How do I get my fat cat thin?
My 2 year old male cat was neutered about 4 months ago and he is put on about 4 lbs. I know that cats get a little bigger after the snip but he is huge! It could easily be more then 4 lbs.
He is an indoor cat and we have toys, another cat and a dog he plays with but what can I do to help him lose weight. He is on indoor cat food. But we do fill up his bowl and just let him graze. Any suggestions?
We had the same problem with our cat. Instead of letting him graze all day, feed him at certain times. Give him just a small handful twice per day. And you can buy "Indoor cat" brands right in the grocery store and they’re not expensive. I think we got our cat Iam’s Indoor Cat. This was recommended by our vet. I’m not exactly sure what is different about the food, it probably has less fat since they’re not outside exercising. Also, try to avoid canned wet food. I think that gives them a lot of extra calories. If he’s used to that however, you can’t just suddenly take it away or he’ll feel deprived. If that’s the case, just gradually decrease the amount you give him..
This diet plan worked great for my cat, so good luck!
(p.s. My cat is also a male)
February 8th, 2013 at 6:21 am
i have the same problem with my cat, just keep him active and buy the proper food
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February 8th, 2013 at 6:50 am
less food, fun toy sessions
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February 8th, 2013 at 7:13 am
have him do some puss-ups.:)
(control his hard food to aprox 1/4 cup per 7 pounds)
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February 8th, 2013 at 7:51 am
My cat is 14 pounds and its impossible for her to get thinner because she’s lazy. BUT once we started feeding her food she didnt like she ate in moderation and dropped some weight.
She still eats constantly though.
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February 8th, 2013 at 7:56 am
Try switching him to a weight control food.
Feed him less daily, like 2 or 3 times a day.
Play with him on a daily basis and / or buy him a treehouse type thing so he can exercise a little,
Good luck!
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February 8th, 2013 at 8:44 am
have a set time of when you feed him, most animal food has serving sizes so if he is a little chunky put a little less food in it. Don’t have him quit cold turky slowly start decreasing the amount of food he eats each day. Hope this helps
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it works for dogs!
February 8th, 2013 at 9:06 am
We had the same problem with our cat. Instead of letting him graze all day, feed him at certain times. Give him just a small handful twice per day. And you can buy "Indoor cat" brands right in the grocery store and they’re not expensive. I think we got our cat Iam’s Indoor Cat. This was recommended by our vet. I’m not exactly sure what is different about the food, it probably has less fat since they’re not outside exercising. Also, try to avoid canned wet food. I think that gives them a lot of extra calories. If he’s used to that however, you can’t just suddenly take it away or he’ll feel deprived. If that’s the case, just gradually decrease the amount you give him..
This diet plan worked great for my cat, so good luck!
(p.s. My cat is also a male)
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February 8th, 2013 at 9:44 am
Fat cats are awesome! I think you should leave him alone. One thing you could do if he is able to be outside is let him out when it’s warm so he runs around and plays. That should help him lose a little weight. Don’t do it if he’s strictly an indoor cat though b/c he may not come back. That would be sad.
Another thing you could try is not leaving his food out all the time. I have a puppy and I feed her 3 times a day at the same time each day. You could try that.
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February 8th, 2013 at 9:53 am
Filling up his bowl and letting him graze is the problem. Get him on a feeding schedule, twice a day, breakfast and dinner. Give him about 1/2 of a cup of cat food twice a day, no more. If he doesn’t finish his food, put the bowl out of reach so he can’t graze during the day.
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February 8th, 2013 at 9:58 am
I have the same problem with my almost 1 year old Russian Blue. He’s HUGE. He weighs 16 pounds and would eat non stop if I let him. I have taken action to get a hold on this problem before he develops health problems like diabetes. I have taken all my cats off of dry food completely as dry food has the most dangerous calories amd carbs and have gone to a strictly wet food diet. I have heard that this is the safest way to do this. You do not want to mess up their systems. Diets done the wrong way can actually harm your cat’s organs. Piick a food that is low in carbohydrates and high in protein. No grains, soy, glutens. Limit his food intake and do not leave a bowl of food out for him to graze.
check out this link for more information
http://www.catnutrition.org/obesity.php
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February 8th, 2013 at 10:41 am
What exactly are you filling his bowl up with? His weight gain probably has FAR more to do with the quality – and quantity – of food you’re feeding than his getting neutered.
Odds are you’re feeding him a cheap dry grocery store food made mostly of grain and with little to no meat. Foods like this are LOADED with carbohydrates. And since you "fill up his bowl" you’re probably giving him far more than he needs.
Switch your cat to a healthier food with meat as the main ingredient and little to no grain. Innova Evo, Petcurean Go! Natural, Blue Buffalo Wilderness are all excellent brands – 50% meat and NO grain. And only put a small handful of food out twice a day. Soon your cat will realize he can eat less of this healthy food and be satisfied then you can just leave the bowl out. I do and Percy my Persian’s been a steady 10.9 pounds for the past three years!
Also feed him canned food on a daily basis as a dry only diet is not very healthy. One small can split into two or three servings is all he needs.
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my three cats who are all of perfect weight according to the cat show judges
February 8th, 2013 at 11:09 am
You can put your cat on a healthier, weight loss/control diet – just make sure that you’re not underfeeding him. It’s a good thing that you’re recognizing this early on and taking action! Your cat will live a much longer, healthier life if you take care of him and make sure he’s eating right.
You are correct that neutered and spayed animals burn fewer calories than pets who haven’t had "the surgery", so generally they need to be fed less.
To determine if your cat truly is overweight, read this:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1398&aid=660
The best thing to do is go to or call your veterinarian. They will be able to recommend the best steps to take in order to help your cat lose weight. Some cats, usually those who do not need to lose an large amount of weight, will do fine on simply a lesser amount of their regular food. In most cases, the cat benefits most from a special diet. There are several advantages to feeding a balanced commercial weight reduction diet. First, weight reduction diets are generally high-fiber, low-fat diets which have a lower energy density and allow a greater loss of body fat than simply feeding smaller amounts of a high-fat diet. This is because fat contains over twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrates. Foods with lower energy density tend to produce satiety (a feeling of being full) at a lower level of calorie intake. In addition, more energy is used in digesting and absorbing low-fat, high-fiber diets. Finally, if you are using the regular diet, and simply reducing the amount of the food currently being fed, you are also decreasing the level of protein, vitamins, minerals, etc., the cat is receiving.
You’ll need to monitor how quickly your cat is losing weight. In general, a good goal would be to have your cat lose 0.5-2.0% of his body weight per week. It is not good for your cat to be losing more than 2% per week!
There is a lot more information that you need, so I went ahead and found some websites for you to check out.
This is a great article on weight loss in cats, and it pretty much explains everything you need to know:
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/catweight.html
A guide to Weight Loss Programs:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1398&aid=695
A guide to Weight Loss Diet:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1398&aid=705
Good luck
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