Overweight cat diet advice for a 5-year-old DSH

A 5-year-old Domestic Shorthair at 6.5kg is carrying a meaningful amount of extra weight — the healthy range for most DSH cats is around 3.5 to 5kg, so your vet is right to flag it early. The good news is that food alone can do a lot of work here, without medication. Before I point you toward something specific: what are you currently feeding, how much and how often, and does your cat free-feed or eat at set mealtimes?

That combination — dry food, ad libitum feeding — is one of the most common routes to feline obesity, and it's fixable. Dry food is calorie-dense and low in moisture, which means cats tend to overconsume it easily and don't compensate by drinking enough water. Free-feeding makes portion control almost impossible. The shift I'd recommend is moving to wet food fed at controlled mealtimes, twice a day. This addresses hydration, calorie density, and portion discipline in one go. Has she ever eaten wet food, or has it always been dry?

That's pretty common with confirmed dry-food cats — they often need a gradual transition rather than a straight swap. The texture and smell are very different to what they're used to. Given her age, the weight issue, and the fact she has no other health complications, I'd recommend Royal Canin Satiety Weight Management wet food in the 85g pouches. It's specifically formulated for weight loss in cats — high protein, reduced calories, and designed to keep them feeling fuller for longer. It's also a brand she may already associate positively with, which helps during the transition. Start by mixing a small amount into her current dry food and increase the wet ratio over two to three weeks. Simultaneously, begin measuring the dry food strictly rather than topping up freely — that alone will make a difference while she adjusts.

During the transition, the goal is to keep total daily calories controlled, not to add wet food on top of her existing dry intake. A rough guide for a 6.5kg cat targeting weight loss is around 180 to 200 kcal per day — check the packaging for the exact kcal per pouch and per gram of dry food, then calculate accordingly. A common starting point is one 85g Satiety pouch plus 20 to 25g of dry food per day, split across two meals. Once she's fully transitioned to wet, two pouches a day is usually sufficient for her target weight range. Weigh her every two to three weeks — you're looking for a gradual loss of around 1 to 2% of body weight per week, not a rapid drop.

Yes — it's widely available on Amazon UK, usually in boxes of 48 pouches which works out considerably cheaper per pouch than buying in small quantities. Search for Royal Canin Satiety Weight Management wet cat food pouches and you'll find it easily. Given you'll be using it consistently during a weight loss programme that could run several months, buying in bulk makes sense. One last thing: do loop your vet in on the plan and book a weight check in about six to eight weeks — they'll want to see the trajectory and may adjust targets once she starts losing.