Is your pet a gourmet, and is eating one of its favorite things in life?
Is it also fat and you don't know how to help your cat lose weight? If the answer is yes, I'm going to give you some important guidelines and recommendations; but first I want to tell you how to determine whether your cat is fat or not and why you must keep it sleek and healthy.
Ideal weight.
Usually depends on the breed, but it is generally between 8 and 11 pounds. Some breeds, such as Ragdoll and Maine Coon, are pretty heavy, weighing up to 13 pounds. If your cat is 15% heavier than average, it's overweight, and if it's 30% heavier than average, it's officially a fat cat.
How to determine if your cat is fat.
Cats at optimal weight don't have flabby bellies and you have to be able to feel their ribs when petting them. If you can't do that, maybe it's time to start thinking that your cat has weight problems. Some of the causes of this problem are: spaying or neutering (hormonal problems); indoor life and lack of exercise; food indulgence and even some behavior disorders, such as stress.
Why is it dangerous for a cat to be fat?
There is a long list of hazards, such as: a reduction in physical activity, shorter life expectancy, predisposition to diseases such as joint, respiratory, cardiac, circulatory, hepatic and reproductive diseases and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, cancer, and others.
8 Steps to take:
Step 1: Comparing your cat's ideal weight to its actual one. If your pet gets too anxious when putting it on the scale, you can weigh yourself first, write down the number, and then take your cat in your arms and weigh yourself and your pet together. Calculate by subtracting your weight from the weight of you and the cat together.
Step 2: Applying a specific diet. The ideal combination is 70% dry and 30% moist food. There are good diet pet foods on the market. It's critical for your cat's health to choose a good brand of food, because some brands contain a lot of salt or fat, which increase the risk of your cat developing health problems.
Step 3: Decreasing food intake slowly. You have to reduce rations slowly and never drastically, because just like people, if they stop eating suddenly, whatever they eat after that makes them gain even more weight. Let's say your cat eats 200 grs. of dry food daily. Reduce the amount by just 50 grs per day to 150 grs. Give it this amount for the first week until it gets used to it, and then reduce the amount by another 50 grs to 100 grs. Depending on the brand, the ideal portion is between 60 grs and 90 grs per day. If you feel sorry for your cat eating just once a day, distribute this amount in 2 or 3 portions at different times daily.
Step 4: Monitoring intake by weighing the daily ration. It's important to measure the amount of food, especially if you are trying to reduce intake. If you are not at home, the best way to monitor daily intake is through a good automatic cat food dispenser. Automatic cat food dispensers are a great solution for people who work all day and need to monitor their cat's daily food intake by setting a feeding schedule and portions.
Step 5: Introducing activity at feeding time. If you have time, when it's time to feed your cat:
Walk around the house with food in your hands, and make your cat follow you.
Put a little food on a chair, making your cat jump on the chair to eat it.
Put some food on the floor and repeat the procedure several times (if your cat cannot jump, that's OK, just make it walk by putting food in different parts of the house, and even further so you make it run).
Note: be careful not to make your cat run or walk too much the first few days because it could be dangerous. Make the process slow initially and increase the rhythm little by little over time.
If you are a busy person and don't have much time, you can exercise your cat when you get home and on weekends. If you are not home during the day, excellent toy food dispensers are available for making your cat play and eat at the same time.
Step 6: Creating a game plan schedule with interactive toys such as feather dusters, reeds or lasers (a few minutes several times a day is better than a long session on weekends). It is very important for you to play with your cat, as that will encourage it to keep playing and moving. You can use something as simple as a piece of string, but if you like spoiling your pet, you can find several good toys for this purpose. This is a perfect way to relieve your cat's built up anxieties.
Step 7: Absolutely avoid diet "extras."
Step 8: Regular weight control checks. The best procedure is to weigh your cat and record its weight and the date every two weeks, checking for changes and progress.
Your cat will be grateful, more beautiful and healthier. Good luck!
