by Courtney Kelly

Created on: September 18, 2008

Weight Loss for Your Cat

While a tubby kitty might look happy lazing in the sun or rolling about the living room floor, obesity in any pet is just as dangerous for their health as it is for ours. Your cat relies on you, for the most part, for their daily in take of food. Commonly, we leave out a bowl of food for our cats all day long, compared to the once or twice a day meal times for our other beloved pet, the dog. However, some cats will eat more than their fair share of food and wind up tubby and unhealthy.

If that sounds like your cat, the first step is to stop leaving out a constant supply of food. Yes, your cat will howl and cry when he discovers your disobedience, but please remember: this is for his own good. Take to feeding Mr. Tubby once a day, preferably at night since cats are generally more active during this period. Or you can also choose to serve him half a cup in the morning and half a cup at night. If he is only slightly overweight, this may solve your problems completely, and don't worry: he will stop crying eventually.

If your cat is not just slightly overweight but in fact quite fat, then more drastic steps will have to be taken. Not only will you stop leaving out a constant supply of food, but you will need to change his food to a diet variety as well. The diet varieties at the grocery store will work just as well as the expensive brands at the veterinarians, however I do recommend (like with any cat food) that you choose a brand that is low in Ash content.

Changing your cat's food to anything he is not used to will upset his stomach, so unless you enjoy cleaning up cat vomit and diarrhea I suggest introducing the new food slowly. Mix in the diet cat food with his regular food at about a quarter to three quarter ratio for the first two weeks, and then increase the ratio by a quarter each couple of weeks until he is entirely on the diet food. If your cat is fussy on the shape or size of the food, I wouldn't worry too much. He will get hungry and eat the new food eventually.

Lastly, please don't feel bad for Mr. Tubby and feed him treats when he is upset about the new food arrangement. Not only will you teach him that being upset and crying about it will get him treats, but you will also be counter-acting his diet and all of this trouble will be wasted. Remember: you are helping your cat to become healthy and happy!

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