Is Hills Science diet m/d bad for cats?

Our question this week was:

Dear Dr.Debra,

My name is George and I am writing from far Athens/Greece. I am writing this e-mail cause of my frustration with so called vet’s here in Athens. I really think you would be far more honest to me and your info will be far more valuable for me and “bubu”. She is 10-years-old , spayed and a bit fat (6 to 7 kg which is about 12 to 14 pounds. The doctor suggested 2 years ago that I should feed her with Hill’s m/d diet food.

She likes it and she eats it (along to be honest with more things…like my dad and my mom giving her a bit milk or cheese etc…).My problem is this…the cat doesn’t loose weight (she doesn’t need it so much she is not that fat) probably cause my parents give her a taste of other foods as I mentioned, but my worries are that the doctor just yesterday told me that m/d food is not so good for the cat cause it has a lot of proteins and we should check the cats blood every 5 months and see how her leaver is etc.

I gave the cat that m/d to make her loose weights…she doesn’t loose lot of weight (that’s our fault ok) but now maybe that food is dangerous? I told him that I can start her normal food give her small quantities but he told me she will get very heavy…. what should I do? I want my cat to live and not die to loose 1-2 kilos…neither to screw her liver with that m/d…should I start the w/d diet of hills? Is it better? Or something else? Some thing new and better? Please inform me …I am so anxious about that…the food is can, not dry. Small cans. Thanks for your time reading this…and thanks for being here for me.
Regards,

George

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email George. You wrote that your 10-year-old cat is overweight and you have been giving her Hill’s Science Diet m/d to help her loose weight (although she has not yet lost weight). You are concerned if m/d is dangerous.

I think m/d is a good diet and not dangerous. You are also giving supplemental food such as cheese and other dairy products. Obesity is a product of either consuming too many calories or not enough exercise.

If you are concerned about the food – you can feed a different food – good quality premium food or you can continue with the m/d (just feed a little less). You can also try to engage her in play to increase her activity. That can also help with weight loss. Also, it would be a good idea to stop feeding her table food.

An article that might be helpful to you is Obesity in Cats.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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