Hey guys.
I made a post a few months back regarding my 10yo foster cat Finn who was diagnosed with FHS this summer. He also has overweight issues after stress eating the first months he was here (and in a different foster home) so he is about 6,4kg now when his optimal weight is between 4,5 and 5.
I took your advice regarding FHS and started addressing the underlying energetic factors so he is now working with a homeopath and an osteopath. None of it is so far showing much results, the homeopath is finding it a bit hard to find the spot on remedies. The osteopath has only been here once so I guess it’s too soon to say. But it is an ongoing process.
But here is the thing I feel the need to ask you about today. Finn is a foster cat and bc of financial issues I haven’t been sure if I could adopt him and take on the full medical cost myself. So he is still under the jurisdiction of the Animal Rescue Services (ARS). At first when he came here he was given regular kibble that the ARS gave me, but I started looking into FHS and learned that kibble is not the best because it is so dry and can have problematic ingredients like corn products etc, so I transitioned him to a raw diet. We have one company producing raw meat food here in Norway so I changed to that and combined it with some weekly snacks of fish, locally bought organ meat and regular store bought wet food. Also some steamed veggies here and there. The ARS wanted me to start him on weight loss kibble from their vets a few months ago. As I had big resistance to kibble because of what I read, and especially kibble that isn’t high quality, I didn’t do as they said and just kept him on a bit smaller dose of the raw meat in hopes he could lose weight that way. You guys said in my last post as well, that simply dropping the kibble could be enough for him to lose weight and that it should take probably a year or two. So I just kept that going.
But a few months later, a few weeks back now, the ARS were questioning me and putting pressure on me with how much weight he had lost and the thing is, he wasn’t losing anything, if anything he was gaining a bit still, which to me is super strange on a lower than recommended dose of that raw food. (The food amount recommendation from the raw food company was 4% of optimal weight usually, but then for weight loss I could try 3,75 or 3,5% of optimal weight so I was giving him 3,5%. They said to not go lower as that could cause nutritional imbalances). But alas, at least not yet, he wasn’t losing any weight and probably gaining some. It’s winter here now and he’s not a fan of the snow so he is very idle, that obviously doesn’t help a lot. He doesn’t quite fancy regular toys either so I’m not sure how to keep him active.
But the pressure from them made me just give in to give him the vet recommended weight loss kibble. I was feeling so frustrated, not knowing what was best for Finn, obviously it’s not great for him to be overweight either. But these past two weeks on the weight loss kibble he has been so frustrated. He is so hungry so much of the time, he seems almost depressed and weighed down in his mood, his sleep is more uneasy and he seems restless. That could also ofc be combined with boredom from not being able to go outside the same now that snow has arrived, but it was a noticeable shift when we changed tothat food. I hate seeing him so frustrated. And regarding the FHS, I feel his bodily discomfort has increased on this kibble. Not a huge leap in symptoms ofc, but it’s like his demeanor has changed to just not very happy. And it’s torture for my heart seeing him unhappy.
So I need your advice. I see that holistic vets on youtube and stuff recommends dropping the kibble, as I believe you did as well in my last post.
1. But my question is how do I prioritise?
I can go back to the other raw food while I try to learn more about optimal food for FHS (which can take some time I guess, I saw in a recent email from you guys a discussion board where someone said that maybe raw also wasn’t optimal for cats as it can create cold and damp. That wasn’t specifically directed to FHS, but I have a lot to learn and maybe raw isn’t the very best way either). But then I risk him not losing weight and potentially gaining some. Or I can keep him on the diet food, but he is not happy and I’m not sure what it’s doing to his FHS. That certainly doesn’t feel good.
2. How important is it for him to lose weight? Is that more import than adressing the FHS with more moist foods? I’m just scared I’m doing something bad for him if I prevent weight loss if I go against their kibble recommendation, but yet it doesn’t feel right to keep him this frustrated.
3. Are there resources or people you know of that I can learn from what the best diet approach is, that takes both FHS and weight into account?
I guess if I just adopt him it’s easier to do my own thing and not be under the ARS, but I don’t feel qualified to figure this out on my own anyway and I need guidance so I don’t cause him harm, mentally or physically. A therapist I’m working with myself has intuitive abilities said she picked up that his current frustration had to do with the food and that she would change back to the raw food. That’s obviously an alternative source of advice, but certainly didn’t help me feel at ease with this kibble approach.
Thank you dearly for any and all input you might have!
@Dr. Jean Hofve @Dr. Jeff
I made a post a few months back regarding my 10yo foster cat Finn who was diagnosed with FHS this summer. He also has overweight issues after stress eating the first months he was here (and in a different foster home) so he is about 6,4kg now when his optimal weight is between 4,5 and 5.
I took your advice regarding FHS and started addressing the underlying energetic factors so he is now working with a homeopath and an osteopath. None of it is so far showing much results, the homeopath is finding it a bit hard to find the spot on remedies. The osteopath has only been here once so I guess it’s too soon to say. But it is an ongoing process.
But here is the thing I feel the need to ask you about today. Finn is a foster cat and bc of financial issues I haven’t been sure if I could adopt him and take on the full medical cost myself. So he is still under the jurisdiction of the Animal Rescue Services (ARS). At first when he came here he was given regular kibble that the ARS gave me, but I started looking into FHS and learned that kibble is not the best because it is so dry and can have problematic ingredients like corn products etc, so I transitioned him to a raw diet. We have one company producing raw meat food here in Norway so I changed to that and combined it with some weekly snacks of fish, locally bought organ meat and regular store bought wet food. Also some steamed veggies here and there. The ARS wanted me to start him on weight loss kibble from their vets a few months ago. As I had big resistance to kibble because of what I read, and especially kibble that isn’t high quality, I didn’t do as they said and just kept him on a bit smaller dose of the raw meat in hopes he could lose weight that way. You guys said in my last post as well, that simply dropping the kibble could be enough for him to lose weight and that it should take probably a year or two. So I just kept that going.
But a few months later, a few weeks back now, the ARS were questioning me and putting pressure on me with how much weight he had lost and the thing is, he wasn’t losing anything, if anything he was gaining a bit still, which to me is super strange on a lower than recommended dose of that raw food. (The food amount recommendation from the raw food company was 4% of optimal weight usually, but then for weight loss I could try 3,75 or 3,5% of optimal weight so I was giving him 3,5%. They said to not go lower as that could cause nutritional imbalances). But alas, at least not yet, he wasn’t losing any weight and probably gaining some. It’s winter here now and he’s not a fan of the snow so he is very idle, that obviously doesn’t help a lot. He doesn’t quite fancy regular toys either so I’m not sure how to keep him active.
But the pressure from them made me just give in to give him the vet recommended weight loss kibble. I was feeling so frustrated, not knowing what was best for Finn, obviously it’s not great for him to be overweight either. But these past two weeks on the weight loss kibble he has been so frustrated. He is so hungry so much of the time, he seems almost depressed and weighed down in his mood, his sleep is more uneasy and he seems restless. That could also ofc be combined with boredom from not being able to go outside the same now that snow has arrived, but it was a noticeable shift when we changed tothat food. I hate seeing him so frustrated. And regarding the FHS, I feel his bodily discomfort has increased on this kibble. Not a huge leap in symptoms ofc, but it’s like his demeanor has changed to just not very happy. And it’s torture for my heart seeing him unhappy.
So I need your advice. I see that holistic vets on youtube and stuff recommends dropping the kibble, as I believe you did as well in my last post.
1. But my question is how do I prioritise?
I can go back to the other raw food while I try to learn more about optimal food for FHS (which can take some time I guess, I saw in a recent email from you guys a discussion board where someone said that maybe raw also wasn’t optimal for cats as it can create cold and damp. That wasn’t specifically directed to FHS, but I have a lot to learn and maybe raw isn’t the very best way either). But then I risk him not losing weight and potentially gaining some. Or I can keep him on the diet food, but he is not happy and I’m not sure what it’s doing to his FHS. That certainly doesn’t feel good.
2. How important is it for him to lose weight? Is that more import than adressing the FHS with more moist foods? I’m just scared I’m doing something bad for him if I prevent weight loss if I go against their kibble recommendation, but yet it doesn’t feel right to keep him this frustrated.
3. Are there resources or people you know of that I can learn from what the best diet approach is, that takes both FHS and weight into account?
I guess if I just adopt him it’s easier to do my own thing and not be under the ARS, but I don’t feel qualified to figure this out on my own anyway and I need guidance so I don’t cause him harm, mentally or physically. A therapist I’m working with myself has intuitive abilities said she picked up that his current frustration had to do with the food and that she would change back to the raw food. That’s obviously an alternative source of advice, but certainly didn’t help me feel at ease with this kibble approach.
Thank you dearly for any and all input you might have!
@Dr. Jean Hofve @Dr. Jeff
