Who better than Garfield to be on this page?

The best way to deal with obesity is by understanding why individuals gain weight.  The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin and the main function of insulin is regulating blood glucose levels.  When blood glucose levels rise, insulin is released to tell the cells in the body to absorb glucose and turn it into fat for later use.  When blood glucose levels drop, another hormone comes along, glucagon, telling the cells to release the stored fat so that the liver can break it down into glucose (and ketone bodies) resulting in an increase of blood glucose level.

The most effective way to lose weight is to avoid carbohydrates (sugars).  The most effective way to make your obese cat lose weight is by feeding him canned only.  Canned foods contain very low, if any, amounts of carbohydrates.  Dry foods contain from 40 to 55% of its weight in carbohydrates!  All vegetables are rich in carbohydrates.  The excessive sugar in dry feeds are all coming from all the grains used as fillers.

Extra benefits of canned foods for obese cats are:

• total protection against urolithiasis - that extra water will not allow crystals to precipitate in their bladders
• satiation from the extra water - the cat will no longer stand on your face begging  for food
• since the food is carbohydrate-free (or nearly so), there will be no more insulin peaks (strong "build fat" signals)

If you are interested in a more in-depth understanding of carbohydrate-free diets, their benefits and efficacy, you can read about Dr. Atkin's Revolutionary Diet or learn more about The Zone Diet.  Further and more technical information can be easily found in biochemistry books, under ketosis.

Note:  If your cat is diabetic, please read the section on Diabetes Type II (even if your cat is Type I) before you switch him to canned only.

            Back to The Feline Home Page