A recent survey has shown that 40% of all cats are overweight.   Some of our pets have such a lazy lifestyle and they love to eat – the pounds just pile on.  How can I tell if my cat  is just cuddly or way too fat?

 When your cat looks more like a cushion than a cat you obviously know he’s overweight.  If he’s borderline chunky, he’ll have a fat tummy and you won’t be able to feel his ribs.  Nobody wants a thin feline friend, a nice balance is the aim.  There aren’t any hard and fast rules, cats have such different bone structures – large and rangy, tiny and compact, big heads and little bodies and vice versa.

Being too fat brings a lot of health problems.   Your chunky cat might look glossy and well but the fat will be piling on those internal organs and could make him prone to heart failure and diabetes.

As cats get older most tend to lose their svelte kitten like figure and put on a bit of middle-age-spread.    They become less active and their metabolism slows down.   If we cut the food down at this stage or change to a senior diet (high fibre, low fat) all will be well. But our cats have us trained to fetch and carry, they are used to ad lib a la carte cuisine.    ‘Maybe another pouch?   Those biscuits look good.   A saucer of milk please?

Cats are so plaintive when they want something.  It’s hard to resist those pleading eyes and that purr of pleasure when they get their own way.  If your cat is grossly obese it’s best to seek vet advice before starting a diet.  There could be health complications and a check up is needed before any pet weight loss plan is implemented.

If it’s just to lose a bit of weight or to stop him gaining, there are a number of tips that may help.   Firstly, reduce the size of the feed dish.  A small saucer will help to remind you not to fill his plate.   We don’t want our feline friend to be always hungry and to think about leaving home and going down the road where food is better.   So tiny meals, served frequently, will make him feel satisfied and know that he’s getting your prompt attention.  

We often overfeed our cats by dolloping lots down at one go.   If it’s there, they’ll eat it.   One way to imagine how much to serve is to think about a cat’s natural diet.   How big is a small mouse?   A couple of mouthfuls and that is what he’d get if he was fending for himself – it would be a good meal for a cat.

Feeding a spoonful or two of meat or fish four or five times a day will see your cat through the hunger pangs.   Cats often eat large meals out of habit.  Once they’ve adapted to small is beautiful they are fine with it.  

Since getting more exercise is the key to weight loss, anything you can do to encourage more feline activity is recommended.  If your cat is a playful type you have it made.   Sometimes with older cats, we forget to play with them.  It’s surpising how they still like to chase a feather or a ping pong ball when we’ve awoken their interest.    Cats used to be mousers and that kept their weight down.  You will rarely see an overweight farm cat.

Try putting a morsel of food in small cardboard boxes and scattering them around.   Your cat will soon learn that he has to ‘hunt’ for his food.   We always put biscuits out, even for a dieter, there are some excellent low calorie brands available.   Fresh food, such as chicken, fish or turkey is low fat too and is a real treat.

Weigh your cat by holding him in your arms and stepping on the scales.   Weigh yourself again when he’s jumped down.   This way you can check if your pet’s diet is working.   If you have cat loving neighbours you might have to let them in on the diet plan.  Your cat might be putting on weight simply because he’s nipping next door for seconds.  One of our own chaps (Mr.Boston) used to be adept at the ‘Please sir, can I have some more’ starving cat routine when he went round the corner for a visit.

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