Rebecca,

Re: your obese 11 year old cat: 

I am not a fan of any "lite" diet, but especially for cats. I prefer to feed
a more complete diet and increase the exercise if possible. Cats generally
do not do well on high grains, and to make a formula "lite," they increase
the grains. Cats are carnivores, more so than dogs.

Dogs can adapt to a more opportunistic and varied diet, but cats are what
they call "obligatory carnivores." They need meat, and that is what they do
well on, because that is what their body is made to digest. Vary from that,
and you are setting yourself up for trouble, like kidney problems, etc.

You can home prepare a diet for this cat as well, but if you need a kibble or
even just keep it around for back-up, I would probably recommend something
along the lines of Flint River Ranch. If you place an order, I would be more
than happy to throw in a free sample of it because that is what all of my
cats eat along with whatever they catch in the wild. Just remind me! My
memory is not always good about these things.

For both cats, I would use lean cuts of meat in their diet if you
home-prepare, and that will help keep the weight down. Eliminating or
reducing grains has the same effect as well because it reduces sugar
cravings, and this is especially true of cats.

As for the potty advice <g>, make sure that you are using a natural litter
that is not clay based and not clumping. These will make your cat very sick
with breathing and digestive problems. They have litters that are made out
of recycled newspapers and wood, etc.

I would also highly recommend the round of kidni-tinctures for this cat as
well. these are very supportive of revitalizing proper kidney function and
eliminating possible crytal build-up, which Sci Diet is known for in a lot of
cats. Since you might do the Newton's on your first cat, I would probably
keep them on the same routine for simplification sake. Newton's would only
do this cat good, anyway. So, in light of that you can do the Newton's detox
on both cats, then go on to the kidni support tinctures. I recommend
Newton's for any pets that have been on Sci Diet.

A high quality multi-supplement like Nupro will help satisfy the cravings
your cat is having, and reduce shedding, increase energy, etc.

Have you thought of a supplement to increase mobility and flexibility? I
would highly recommend our Shark-rah. Check it out at PurelyPets.com. It is
also on sale right now for 20% off, only 21.60. That might allow the cats to
clean themselves better and eliminate another pesky problem.

the anal sac cleaning was due to the undigestible grit in the science diet.
the natural diet will eliminate this problem in 99% of these cases. Barring
that, you would have to increase fiber which works in dogs, but I don't
recommend going this route in cats.

For exercise, I would get a laser pen lite and the most exciting toys you can
find, including a wind up mouse. anything that will get her going. Cat
condos are good for them to climb on, too. Cats need exercise to stay
healthy even more than dogs. They are extremely prey driven and need that
mental and physical activity to stay "young" and healthy. You can even make
your own toy with stuff from around the house. If you have some cat nip, sew
it up in a ball, and place it inside an old sock. tie a string around the
sock and attach it to a stick. Have your cat chase it and tease it out of
her reach.

After a round of anti-biotics (even if not ingested), always follow up with
acidophilus/lactobacillus to replace the intestinal flora in the digestive
tract. That might help reset some of the execretory problems.

In summation:

Natural diet with low or no grains
Nupro supplementation
Newton's #1 detox, followed by kidni-support tinctures
Increased exercise
Natural Litter
Shark-rah

I hope this helps.

Cat Donnelly
PurelyPets.com