How To Get Your Cat To Lose Weight
I have a confession. My cat is too fat.
He's a large, orange and white fluff ball. He's so fluffy I just call him Mr Fluff.
But under those luscious locks is a fair lot of padding, and my vet said he could use to lose a few hundred grams — or about a 10th of his current body weight.
And I'm not alone in this. The Australian Veterinarian Association estimates almost half of our pet cats and dogs are overweight in Australia.
While we might think a tubby tabby is cute, increased fat on your feline also increases their risk of diabetes, blood pressure problems, osteoarthritis and all sorts of other health issues.
It can be really hard to tell if Kitty is carrying too much weight, particularly with the fluffier kind, so it's best to get the vet to check what weight your cat should be.
But how can you help a cat lose weight, especially if you keep them indoors?
I spoke with a couple of specialist cat vets and a kitty owner for tips and tricks to help keep pussy trim, entertained and purring.
Control your kitty's binges
Gabby Lawson, a vet at the Cat Clinic in New Town, Hobart, says a big part of the problem with overweight cats is the never-empty bowl phenomenon.
"They've got their human servants, and they just look at their bowl and the human tops it up," she says.
"They have trained us extremely well."
In households with more than one human, this automatic top up of the bowl can often happen multiple times a day by multiple people.
"Someone gets up in the morning, cat meows, food gets put in the bowl," Dr Lawson says.
"Couple of hours later someone walks past the kitchen, cat meows, food gets out in the bowl."
Dr Lawson's tip for avoiding this play-off by the lying feline is to have containers labelled for each day of the week with that day's food in it.
Dr Lawson says unless your cat has special dietary requirements, it's best to feed them a mix of wet and dry food.
Dry food is good for cats' teeth, but it's very calorie-dense, so it's easier for cats to get more than they should.
Most cat food packaging has a guide on how much to feed your cat a day depending on how much they weigh.
If you're trying to reduce your cat's weight, talk to the vet about how much and what type of food to feed them. Just like us humans, a cat will get very grumpy if you suddenly reduce their food to force them to lose weight. No-one wants the pain of a hangry cat going through food-withdrawal.
Mimic the hunt for the wilder-kibble
Something you can do with dry food is make your fatty catties work for it.
Kate King from the Canberra Cat Vet says the dry food you feed your cat shouldn't be in an easy-to-access bowl.
"We've got a clinic cat here, and what I do is hide the bits of food around the clinic, so she has to move around to find the food," Dr King says.
Hiding bits of dry food around the house so the cat has to "hunt" for it is a good way to keep the cat occupied, as well as making them move more during the day.
Puzzle feeders and slow feeders make the cat work out how to get the food out and eat it piece by piece. This stops them from bolting down their food too quickly, and also helps keep them entertained and stimulated.
Cat owner Ruth has two Bengal-cross male cats in a one-bedroom apparent.
She uses a puzzle feeder and hides food around the place to help keep them busy and slow down their eating.
"Sometimes I'll throw a handful of chicken and they have to chase it around and snuffle it up," she says.
Both Dr King and Dr Lawson recommend making or buying food toys that cats can bat around.
Toilet rolls and tissue boxes can be good for cheap toys, and you can recycle them when the cat gets bored or destroys it to reach kibble.
Think vertical, with tunnels
If you're keeping your cats indoors most of the time, Dr King and Dr Lawson recommend to think up, as well as around, the house for spaces for your cats to move.
Cat towers, window seats, shelving, boxes, tunnels or just regular furniture can all be used to encourage your kitties to climb and jump, which keeps them more active.
Encourage more playtime
Sometimes you might think your cat is hassling for food, but what they really want is interaction with you.
"Playing with your cat is a great way to increase the bond, as well as keep them a bit trimmer," Dr King says.
She says simple things like a scrunched up piece of paper or string can be all you need.
"If you're using a laser pointer, we do advocate giving them a treat at the end because it can be really frustrating for them if they don't actually catch something," she says.
If you play with string or ribbon, make sure you put it out of reach when playtime is over to prevent cats from chewing it up and getting sick.
Ruth tries to make time to play with her two cats regularly, though sometimes "they don't move a lot when we play".
But the mental stimulation helps them feel more satisfied and relaxed, and less likely to crave food in place of attention.
Dr Lawson says having and trying a range of toys is often necessary, as different cats like different toys and can get bored.
"I often say to get a toy box," Dr Lawson says. "They're like children. They've got 50 different toys and got nothing to play with."
The vet is there to help, so let them
It can be pretty hard telling if your purring pal is a bit too porky. And working out the right diet and play plan can be a minefield.
Get them checked by a vet and talk to them about the cat's diet and exercise habits.
"We want to help you as well. We want to problem-solve," Dr Lawson says.
"What works for one is not going to work for another."
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How To Get Your Cat To Lose Weight
Source: https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/my-cat-is-fat-tips-for-helping-cats-lose-weight/10147536
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