Fat Cat

Question
Hello,

My cat is 6 years old and has put on about 3 pounds in the last three years. I have always just left food down for him because we travel a lot with work and I don't think my adult children will remember to feed him but I am wanting to just put food down twice a day to try to get him to 15 or 16 pounds. He is NOW 19 pounds.

We I travel he eats more but does no do this when the other 3 adult males travel in the family.

He is a mixed breed black tabby/simease and a rescue cat.

I feed him Flint River Rach senior adult food.

It is low ash and magnesium.

He is a very lazy cat and stays indoors.

Would a 1/2 a cup of dry food 2 x a day be the best way to start this?  
What is the best way to help my cat loose this weight?

Thank you very much.

Tonja

Answer
Tonja -

You should be commended for recognizing that your cat needs to lose weight.  Cat owners often think that cats should be fat and continue to overfeed their cats as they become heavier and heavier.

I suggest that you feed your cat more canned food and increase his daily activity.  

Obesity in cats can be the cause of many health problems.  Overweight cats tend to develop more constipation and bladder problems than their slimmer counterparts.  Often cats suffer in silence because their owners are unaware that they are having problems with their bathroom habits until the problem gets much worse.

Encourage your pet to move by dangling feathers in his face, and giving him catnip toys if he is sensitive to catnip.

Feed a high quality diet (i.e. no store brand) and once again, I stress - feed canned food.   Dry cat food is higher in calories per serving than canned cat food.  Hopefully, you have introduced your cat to canned food.  If you have not given your kitty canned before, then I suggest offering him cat food daily until he decides to make it a part of his diet.   I feed my cats canned food and they have remained lean even after having been spayed and neutered.



Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM