We B Losin'...

And that's a good thing!

Disco, on his severely restricted 'I'm always starving' calorie intake, has finally dropped some ounces, as we head into Nulo Week 6

Because he had not been successful at losing weight the past month, I even took him in to work with me for a physical exam and labwork, to make sure he didn't have a medical problem such as hypothyroidism. Well, he isn’t hypothyroid! We didn’t think he would be as the only hypothyroid cats that come into our vets are ones that had radio iodine treatment and they are the rare ones that get too low after treatment--even that happening is unusual!

But, it was something to check for to ‘rule out’, and we also checked his liver function and red blood cells to make sure his anxiety meds (Paxil) weren’t affecting him in that way. But all the tests were A-OK!

His vet reviewed his feeding schedule and calculated his caloric needs based on her exam and knowing him well and his (lack of) activity level recently, and we discovered that he is eating WAY TOO MANY CALORIES! (even though he would argue that fact!).

Even though Nulo staff calculated what he needed to eat in order to lose weight, even they say ‘Your cat’s requirements may vary due to activity level and environment.’ And they have never met him personally, so I certainly don’t fault their calculations at all.

They had him eating 2.6 oz of canned twice a day and 0.2 cups (slightly less than 1/4 cup) twice a day and that calculated out to almost 350 calories. Dr E calculated his needs using a chart she has, and she calculated that he should be eating between 145-195 calories a day!!

So, no wonder he is stuck on a plateau! So now he will be eating 1/4 cup of dry in the morning, and 1/8th cup dry in the evening along with 1/4 can of wet food, and a treat of 1/8th cup of dry at bedtime. That will give him about 190 calories a day. I am still going to order some Nulo Treats as I hear cats like them so much that they are even doing tricks for them!

He started out on August 9th at 15 pounds 10 ounces, and in the following weeks put on 3 ounces instead of shedding them! So I am happy to announce that this week--tah dah!! Disco weighed in at 15 pounds 8 ounces. Soon he will be able to fit into these outfits again!



He still isn't wild about either the chicken or the salmon canned, but that's ok, cuz Kiki and Coco love both, as do Coco's kittens. So what Disco doesn't eat in 15 minutes, get served to those who want it, hahameow!

I still am being a terrible purrsonal trainer, terrible--'Your Fired! as Donald Trump would say! Maybe if Disco and I worked out together to that song from the movie Madagascar, 'You've Got to Move it, Move it' we could burn off some calories!

Even NULO says 'Exercise and eat right. The same goes for pets. Exercise helps pets lose weight while keeping their body and mind in top condition. And by coupling exercise with our feeding routine, you can alleviate your pet’s insulin resistance, reducing visceral fat—the dangerous kind that collects on vital organs'.

August 9th

September 13th

But I think that Disco does look a tiny bit more 'svelte' and I need to do my part to make this weight loss program work. Maybe I need a personal trainer to push me, right?!! OR he could just hide under the covers and pretend he is Obi Wan Kenobi!

We are enjoying following the Nulo Blog, too as it has really informative posts about everything from 'Do Kitties and Milk Go Together?' to 'Caring for Your Senior Pet' to 'Pet Food Ingredients to Avoid'. You should check it out, even if you don't feed Nulo food... CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE NULO BLOG

And as a sidenote, more than a few people have commented on how much fur Disco is sportin' now...Yep, and I have a theory about that and we'll see if it is spot on when he is down to 12#. I think that even though Sphynx are 'hairless' and as a young fit cat he had more bristly peach fuzz than many Sphynx...I think because of his fat layer, his skin is colder and he has grown fur due to that.

Or, it could be that due to Sphynx still being outcrossed with other breeds and his close ancestors include American Shorthairs, that he just matured with fur. It will be interesting to see if my guess is correct, won't it. Anyway, I love the thick wavy furs he has now, but I am sure it's adding a few ounces to his weigh, hahameow!