My mum has just got back from the vets with Tommy and they have told he has a small heart murmer and he is overweight which isnt helping.
She has been feeding 'light' dry food for the last 12 months because they said a year ago he needed to lose weight and she switched to dry because the vet said it was better for his teeth and he had dental work last year.

He weighs 6k - which I dont think it vastly overweight - he is a big cat and doesnt look fat.

This is what she is feeding him now - on the advice of the vet
Products - Prescription Diet

I have tried to tell her wet is better (he does drink water though which is good) but to my mum the vets word is gospel

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I feed Louie & Tango the RC MC food because it has suppliments in it for heart & joints but it is a large kibble so they have to chew it to eat it, but most cats on normal size kibble dont chew it so it does'nt help keep teeth healthy.

Unless he needs a prescription food I would'nt bother with any dry food & he will loose weight easy enough just on wet.

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfect boy by the way

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All my children have paws!

What a handsome lad - lovely pics!

Look, the kibble keeping teeth clean thing is a myth.

It may be a large kibble, and yes they do crunch on it, but contrary to what the vets and food companies would have us believe, this does NOT keep their teeth clean. When they crunch on kibble, it just shatters and crumbles, and goes to a mush in their mouth, just like when we eat crisps or biscuits. How can this clean the teeth?

Kibble, no matter what size, does not keep the teeth clean.
It is also seriously lacking in moisture which can cause a host of problems in the long term, including UTIs.
It is also chock full of carbs which cats have great difficulty in digesting -carbs get stored as fat which in some cats leads to obesity.

There are 2 things which actually do keep teeth clean: raw meat containing small bones such as chicken wings or mice, and the cat toothbrush and toothpaste.

I would definitely stop feeding kibble and look at some good quality wet foods.
A good grain-free wet food such as Smilla or Animonda Carny contains a higher proportion of decent protein and moisture so your cat will feel fuller, quicker. And he won't be storing up loads of useless carbs in his system.

But that's not what the vet said.....I know, tell me about it. Mainstream vets don't know much about feline nutrition and are only interested in pushing Hills, RC etc.

Anyway, good luck with your gorgeous boy, he's a stunner!

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Rescue cats for many years, currently one moggie and 3 young Maine Coons.

I know HB - this is my mums cat so I dont have any say in what he eats.
Willow has all the foods you mention and a chicken wing once a week for her teeth - but unless the vet told my mum thats what she needs to do she wont do it
We don't know Tommys origins as he was abandoned when her neighbours emigrated , so when she first registered him at the vet she said he was a moggy - which I am sure he is but he definitely has some breed of big cat in him somewhere down the line.
Today the vet said his ideal weight is between 5 and 5.5k - so him being 6k it seems a bit overkill to put him on a prescription diet!

Oh, and it probably sounds like I live with my mum, but I don't so I have absolutely no influence over his food.

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Oh I see, OP.

Well he looks like a big strapping lad but he doesn't look massively overweight tbh. I agree, a prescription diet does seem a bit overkill. A bit of weight could be shifted by feeding fewer treats and running around a bit more, for example.

Maybe your vet wants to get the weight off to be on the safe side, considering the heart murmur. One of my cats has a heart murmur too.

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Rescue cats for many years, currently one moggie and 3 young Maine Coons.

Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life: Amazon.co.uk: Elizabeth M. Hodgkins: Books

If she wants to hear it from a vet, then buy this book. Heck, buy it anyway it is a great source of information.
This vet used to work high up for Purina designing their foods.....till she realised how wrong she was and now advocates a raw diet. There is a great section in it describing exactly why prescription 'Light' foods DO NOT WORK.

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!