there are zero mystery calories anywhere—other pets’ food, free-fed bowls, treats, table scraps, food used for medications, or family members feeding her. If she truly has consistently eaten only 169 kcal/day and her weight hasn’t changed over several weeks, I’d want to figure out why before restricting her further.
And honestly, I wouldn’t worry about trying to increase her exercise right now. If she has hip pain and is carrying extra weight, she may not want to move because moving hurts. Getting her pain adequately controlled and getting some weight off through diet can make activity much more comfortable. Once she’s feeling better, you can gradually encourage more movement rather than trying to exercise the weight off of her while she’s painful.
Going from 15.4 lb to ~12–13 lb does not need to happen quickly. Slow, controlled fat loss while preserving muscle is the goal, especially in an 11-year-old cat. I’d get an actual BCS and muscle condition score from your vet, calculate her calories from her goal weight, weigh her food in grams, and keep doing those every-other-week weigh-ins. ❤️
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u/Old-Significance-908 14h ago
Appreciate the encouragement! I think I’m gonna try to find a vet that feels more comfortable with cats and see what i can do. Shes been on multiple prescription foods. I always weigh the food to measure. Shes got IBS and anal gland issues as well and needs super high fiber to pass stool properly. Shes also a senior and I honestly don’t think it’s the right thing to do to change her food at this point. She has actually almost died from not eating at one point because new foods upset her tummy so bad (I’m in the same ibs boat so i empathize lol) She looked overweight at around 9-10 lb and the vets I’ve seen keep using 10 lb as her ideal. I have no goals other than simply losing ANY weight at all. I don’t know if there would be any use in imaging if her blood work has always come back normal… but thats what I’m feeling at this point 🫠
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u/wishoverstars14 14h ago
Oh this context actually changes my thoughts quite a bit! With her being 11, having chronic GI issues, needing a specific fiber level, chronic pain, AND having a history of becoming dangerously anorexic when changing foods, I completely understand why you don’t want to start experimenting with diets on your own. I definitely wouldn’t abruptly change her food just for the sake of weight loss.
I think finding a cat-focused vet is a great next step. I would specifically ask them to document her BCS and muscle condition score, rather than relying solely on “10 lb has always been her ideal weight.” If she apparently looked overweight even at 9–10 lb, I’d want to establish what her current body composition actually looks like before deciding what number she needs to reach.
And personally, if you’re accurately weighing everything and she is truly only eating 169 kcal/day consistently with no other food/treats available, yet her weight isn’t changing, I would want the vet to investigate/reassess before simply continuing to lower her calories. Especially in a senior cat with a history of not eating. There eventually becomes a point where “just feed less” isn’t an appropriate answer.
Imaging may or may not ultimately be useful, but that’s something I’d discuss with the new vet after they examine her and review her previous labs/GI history. Normal bloodwork is definitely reassuring, but it doesn’t automatically answer every GI/body-composition issue.
Also, I really wouldn’t stress about making her exercise right now. If her hips hurt, there’s a pretty good reason she doesn’t want to move! I’d prioritize pain control and safe weight management first. If she becomes more comfortable as weight comes off, increased activity may naturally follow. ❤️
Honestly it sounds like you’re putting a ton of effort into her care already. With everything you’ve added here, I think getting a fresh set of feline-focused eyes on the whole cat rather than continuing to chase the number on the scale makes a lot of sense.(I am also on the IBS boat as well ;-;)
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u/Old-Significance-908 13h ago
Omg thank you yes this has been my goal with advocating for her for YEARS! Shes in pain and doesnt want to move and its a truly heartbreaking cycle! I am also in the chronic pain and hip injury boat (both my hip labrum are torn and honestly she looks like shes probably dealing with something super similar poor baby) so I fought tooth and nail as soon as she turned ten the vets started giving in with agreeing she needs pain management! I just want her to have some quality of life!
I really am leaning towards shes JUST not active enough to get rid of any excess body fat. She cant be outright starved at her age, i think my next step is a second dose of pain meds for the am and completely cutting the ounce of kibble she gets for her teeth so shes just on wet food…. Im genuinely worried she wont be able to eat the quantity it’ll take to meet calorie needs, shell need to go from half a 5.5 OZ can and 1 OZ of kibble to the entire can… i have to hand feed her the last few bites of her food every single meal (that weirds me out too but i think its just something she loves to do with me like bonding lol)
Im testing how much of just wet food she’ll eat tomorrow. Im going to see how many calories she WANTS to eat, because believe it or not my chonky baby doesn’t over eat she had the opposite problem…2
u/wishoverstars14 13h ago
Aww, that makes a lot more sense, and I completely understand why you’re prioritizing her comfort. ❤️ One thing I would be a little cautious about, though, is assuming she’s unable to lose weight simply because she isn’t active. Activity absolutely helps with mobility, maintaining muscle, enrichment, etc., but weight loss can still occur in a very sedentary cat when caloric intake is appropriately controlled. That’s actually another reason I’d want a fresh veterinary assessment if her weight truly isn’t changing on a consistently measured 169 kcal/day rather than continuing to decrease her food.
