Help my cat is too fat
If this article has caught your eye, then very likely - yes, your cat (or a cat you are looking after) IS too fat. We see so many overweight cats now that our perception of its normal weight has changed.
*A cat is designed to hunt and defend its territory so they are lean, muscular creatures with incredible agility and grace. I can hear a few giggles here as you imagine your content well-fed pet flying through the air with enormous agility and strength.
*The average cat should weigh about 4kgs or 9lbs. I have weighed some cats that the owners are so delighted to see clocking the scales at 6kgs or 13lbs; proud of their enormous pets.
*Yes, we always take the size of a cat into consideration when we weigh them. There are some very large-boned, muscular cats out there but a quick feel of their pendulous belly is always a give away that the weight is largely due to fat and not their huge size. Female neutered cats seem to develop quite pendulous flaps of skin on their belly once they have been spayed and many of them remain the normal weight. This fat is quite normal and harmless.
*I am talking about average domestic breeds here. British Shorthairs or Maine Coons for example have an average weight of 6kgs.
*So many clients will apologise for the size of their cat even before he has appeared from the cat box (although the way an owner heaves the box onto the consulting room table is a clue to their pet's size). I am very understanding of any attempts at weight loss having been through it many times myself.
*Cats that are from rehoming centres or strays seem to suffer from exactly the same mentality that I feel - every meal is your last so eat up as much as you can. They are the most difficult ones to get weight off as many of them are indoors cats that are indulged by their owners to make up for their rough past.
*You cannot exercise a cat as you would a human or a dog except to try playing with them for at least 20 minutes a day if they are indoor cats.
*Diet is the only form of control that works and there is quite a range of cat diet foods available. Whichever one you choose, it is vital that you reduce your cat's weight very slowly as cats can suffer from a dangerous condition known as fatty liver if the weight comes off too quickly. This happens when they really will not eat the food you have chosen and their body goes into starvation mode, breaking down the fat and sending it in dangerously high amounts to the liver.
*Always choose a diet brand that is very similar to the food they normally eat.
*Weigh out exactly how much your cat should have each day. This is shown on the side of the food container or packet. This is easier to stick to if you are a pet sitter as you do not give in as owners do!
*Use reducing diets, not maintenance light varieties to get your cat to lose the weight. Maintenance light foods are to maintain a large cat once he has lost his weight.
*Try to reduce his weight by 1kg or 2.2lbs at a time. This may take a few weeks or even a few months - depending on whether your crafty cat has found another source of food down the road.
*You will be doing him a big favour by reducing his weight to around the normal levels of 4kgs or 9lbs. Obesity in cats, as in humans is associated with the same complications - diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and even something as basic as badly matted, dandruffy fur over their back.
*A cat is normally completely elastic and can lick every part of their body and the tongue keeps the coat clean and shiny. If his belly is so vast, he will not be able to reach his back and many owners have come in to have their cat's fur treated when the primary problem is that their cat is just too fat.
Return to cat behaviour articles |
