Cats and diets

The vet put my cat Max on a diet! Bless his heart, he doesn't eat that much, though the vet doesn't believe me when I say so. Max refuses anything but his own kibbles and eats less than the cup the package says he should.



He's been on a reduced calorie food since he was maybe three--he's seven now--and he steadily gains. He was at 21.1 when the vet saw him a month or so ago. So he switched him to something they call the Atkins diet for cats and reduced his intake to 5/8 of a cup. Okay, I didn't give him just 5/8; since I was giving him half in the morning and half in the afternoon, I gave him 2/3 total, 2 T. more than the vet prescribed. But he always had food left. And he gained a half pound next time we took him in.



So--they have him back on his reduced calorie diet, back on his 1 c. per day, but I was supposed to count the kibbles I gave him and the kibbles he didn't eat. Did you ever try counting kibbles?!! I did it only once--485 kibbles in a half cup, and Max ate all but 108 of them. Tom kept saying I should be able to weigh how many ounces I put in the bowl and how many Max didn't eat, but I think the vet wants a more exact account than that. Still, it takes a bit o' time to count kibbles, all the while I got a hungry cat rubbing against my calves. So I weighed by grams. It's more exact than ounces, but still may not be what the vet wants. If he's not satisfied when I talk to him Monday, I think I'll count out 485 kibbles in multiples and package them in plastic bags, then only count what Max left after I give him the new. Sheesh!



But isn't he cute! I've lost cats to diseases caused by overweight before. Don't intend to do it again. So very likely, come Monday you can just call me the kibble counter.