Because a healthy kitty is a happy kitty-cat .
Your pussy is purr - fect . Well , except for the paunchy belly that seems to be press her down . Your cat is n’t the only one who has some extra " fluff"—according to theAssociation for Pet Obesity Prevention ( APOP ) , nearly 60 percent of cats in the United States are overweight .
The trouble ? Excess weighting is a concern because it leads to animation - limiting malady likeheart diseaseanddiabetes . Wondering how to assist your cat lose weight ? Read on for expert tips , from how much to feed your felid for cat weight loss to childlike strategy that get your kitty to move more .
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Does Your Cat Need to Lose Weight?
Being even a few Ezra Loomis Pound corpulence turn down your qat ’s quality of animation . It make your pussycat feel uncomfortable and reduces her desire to move , which can cause even more weightiness gain . Cats with excess weight lean to have shorter lifespans too .
But weighing your cat is n’t the most effective way of life to figure out if your pool needs to shed some Pound . Instead , assess your cat-o'-nine-tails ’s eubstance term , saysAimee Simpson , DVM , medical director ofVCA Cat Hospital of Philadelphia , and look for the following :
If your cat ’s body shape point he ’s fleshy , ask your veterinary for aid determining what yourcat ’s saint weightshould be .
How Many Calories Are Needed for Cat Weight Loss?
To figure out how many Calorie to feed your African tea to aid him lose weight , you first have to determine how much your quat is presently eat . consider all food for thought , delicacy , and table refuse . Then reduce the amount by 20 percent , says Simpson .
For some pet parents , it ’s hard to establish a cat ’s daily caloric intake . That may be because multiple family appendage feed the computerized tomography , you frequently switch solid food brands , or you leave unmeasured food out all day . If that ’s your situation , do n’t worry . Simpson advocate using this formula to count the number of calories your furry pal should eat on for weight expiration :
Ideal weight in kg x 30 70 . Take this answer and multiple by 0.8 to get the number of calories to feed your cat each day .
And recall : sound weighting loss take clip , so be patient . " Aim for a weekly exercising weight loss of a half to two pct of your cat ’s body weight unit , " advises Simpson . " Because if overweight Caterpillar lose system of weights too fast it can cause fattyliver disease , which is a serious health egress . "
How to Help Your Cat Lose Weight in a Healthy Way
The same weight - personnel casualty rule that works for citizenry also puzzle out for computed axial tomography : Eat less and move more . Here are some tips for start out your kitty in anatomy .
1. Make mealtime a challenge.
practice a mystifier self-feeder to encourage forcible and mental activity . Puzzle feeders help oneself beat boredom and set the amount of food your CT use up , so it ’s an all - around win .
2. Keep exercise fun.
Like people , hombre get bored with the same old routine . To spice things up , provide plenty of perpendicular climb airfoil and circumvolve a variety of toy . Add in short bursts of playing period throughout the day . Cats are establish for velocity , not endurance , remind Simpson , so aim for five to ten minutes of activity at each play session .
3. Cut back on treats.
interchange food delicacy with snuggle and playtime . It ’s a simple mode to reduce the number of calories your furry pal consumes each day .
4. Slowly switch food.
Cats are notorious for being finicky . So do n’t change up your cat ’s Chow dynasty overnight . You have to be sneaky if you ’re switching to a new food for free weight direction . Start by replacing a quarter of your puss ’s kibble with new food for a few years . Then gradually increase the amount of new food over the course of several more days , recommends theAssociation for Pet Obesity Prevention . It should take one to two weeks to make the change .
5. Keep cats from sharing meals.
If you have multiple cat in your household , you ’ll have to take additional steps to stop your chubby true cat from overeating . Feed your cat several small meals at specific clip of the day from their own , consecrated feeding bowls rather than letting them graze all day or eat from the same trough , recommends Simpson . That elbow room computerized tomography are more potential to finish their nutrient , which think fewer leftovers for a housemate to gobble up . Use aprogrammable feederto allow for meals to your cats throughout the twenty-four hours if you ca n’t be there to do it .
6. Consider a microchip-activated feeder.
This case of ripe eater will release food only for the designated true cat . It ’s a fail - safe selection to do away with the opportunity for your cat to crunch on his buddy ’s leftovers .
" While it may be difficult at time to dissent give in to your cat ’s desire for extra intellectual nourishment and treats , " say Simpson . " Remember that weight going reduces disease risk and improves your computerized axial tomography ’s quality of lifespan . " And that ’s something every pet parent can get behind !
