How can a 3 yr old cat lose some weight?
My cat Kayla is 3 yrs old and she’s (obviously) a girl. She’s a little bit chubby, and she’s maybe around 15 lbs; I’m not exactly sure. She’s an indoor cat too, and we never let her outside so she can’t exactly hunt or anything. So, how can she lose some of her weight? Healthy ways please!
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October 1st, 2010 at 12:02 am
Go to: http://www.littlebigcat.com and read some of Dr. Jean Hovfe’s articles on cat nutrition in her article library. Such as: “Feline Obesity”, “Why Cats Need Canned Food”, “The Best Weight Loss Program for Cats”, etc.
October 1st, 2010 at 12:55 am
Don’t feed the cat. Hide morsels of its food all over the house. This way, it will have to hunt. And that in itself is an exercise. And it really is more natural as far as the cat’s instincts. Give your cat some shelves to climb on as well.
My cat likes to chase a button tied to a ribbon. She will chase it for hours if I myself have enough energy to play for hours.
October 1st, 2010 at 1:19 am
There are many factors in getting overweight cats to drop some weight. This should be a slow process. You can try switching to the light variety of the food she is on now. Feed her according to her ideal weight from the side of the bag. This does not always work and you will need to consult with your veterinarian. They have prescription foods that can help when commercial foods don’t do the trick. Also, you can find ways to exercise your cat. Using lean treats you can make your cat follow you around the house for them instead of just putting them right next to her. Also, move her from her favorite spot so she has to walk back to get there. You can buy mice to throw around or even mice that are mobile for her to chase. Some cats do well on a leash, not many though. If you want to try walking her, start out in your house first to see if she adapts to a collar and leash. We started a “Loser’s Club” at our clinic, ask your vet if they have anything like that.
October 1st, 2010 at 1:27 am
Take her to the vet and see what they suggest.
-And/Or-
Buy some weight management cat food.
October 1st, 2010 at 2:01 am
You can take her to the vet so that they can set a target weight for her, but that isn’t strictly necessary – you can probably figure it out for yourself. Look at the first link below which tells you how to tell if weight loss is in order.
In general, the average cat should weigh around 8-9 pounds. Larger breeds like the Maine Coon might be closer to 15 when they’re at a lean weight.
The rule of thumb is that a cat can eat between 20-30 calories per IDEAL pound per day. For weight loss you’d start at the lower end of the scale. So if your cat should weigh 10 pounds, it could eat approximately 200 calories per day. Perhaps a little more but not much. Of course, if you’re overfeeding her she could probably eat 300 calories per day and would lose weight, at least initially.
You won’t find calorie counts on bags or cans; you’d need to go to the mfr’s website to get that info.
The next thing you need to know is that cats must lose weight slowly. No more than 1 pound per month, although 1/2 pound is fine too. So you aren’t going to see results for quite a while. If you have a scale that would be handy, but you can do without one. (I did).
And last but not least, follow my advice. From my blog:
In a nutshell, most cats are fat because they’ve been fed too much (free-feeding or indulging them) and because they’re fed dry food which is NOT appropriate food for them due to the grain/carb/sugar content. Cats are obligate carnivores who need to eat a high meat-based protein diet, which is also high in fats and low in carbs.
Many vets, who are sadly ignorant on the topic of proper cat nutrition, will recommend prescription diet foods (usually dry). Cats are expected to lose weight on a starvation diet of 1/4 or 1/3 cup of food per day. Everyone is miserable in these situations.
The solution is to switch the fat cat (and any others in the household as well) to a good quality canned food. Because these foods are species appropriate, the cat will lose weight at a safe, slow pace (no more than 1 pound per month). Switching foods needs to occur slowly, and if you’re trying to get a kibble junkie to eat canned food, that will happen naturally.
That’s it. Easy as pie. Not only will fat cats lose weight, but it and any others in the home will reap many benefits of eating a speciies appropriate diet.
See the links below for detailed information on this topic.
UPDATE: Poppy lost 5 pounds and Sophie lost 2 following this plan (from October to October). Each cat gets one can (5.5oz) of Nature’s Variety Instincts per day. No one is starving or miserable. My vet is happy with her progress and so am I. Only 4 pounds to go!