Do you know, around 48% of cats kept as pets are overweight? For a long and healthy life, a cat needs to maintain ideal body weight. And being a cat-human, we must help them stay healthy and take them for routine examination to pet hospital Virginia Beach.
But before we start on how to help cats shade off extra weight, let’s understand why and how do they get overweight.
In cats, a sedentary lifestyle is mostly to blame for their increasing weight. In most cases, over-feeding and too much of treats are the reasons behind cat obesity. If you have more than one cat, unhealthy competition between them can lead to over-eating, which would lead to obesity. But above all, how you bond with your cat significantly affects their body weight. If your cat is suffering from obesity, make changes in his environment, and spend more time playing with him. Seek professional help from a veterinary clinic Virginia Beach near you as obesity can do some severe damage to his health.
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Control Calories and Fat
The first approach to losing cat fat should be putting him on a controlled diet. To help your cat lose that extra weight, consider monitoring his daily calories and fat intake. Cats are carnivorous creatures that mean their body is made to absorb nutrients found in meat only. Feeding your cat highly digestible meat-based foods can prevent the body to gain excess weight.
Consider adding more canned and raw foods in your cat’s daily diet as they have the right proportion of meat protein, are low in calories and carbs. If your cat is too overweight, put him on a dry food diet made only to aid in weight loss.
Feed small portions:
Speaking of altering food habits, measure how much and how frequently you are feeling your cat. In general, a healthy cat needs somewhere around 250 to 300kcals in a day. To avoid over-feeding your cat, use a measuring cup to scoop the food. Divide the food into smaller meals and feed at least 5-6 times a day.
Play More, Treat Less
In a study, it was found out that the owners of healthy weight cats play more often with their cat as compared to those who have overweight cats.
Playtime can help your cat in more ways than one. Playtime not only helps cats shed fat, but help in reducing tension, improve body coordination, and cope with boredom. Besides, it helps in forming a bond between you and your cat.
Create an Enriched Environment
Cats are a lot different than us. They have their own needs and wants. And although your queen is quite comfortable in her indoor setting, stimulating her instinct can help her reduce stress and loss weight fast. Create a cat-friendly house by including new toys, climb posts, scratch posts, and empty boxes. Add new gadgets that make sound or move to entice your cat to play and run more.