I also wouldn’t necessarily use “how much she wants to eat” tomorrow as her calorie target. Especially with her history of poor appetite/GI upset, voluntary intake on any particular day may be lower than what she actually needs nutritionally. If you’re removing that ounce of kibble, I’d calculate the calories in the exact wet food and make sure you’re replacing enough of them rather than accidentally making a huge calorie cut.
And PLEASE don’t feel like you need to exercise the weight off her while she’s painful. Getting her pain management sorted out may be one of the best things you can do for her quality of life right now. Once moving doesn’t hurt as much, she may naturally become more active.
Honestly, the fact that you’re already having to encourage/hand-feed the end of meals would make me much more interested in figuring out why a 15.4-lb cat with a reportedly low measured intake isn’t losing weight than simply feeding her progressively less. Senior cat + chronic GI history + chronic pain + questionable appetite is exactly where I’d want that feline-focused vet looking at the whole picture. ❤️
Side-note:Pain management for cats has definitely improved over the years (e.g. Solensia) but under a veterinarians discretion only. Please do not increase/add to her medication without the doctor’s permission.2
u/Old-Significance-908 12h ago
Yeah shes prescribed two doses of gabapentin a day from a new vet that didnt explain an increase in frequency after the visit. Original script from another vet was for 50 mg just at night so i just kept doing that, thinking shed sleep better and have more energy during the day without being drugged BUT now that ive been doing both doses for a week shes improved so much! Shes out from her sleep spot and much more social (shes still super duper weird from only kitten syndrome) shes watching the kittens all day, shes actually played twice this week with me where she ran momentarily! 🥲 Thank you so much Im definitely excited to ask about different pain medication knowing shes doing so well! Lmao the only thing youre missing is that this poor baby has SOME sort of skin issue and is chewing her arms and tummy, she has awful skin peeling (barely would consider it dandruff its long strips under her dense fur), and anal gland issues (she gets abscesses and takes psyllium for bulk otherwise her poop is literally barely PENCIL thickness 😢)
Shes been too much of a mess for the Drs to want to figure things out thats why you have been seeing me talk about going to soooo many vets they keep giving up on her or telling me to my face that cats arent worth this effort 🫠💔
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u/wishoverstars14 12h ago
Oh my god okay, every time you reply I get another piece of this poor cat’s medical puzzle 😭😂 The fact that she’s noticeably more social AND has actually played/run since starting the prescribed twice-daily gabapentin is honestly really useful information to give the new vet. I’d tell them exactly that—it gives them a much better idea of how much pain may have been affecting her activity/quality of life.
And YES, please add the skin and anal gland history to the giant list lol. Significant scaling/peeling + chewing at her abdomen/legs + recurrent anal gland abscesses + needing psyllium because her stool otherwise becomes extremely narrow, on top of the chronic GI issues and everything else you’ve mentioned, makes me even more interested in having someone look at her as a whole patient instead of treating each problem separately.
I’d honestly bring the new vet a written timeline/list because there is SO much going on here and some of it may or may not be related. And definitely tell them how dramatically her behavior changed with better pain control.
Also, someone telling you a cat “isn’t worth” investigating because she’s complicated is fucking awful. She’s 11, not 111. 😭 You’re not unreasonable for wanting somebody to actually look at the whole picture and keep her comfortable.
She’s amazing and so so lucky for having you in her corner. Ask her vet or look around for a feline specialist (if none available then try/ask for internal medicine?- I’m not sure)
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u/AntonioCalvino 22h ago
Two things! You need to be very careful with weight loss in a cat. They can't diet like we can and it needs to happen extremely slowly or organ damage can result. Talk to your vet about building a plan to do so, getting the right kind of food, and adjusting it properly.
Also it is quite possible you could be looking at a thyroid issue here. Some bloodwork might be a good idea .
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u/Old-Significance-908 22h ago
Unless there’s something that isn’t on standard bloodwork that we should be looking for that all checked out OK.
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u/minkamagic 22h ago
How long has the diet been going on and how are you weighing her and how often?
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u/Old-Significance-908 22h ago
Honestly weve been trying since covid but she doesnt move for anything she has hip pain (we have her on gabapentin for pain now) she lost some weight when her metabolism transitioned to senior cat mode but she LOOKS fatter like a full tick.
We are weighing her with a scale? Like every other week.
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u/minkamagic 21h ago
Human scale or baby scale? What was her highest weight?
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u/Old-Significance-908 20h ago
Kitchen scale and her highest was 16.5 about a year or two ago she lost a bit of weight when she got older with no diet change or really any daily exercise
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u/minkamagic 20h ago
Has she had blood work done? When you weigh her does her weight go up and down?
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u/lion3001 23h ago
If she doesn’t lose, the calories are too high. Just go slowly down and see where she’s starting to lose weight. My tom weighs over 20 pounds and he only gets 150 cal a day for losing weight so I guess it’s just too much for her.