How to choose a low-calorie cat food?

Causes of the problem

Excess weight in a cat can be formed both from overeating and due to the influence of other factors. With food, it is clear: the animal should receive exactly the number of calories that it needs to maintain health and full development. Moreover, the cat should be fed ready-made rations in the recommended norms, and not homemade food.

Now let’s take a closer look at other factors that determine the likelihood of animals gaining excess weight. This is a breed – purebred animals are less prone to gaining extra pounds than mestizos. Age – in the risk zone of a cat aged 6-8 years. Reproductive status – special attention should be paid to the weight of castrated and sterilized pets. Physical activity – Cats with access to the outdoors keep fit more easily than exclusively pets. Also, the reason may be in the genetic predisposition and individual characteristics of a particular pet.

Whether a cat is overweight or obese can be determined visually and by palpation. If the ribs and spine are poorly palpable, the waist is not noticeable, but there is a stomach, then there is a problem. And not alone, because significant excess weight is a threat to the health of the animal. It leads to a reduction in the life expectancy of a cat, undermines the pet’s immunity, provokes the development of diseases of the digestive system, joints, urinary and other body systems. Therefore, the problem of excess weight should not be ignored.

And her decision

The main rule of feeding a cat is to give her complete food in compliance with the recommended norms and not allow the pet to eat from the home table, even if you really want to. That is, the animal should be protected from dishes that are familiar to humans, but unhealthy for a cat.

However, if this rule is observed, and the pet is still gaining weight, it is necessary to revise the nutrition algorithm somewhat: increase the proportion of wet food in the cat’s daily diet, since it is 4-5 times less calorie than dry food.

If the process of gaining extra pounds continues, then you need to contact your veterinarian.

After the examination, he will establish the true cause of overweight. There are two options here.

First, the cat will be prescribed a low-calorie diet. There are suitable foods on the market that a veterinarian can recommend, such as Satiety Weight Management SAT34 from Royal Canin or offerings from Hill’s Prescription Diet, Monge and others.

You should not choose food on your own. Why? Here we turn to the second option: probably, the specialist will establish that the source of the problem is not in the diet, and prescribe a treatment adequate to the cat’s condition. That is, the decision of the owner of a full cat to show her to the doctor in any case will be correct.

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