Fat Cat Contest: Biggest Kitty Loser

Sponsored by Weruva

The idea for this contest was born when I wanted to convince cat owners about my research-based theory that no cat should eat any dry food  - not any brand, not ever. I began the kitty weight-loss challenge on CAT CHAT®, my radio show Wednesday nights on the Martha Stewart Channel #112 of SiriusXM satellite radio. A few dozen people were eager to join the contest and stopped giving “kitty crack” to their cats.

I know from years of research that obesity in otherwise healthy cats is caused from feeding them the wrong food – dry food – all of which is highly processed carbohydrates, often with corn at the top of the list. Cats are obligate carnivores so the feline digestive system is not designed to utilize this unnatural ingredient – and it turns all those processed carbohydrates into fat (and harms a few more organs at the same time!) 

You can read more on the cat food page, but in a nutshell, cats are intended to each small mammals like rodents, or birds, and we throw their whole body into imbalance when you try to trick them into eating the contents of dry cat food - indigestible plant fiber and carbohydrates - sprayed with “secret ingredients.”

The contest grew from my begging people to switch their cats off any dry food and onto exclusively wet food, using any of the brands and flavors on my Approved List of low-carb canned foods. Raw frozen cat foods are also an excellent dietary choice. I urged them to try it for just one week and they would see a dramatic difference in their cats weight (lower), energy level (higher), skin (no longer dry), fur (shedding stopped or diminished) and personality (more affectionate) and overall attitude (happier and more playful).

The Biggest Kitty Loser contest is also how I met David and Stacie, the wonderful couple who began the premium food company, Weruva. They had heard about the Biggest Kitty loser contest and wanted to get involved with it – and with me. So this time around I am launching the new show with a Biggest Kitty Loser Contest brought to you by Weruva.

All you have to do is:

  1. Weigh your cat – any cat over 10-12 pounds is overweight and can benefit from getting in the contest.
  2. Send me a photo of your kitty so we can all later compare the “after” photo.
  3. Remove all “kitty crack” from your house and introduce wet food in two meals a day. (More information on the main food page)
  4. Weigh your cat every week or two and send me results by email to radiopetlady@gmail,.com
  5. Call into the show or email any differences you see in your cats personality and physical condition – along with the weight information.
  6. Claim your prize along with everyone else who joins the contest!

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Contestants

Ted

Ted joins the contest and is already a winner - 4 lbs.lost and counting down.

This is SUCH exciting news from Noelle and i cannot wait to announce it Saturday night on WOR! I am so grateful to Noelle for her efforts and so happy to hear of the great results.

TedI would like to enter my cat, Ted in your contest. The first two picture shows Ted at 20 pounds. He used to eat dry food at any time all day long. He was overweight and threw up often. I became very concerned when he started having difficulty jumping up on the kitchen counter. I took away the dry food slowly until he was eating only wet food. (Weruva, Natures Variety. PetGuard and Newman's Own) A little over three months later the results are amazing. He is down to 16 pounds, he has stopped vomiting and he can jump up on the counters again. I'd like him to lose another pound or two. He is a very large cat so he should weigh a bit more than the average cat. As you can see in the last picture, he looks much better! No more kitty crack! It was a difficult process in the beginning. Switching his diet was stressful for both of us. He was addicted to his former food. But we stuck it out and the results were well worth the effort! Ted loves his new food and is a happier, healthier boy!

OliverOliver

Marsha in Fairview, Ohio is afraid to weigh her big boy Oliver, but she knows he's over 15 lbs. and way too fat.

 

Spot

Spot, AfterLee's big boy SPOT is the star of the contest so far - look at the progress he's already made!Spot, Before

At left: This picture is 14 lb. Spot sitting inside his favorite cardboard box along with his other cardboard box, paper bag and toys. He was on prescription Royal Canine Select Control (dry and wet) since 2001 after his emergency bladder surgery to remove a struvite crystal.

At right: This is 10 lb. Spot sitting in front of his cardboard boxes. This is after 2 months of NO DRY FOOD and exclusively eating Weruva’s Paw Lickin Chicken.

