Have you taken your cat to the vet only to have him or her say that your feline friend was overweight or it needed to lose some weight? Well, you have come to the right place. Did you know six out of ten cats in the United States suffer from obesity? These weight issues can translate into health issues for our precious cats. Obese cats become increasingly prone to health issues such as diabetes, heart problems, kidney issues, and so on.
Read on to know about how you can get your cat to lose weight.
Set a Reachable Goal for Weight Loss
The first step in any weight loss journey is to set the right goal or the perfect target weight. Before you set the weight loss goal, you will need to find out how much your cat actually weighs. If you are having trouble getting the right goal, get in touch with your veterinarian. Your vet can help you determine your cat’s body condition score and an attainable weight loss goal.
Once you have set the goal, you can use it to track your cat’s progress. Please make sure to weigh your cat once every week to know how well your feline friend is doing. For measuring weight, you can use a simple bathroom scale.
Limit the Calories that You Feed Your Cat Daily
When it comes to weight problems, cats aren’t much different than human friends. When humans intend on losing weight, the first thing they do is cut down their calorie consumption. You should do the same for your cat as well.
Obese cats tend to lack self-restraint when it comes to food. The more you will offer, the more it will take. Pay close attention to the calorie content of the meals that you are feeding your cat. If the food you have been feeding your cat has too many calories, search online or talk to your vet about healthier alternatives. When you contact your vet about how many calories are contained in each serving that you are feeding your cat, he or she can help you decide on a healthy and effective weight loss plan.
Canned Foods
If you are thinking about food options that can serve as an alternative for high-calorie meals, you can go for canned foods. Did you know that wet canned foods have way lesser calories than dry cat food? Also, canned food items have a lot of water content, which helps your cat feel fuller without eating too much. This can help your feline friend shed off some extra weight easily.
If you have a cat who is always hungry for food, canned cat foods are the answer to all your worries. Besides, these food items are rich in protein and can help your cat ace the weight loss journey like a pro!
Put Your Cat on a Diet
Cutting down on high-calorie meals or switching to canned foods can help cats that are slightly overweight. However, what about cats who are morbidly obese and can’t achieve anything from the weight loss plans mentioned above? For those cats, you will need to put them on a cat-friendly diet.
It would be best not to put your cat on a diet without talking to your veterinarian first. Based on the information and details that you give to your vet about your feline friend, he or she will draw out a safe diet plan. Your vet will also give you certain instructions about the diet plan that you must follow strictly. For instance, your vet will let you know about cat food dosages for each day with specific measurements.
If your cat is critically overweight, then your vet can also recommend some weight loss supplements for your pet. Just remember that you should not give treats to your cats when they are on a diet. It will only end up spoiling the weight loss plan you had etched out for your cat. Also, many studies have found out that showering cats with too many treats is one of the main reasons behind our cats struggling to remain healthy. Hence, keep your cat away from the treats during its weight loss journey.
Increase Activity-Time for Your Cat
The weight loss plans mentioned above will go a long way in helping your cat reach its weight loss goal. If you want your cat to become a healthy pet, you must make sure that it undertakes some physical activities.
One of the biggest reasons behind cats failing to lose weight is that they do not burn the energy they get from their meals. No matter how much you cut down your cat’s calories or etch out a diet plan for your cat, nothing boosts metabolism as well as physical activities.
When it comes to physical activity, simple play-time is not the answer. Your cat will need to do more than that. You will need to get out of your house and take your cats for walks and exercise. To boost your cat’s interest in physical activities, start introducing them to some fun toys that they can play around with. Toys like feather cat toys, laser pointers, and even a simple ball of yarn require your cats to move and jump around a lot.
Toys are the best options for cats that do not like going out. But if your cat loves to head out, then you can always go for short walks in the park. You can invest in a treadmill for cats as well.
To Sum Up
Now you know everything you need to do to ensure that your cat is living a healthy and safe lifestyle. If you want to take great care of your feline friend, you must take care of its health first and foremost and ensure that your cat is not putting on unnecessary weight. If your cat is healthy, it will also not succumb to any diseases or health problems.
Please remember that frequent visits to your cat’s vet are a must during any weight loss journey. Also, your cat won’t lose weight overnight. So, it would be best if you stayed committed to your goal.