Is your cat overweight? Help her lose weight

Since domestic cats tend to have a sedentary lifestyle, your pet may be overweight.

Typically, a cat gains weight if it eats too much or, in some cases, has some kind of medical condition. Have you noticed that your cat is rounder? Consult your veterinarian to find out the causes, rule out illness or pregnancy, and choose the right diet.

Once you’ve made sure your pet has no health issues, you and your veterinarian can develop a wellness program for her to help her lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. So you reduce her risk of developing diabetes or arthritis and even increase life expectancy. A healthy cat is a happy cat.

Weight gain can go unnoticed. You may not even realize it until you show it to the veterinarian at your next checkup. But don’t worry, you don’t need to set up a home gym for your pet to give her a healthier lifestyle!

Meal plan

What to do if your cat has recovered? Before focusing on an exercise program, adjust her diet. It’s not easy to keep track of your cat’s activity level when you’re not at home, but you can keep an eye on her diet. How much should a cat eat per day? Pay close attention to when and how much she eats each day to see if she is overeating. Then discuss with your veterinarian how much food she needs based on her age and size.

If she has already exceeded the recommended amount of food per day, it is time to take action. The best way to help your cat lose weight is to gradually reduce the amount of food she eats over the course of several weeks, in consultation with her veterinarian. No radical diets! You may even need to switch your furry beauty to a special weight loss diet that will help her lose weight and then maintain her optimal weight.

Physical activity

Diet alone will not help a cat lose weight. For weight loss, exercise is very important. Cats, like their owners, benefit most from a balanced combination of a healthy diet and regular physical activity. Getting a cat to move can be difficult. She probably won’t run with you on the treadmill or lap the pool, but you can use her precious “wake” time to engage in stimulating games to help her maintain a healthy weight. You can make cat toys yourself at no extra cost. 

As with a new meal plan, introduce your cat to the exercise program gradually, as jumping too quickly into an active life can lead to injury. Since cats have a strong predatory instinct and love to hunt, to get her moving, give her something to chase – even a crumpled piece of paper or a bouncing ball will do. Just make sure the item isn’t too small so your cat doesn’t accidentally swallow it and choke.

To really fire up her hunting instinct, let the cat hunt for her own food, just like her wild ancestors. You can hide bits of food or treats around the house and watch her go after her “prey”. Hide food at different heights to get her to jump and climb – you can use a ladder or a cat tree for this. The more the cat moves, the more calories it burns. But just remember where you hid the pieces of food in case she misses something. You do not want her to find and swallow a stale piece of food after a couple of weeks.

When you’re away, leave toys for her to keep busy, organize places around the house for her to play on her own by setting up a scratching post, a special wheel for running, or a cat tree for climbing. Even just leaving the blinds or curtains open during the day so that she can see the birds, squirrels or neighbor’s dogs can activate her instincts – and very soon she will begin to rush from window to window.

Additional benefits? Your relationship with your pet is strengthened through games and joint activities that help her lead a healthy lifestyle. Cats may seem like independent creatures that have everything they need, but their health and well-being depend on you much more than you think. Paying special attention to your cat’s weight and overall health can help her live a healthier life for years to come.