HenryHenry

Liz's sort-of-fat cat Henry in Sacramento weighs 14 lbs., but even that is overweight when you consider that the average cat's optimal weight should be 9 to 10 lbs. So even borderline Fat Cats can share in the contest!

 


Leo

Leo, Biggest Kitty Loser contestantI just heard your show for the first time a few nights ago on Radio 710 WOR, and I Loved it! I was particularly interested when you started talking about dry vs. wet cat food, as I have wondered about this issue for a very long time… Everywhere I look, I see / hear conflicting opinions, and it seems nobody can seem to agree; the one thing everyone does agree with (especially my VET) is that my Maine Coon LEO is too fat! He weighs 17.5 lbs! After hearing your show and then visiting your website on Saturday 11-7, I decided to put Leo on a wet food only diet. (Leo also has a brother and a sister at home, but they aren’t fat.. and I don’t want them to get that way, so they will be eating wet food only as well.)

I know that Maine Coons are supposed to be big boned, long, etc, but they are not supposed to be fat, and Leo definitely has a big belly. While he certainly is big boned, he is also overweight.. when you view him from above, he is shaped like a bowling ball! Leo also seems to have some allergy issues.. he has tiny little itchy spots on his skin, he sneezes, etc. and I have taken him to the vet several times regarding this, and the Vet definitely feels its allergies. Hopefully, the diet change will help this issue as well. He is approximately 3 years old. I rescued him from a shelter a year and a half ago… he is a very wonderful, intelligent, sweet and funny boy, and I want him to be with me for a long, long time!

At this time, I can't financially afford Weruva, although it seems like a FANTASTIC product, and I hope to be able to switch them over to it by the middle of 2010 when things improve for me financially… for now, they love Fancy Feast Gourmet. Attached is a picture of Leo.. please add him as a contestant in your Fat Cat contest! I look forward to sending you updates on his progress every couple of weeks.

Thanks! Connie, Leos Mom

YasmineYasmine

Sharon from Connecticut has entered her 8-year-old girl Yasmine into the contest at 17 1/2 pounds.

Update from Yasmine's mom Sharon in CT:

I just wanted to give you an update on Yasmine my cat. She had only lost a pound but that's okay. She is doing really well only eating wet Wellness can food that she gets 2 times a day. And she is really active it seems like she is in 2nd or 3rd kitten-hood. and I want to say thank you for putting Canada and Brooklyn's picture up on your (TracieHotchner.com) Website. Thanks a million.

It’s so great that you took the time to keep me posted on Yasmine’s progress. Like with any weight-loss program, it’s different for each individual how the pounds come off, but it will happen in good time. Meanwhile, seeing how much happier she is and her energy boost just goes to show you how wonderful cats feel when they get off "Kitty Crack." The Wellness is a great food — don’t know if you use the internet, but if you buy it from Petco.com (which has asked me to help get the word out about their commitment to higher quality natural foods) you can get a 10% discount as a listener to my show. Put MYCATCHAT in the coupon code box at checkout. You might also want to try some of the food that Weruva is making especially for Petco called Soulistic — great ingredients and a smashing low price, too.


Hudson at 30lbsHudson

GINA WROTE IN: I just love Hudson! I saved him from the Humane Society as a kitten and he has grown to 30 lbs.. I want him to lose the weight. Help!

 


Reagan

ReaganWendy from Beaufort, So. Carolina joins the contest after her gorgeous Maine Coon cat Reagan has already gotten off Kitty Crack and onto Weruva - here he is before his diet.

Oh, Mrs. Hotchner... what an HONOR it is to hear from you via your e-mail!! I'm so happy!!! From the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank you enough for changing our lives by introducing us to Weruva!! Reagan and Santini are such an important part of our family... I finally feel I am returning the love they give us by feeding them Weruva. You have educated me more on cats than ANY of my veterinarians in the past 15 years!! It would be an HONOR to have my letter and my kitties pictures posted on your new website!! I'm attaching some more pictures for you... just to show you more of our family! I will definitely listen via my computer now!

Absolutely... I will be calling in!! This will be my first time calling into a show! Yes, go ahead and put my kitties, especially Reagan, into your new contest! How fabulous!