As a loving cat owner, you are no doubt aware of the need to provide a healthy balanced diet for your cat. This diet should not only provide the necessary nutrition essential to optimal health but also should provide no more or fewer calories than necessary. Of course, keeping your cat healthy, particularly for indoor cats also means giving your cat access to fun toys to keep your cat exercised, happy, and entertained.
Obesity In Cats Is Very Common In America
However, we are all susceptible to wanting our pets to feel loved and we sometimes do so by providing an extra treat or by constantly filling the food bowl even though we may suspect this is leading to our cat gaining unhealthy weight.
Obesity is the average for most cats in the United States. According to The APOP, nearly 60% of all domestic felines fall into this category.
Assessing If Your Cat Is Overweight
Determining the ideal weight for your cat is complicated by breed, sex, spayed/neutered and other factors. However most domestic cats should weigh in the 8 to 10 pound range. If you are concerned, we recommend you have your Veterinarian perform a physical exam. This make sure that there are no underlying medical issues and if necessary, to make recommendations on diet and exercise.
However, if you want to make a quick assessment for your self there are several tools available on the internet for that purpose.
The guide that we like the most is a Body Condition Score Chart for Cats prepared by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association WSAVA. This guide provides pictures of cats ranging from thin to obese so you can compare your cat to these images and make your own assessment. WSAVA describes an ideal cat condition as a Waist observed behind the ribs, ribs palpable with slight fat covering and minimal abdominal fat pad.
Steps Toward Helping Your Cat Achieve A Healthier Weight
If having reviewed the body condition scorecard you decide that you need to start reducing your cat’s calories and increasing your cats exercise (maybe with a cat tree) then the first step is to stop leaving food in the bowl for all-day consumption and going to defined meals at fixed times.
Again, your veterinarian can help with formulating this diet as it is very important to be patient and continue to provide the required nutrition even while reducing total calories at an appropriate rate. If you first decide to do your own diet assessment one tool we like is provided online by the Pet Nutrition Alliance. Please note this tool is designed to be used by Veterinary professionals so we don’t recommend you make changes to your pet’s diet without consulting with your Veterinarian however we like the estimate this tool provides as feedback about our pets current diet.
Conclusion
Knowing that your cat is overweight is a very scary thought. Now, that you know that your cat is overweight you have to make progress in helping your cat lose weight. You should consult your veterinarian, and they can help guide you through this process. Helping your cat lost weight is not a sprint, but a marathon. You have to be consistent in doing the right things to achieve a healthier weight in your cat. Furthermore, here is an article we have where we cover some good toys for overweight cats if you are interested in learning about toys that will promote exercise in your fat cat. Nowadays, cats do not get enough water due to eating dry food. The process of losing weight will be a lot easier with a water fountain.
Blaine is a pet owner and animal lover. His two passions of cats and blogging met and KittyCatReviews was formed.