Pudgy cats have seemingly become the norm in households across the nation. Cat foods for weight loss line the shelves of grocery and pet stores alike, but the question remains: How do you help a cat lose weight?
If your cat is carrying around an extra pound or few, you're certainly not alone — but that doesn't mean you should ignore the issue. Understanding how to help your cat lose weight is an important part of being a pet parent. Obesity can cause several ailments in cats, so keeping yours at a healthy weight can go a long way toward supporting their well-being.
How Does Obesity Affect Cat Health?
Extra pounds zap more than the fun out of playtime; they can also compromise your cat's overall health and quality of life. Obese cats may have trouble moving (e.g., climbing stairs or jumping), grooming and breathing. They may also experience urinary and fecal incontinence. In some cases, the increased body weight can cause pressure sores.
Beyond quality of life concerns, obesity can also lead to serious illness and disease, ranging from osteoarthritis to hip dysplasia to diabetes. Other health concerns associated with obesity include:
Cardiac disease
Weakened immune system
Certain cancers
Liver disease
Kidney disease
Skin disease
Luckily, obesity-related health risks decrease as a cat returns to their healthy weight.
Tasty Tips
How Do I Get My House Cat to Lose Weight?
OK, so how can I help my cat lose weight? If you're asking yourself this question, start by consulting your veterinarian. Bring them into the conversation before changing your cat's food or starting a weight loss program. They can ensure your cat doesn't have an underlying health condition and provide an accurate current and target weight. Once you have this information (and your vet's sign-off), consider these general recommendations for weight loss.
Understand Cat Foods for Weight Loss: What Can I Feed My Cat to Lose Weight?
Feed your cat a complete and balanced food formulated for the adult life stage, rather than all life stages. Foods formulated for all life stages contain too much energy for cats who need to lose weight. Your veterinarian may recommend a specific food for weight loss that's lower in calories while retaining the necessary nutrient balance.
Use Portion Control
Allowing cats to munch freely, also known as free feeding, is partly to blame for the obesity trend. To maintain a healthy weight, feed your cat meals in measured amounts (meal feeding). While measuring your cat's food with a measuring cup is fine, using a gram scale is the most accurate method to ensure your cat reaches their targeted caloric intake.
Most healthy adult cats thrive on twice-daily feedings. If your cat is used to grazing at their leisure, automatic feeders — which allow you to program a set amount of food to release at specific times of day — can help smooth the transition to meal feeding. This adjustment period may be difficult initially, but your cat will eventually adapt.
Reconsider Treats
If treats are nonnegotiable in your household, avoid the rookie mistake of feeding your cat their regular meals plus treats. To incorporate treats into their routine without causing weight gain or stalling weight loss, subtract treat calories from meal calories. Treats shouldn't make up more than 10% of their daily intake.
Remember, edible treats aren't the only way to show your cat care. It can be tough to break the "food equals love" mentality, but your cat's well-being is worth the mindset shift.
Your vet is your best resource to guide your cat toward a healthy weight.
How Can I Help My Cat Lose Belly Fat?
Spot-reducing fat in cats isn't possible. However, if your concerns are solely about belly fat, chances are you're referring to your cat's primordial pouch — a flap of skin and fat that hangs near the hind limbs. This pouch is part of their natural anatomy and isn't linked to obesity, though it can enlarge in overweight cats.
How Long Will It Take My Cat to Lose Weight?
Cats must lose weight slowly to avoid fatty liver disease, or hepatic lipidosis, which can be fatal. Therefore, the general goal is to keep weight loss to approximately 1% of your cat's weight per week. Your vet can calculate exactly how many calories your cat needs per day to achieve their ideal body condition.
The time this will take depends on their current weight, target weight and individual factors, such as age and health status. Again, rapid weight loss can have consequences, so follow your veterinarian's recommendation for food and amount closely.
Stay in close contact with your vet (around twice a month) to monitor your cat's progress and update their plan accordingly. You can use a cat or baby scale at home to track progress between vet visits.
Your Cat's Best Life
Your vet is your best resource to guide your cat toward a healthy weight. They can help you rule out any underlying health conditions and customize a weight loss plan complete with daily caloric intake, measured food guidelines and exercise goals. Together, you can support your cat's healthy weight to reduce disease risk and help ensure they live all nine lives to their fullest.
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