How do I get my fat cats to lose weight?

Are your cats seeing a vet? I understand it can be expensive, but really, it should be considered a requirement of owning a pet. Like tipping when you go out for dinner: if you can’t afford the tip, you can’t afford any of it. Anyway, if they haven’t seen the vet in awhile, bring them in for a check-up, and while you’re there talk about their weight. At the least, the vet can offer some professional suggestions for a weight-loss routine. The vet can also rule out any medical condition that may be causing the weight problem. If they’ve been in for a check-up recently, call the vet up and ask for suggestions for weight-loss.

You should also spend some time doing research. Check online and in your local library. Vets are professionals but they are human and, therefore, fallible. What are the latest findings about feline weight, diet, exercise, etc?

As for my own suggestions:

Diet content is just as (more?) important as portion sizes. From what I understand, dry foods just aren’t good for cats: a wet-food diet is the way to go. Obviously, not just any ol’ wet food is good; and yes, the best foods are more expensive (because cheap is, well, cheap), but expense alone isn’t a sign of quality. Do your research. I understand “Wellness” is a good brand name, but I’m sure there are others. Follow the portion size recommended by your vet (confirmed against what apparently-reputable sources say online/in print).

About exercise, in order to provide adequate exercise for your pet, no matter what kind of animal it is, you have to know it personally. What does it like doing? This means experimentation. Do your cats like it when you shine a pen-light on the floor and move it around? Do your cats like Cat Dancers (http://catdancer.com/products.htm )? Do they like toy mice stuffed with cat nip? Do they like being chased around the home? What do they like? How can you entertain them? Dedicate a good chunk of every day (or a bigger chunk ever day or two) to entertaining them and getting them moving. I’m talking 15+ hours a week.

Good luck, I hope I helped!

I can’t guarantee this will work for cats, but I know for sure it works for dogs. Mix green beans in with it’s food. Good luck.

To get my cat some exercise we bought her a laser pointer. Hehe she loves it and tries to chase it all over the house. You should try that, they’re not too expensive.

A really great way to get your cat to lose weight is to get a milk carton, wash it out, put medium to large holes in it and then fill it with cat food. That way they have to keep rolling the carton to get the food out. It both exercises and rations the food. My friends did this and their cats lost a lot of weight. Good Luck!

Kitty Treadmill…. :P Honestly though – I think chunky cats are adorable

Jenny Craig

A reducing diet is a good first step. (And keep in mind that when doing any diet change, be sure to gradually change the food rather than an abrupt switch to avoid gastric upset.) Get them moved to a ‘light’ food, slowly reduce the amount that you feed, and try to increase their activity level (laser lights, new toys, etc).

You should be aware, however, that these changes need to be gradual and monitored carefully. We had a client who put her cat on a drastic diet that resulted in hepatic lipidosis, requiring extended hospitalization and a feeding tube.

Find a food they don’t like and feed them that once a day. That should do it. : )

Hey! It worked for mine. : )

i’d be careful with the green beans for cats… i know they are good for dogs but may be too harsh for kitties little digestive system.

There was one cat behaviorist who does this with his cats. He divides the total food portion ( by weight) into half a dozen or more smaller portions.

Then puts them in various places around the house. Up on shelves, behind things, etc. You may need to let them see you putting it on the highest shelf of the bookshelf or top of the fridge etc. until they get the idea. But cats are smart and get the idea.

This plays into their natural hunting instincts and gives them mental stimulation as well as exercise as they hunt for their food throughout the day. A little more effort and work on your part, but fun and exercise for them.

Also find a toy that they respond to (laser or cat dancer) and discipline yourself to a regular vigorous playtime at least once a day or more. The key is doing it regularly not just occasionally.

My cat is getting a little chubby but she loves the cat dancer and goes nuts chasing it, turning somersaults and everything. I give her at least one good workout a day until she’s too tuckered to respond.

Another thing you may want to check out is what’s called a “natural prey diet” or as close as you can manage. It’s a little tricky to do it right and still provide all the necessary nutrients, but one woman vet has an entire site devoted to this principle. She maintains that the dry foods have much too high a grain content which goes completely against the way nature designed the cats system. They are obligate carnivores and the only vegetation or grains they normally get are found in the digestive tracts of their prey.

All of the cats which she has seen in her practice which have been switched to this type of diet have self balanced their weight to normal parameters.

But it is less convenient for us humans to provide for them.

And then there is Bill Maher’s philosophy which goes in the opposite direction.

He is a big time animal lover and advocate of adopting from
Shelters. He has several dogs (not sure whether he also has cats). I’ve heard him say that his dogs may be a bit overweight and thus have their life shortened by a few years. However he is reluctant to deprive them.

The way he puts it is ” we take away their ability to hunt and eliminate their sex drive, so what pleasures in life do they have left. One is the joy of being reunited with us when we return each day. And the other pleasure is food. So even if my dog lives a few years less, at least they are happy years.

And if they die a few years early, then that leaves room for a new dog needing a home. Instead of being euthanized when his time at the shelter is up, he gets to come replace the previous dog and have the same happy life with me. Instead of being deprived like he was as a stray on the street, he gets to enjoy liberal amounts of what makes him happy.””

So basically quality vs. quantity.

I’m sure that there are those who disagree with him, but with the overwhelming numbers of animals in shelters desperately needing homes, it does make a weird type of sense. At least for Bill Maher it does. :)

As pet parents we just have to use our best judgment about things like this. Good luck with your kitties. And I hope you find what works best for you and them.

I think feed a bit less.