Overweight Cat, Prevalence, Health Risks, How to Help your Cat to Lose Weight

Overweight Cats- Prevalence

The obesity epidemic in the world has caused great controversy and hit the headlines within the few past years. The society is still puzzled with how best to handle the situation as animals especially household pets are also at risk. According to research done by the association for pet obesity prevention more than 53 percent of cats are overweight or obese in America.

Reports on APOP indicate that excessive weight can cut short the cats life span. Healthy cats are believed to live for about 12 – 14 years while an overweight cat may live for about 6 – 8 years. The overweight epidemic still poses as a health problem for humanity and cats at large.

Ideal Weight for Cats

The APOP reports indicate that the ideal weight for cats should be approximately 8- 10 pounds although it can vary in accordance to breed and body frame. For instances, a Siamese or a Persian cat may weight between 6 to 12 pounds while a Maine Coon cat may weight 25 pounds.

Veterinaries argue that an overweight cat is usually 15 % above their ideal weight while obese cats are 30 % above the weight limit.

Overweight Cats Health Problems

Extra weight exerts stress on your body and may interfere with normal functioning of the organs. Just like for us humans, being overweight can pose serious and sometimes fatal health risks for your cat. These are the common health risks to overweight cats:

Liver Problems
Kidney Diseases- urinary problems
Arthritis
Diabetes
Skin infections- kitty will not be able to groom himself as he should
Poor quality of life- short life span

It is your responsibility to get kitty back to his healthy weight before these problems set in.

How to Physically Check If a Cat Is Overweight

Gradually squeeze the sides of the feline’s rib cage. If the cat is of normal weight, then it is easier to feel the ribs. Then if you have to press the sides to access the ribs, then the cat is overweight.

Check the feline’s waistline from above. The cat body must be slimmer from the belly to hindquarters. If the area surrounding the ribs and hips is broader than the hips or ribs, then the cat is overweight.

Look at the area near the base of the tail. Under normal weight, the area should be covered with a small portion of fat, and it is smooth to feel. If the base of the tail is covered with fat such that you cannot feel the bones, then the cat is grossly overweight.

If the cat has a swinging pouch in between the hind legs, then it is a sign of excess weight.

Check the cat from the sides. Healthy cats should always have an abdominal tuck such that the region being the ribs is less in diameter than the chest. If the cat has no abdominal tuck, then it is overweight.

Health Risk of Having an Overweight Cat

Increased weight often puts an extreme burden on the cat’s ligaments, joints, and tendons. In certain scenarios, the cat may develop arthritis.
Cats that are overweight and obese can develop high blood pressure. Excessive weight puts an additional burden on the hearts as it strains to pump more blood to the additional body tissues.
Excessive weight on the cats may lead to diabetes mellitus caused by the body’s demand for insulin. The insulin demand surpasses the body’s capability to produce or use it.
Additional fat on the chest and abdomen may constrain the cat’s ability to breathe properly as the lungs are blocked.
Cats that are overweight are at a greater risk of contracting urinary tract disease.
Obese cats can develop a decreased immune function and can develop skin fold pyodermas, cancer and flatulence.
Overweight cats can develop hepatic lipidosis disease as excessive fat is stored in the liver and blood stream resulting in blockage.

Reasons for Having an Overweight Cat

According to most veterinary, the primary reasons as to why most domestic cats are overweight is mainly due to poor feeding habits, lack of exercises and type of diet consumed. Cat owners are to be blamed for having an overweight cat as the pet does not feed for itself.

Type of diet

Most cat owners feed their cat with dry foods such as kibble. Naturally, the cat family and all carnivores are natured to fuel their energy requirements with calories delivered from foods rich in proteins and fat and fewer carbohydrates.

Cats natural prey animals such as mice, fish or rabbits constitute of at least 3- 5 % carbohydrate calories. The dry kibble diet that cats feed on constitute of 40- 50% carbohydrate calories. The dry food floods the feline system with 500- 1000 % more carbohydrates calories this is 5- 10 times more than what cats prey.

On the article title “the carnivore connection to nutrition in cats “DR. Zoran argues that carbohydrates are used minimally by the cats for energy. Felines lack a carbohydrate-digesting enzyme known as amylase in their saliva and begin carbs digestion in the stomach. The excess carbs are not converted and are usually stored as fat.

Frequently cat owners feed the pets with light diet products readily available on the market and this product have a high grain fraction and low fat and a protein portion. Thus, there is a higher percentage of carbohydrates in the products as meat is expensive that grain.

The method of feeding

The method through which cats are fed dry food is one of the major reason of overweight epidemic in cats. Most cat owners free-food their pets as the bowl is always full of high carb dry food.

Logically cats have a feeling of satisfaction whenever they consume sufficient amounts of fats and protein. As they feed on carbohydrates, usually they do not have a feeling of satisfaction and will overeat to have a full stomach.

Lack of exercises

Cats will always overfeed and become overweight if they do not burn off excess calories with physical activities. Indoor cats overfeed out of boredom.

Spayed or neutered cats

Spayed or neutered cats are overweight and obese as they use fewer calories compared to intact felines. The excess calories are not burnt off to useful energy as is stored as body fat.

How to Help your Cat Lose Weight

If all signs point towards having an overweight cat it is important to seek the advice of a veterinary to help and guide on the best feeding program. Vets also check on medical conditions that may result in cats being overweight.

Overweight cats should not be starved or subjected to a crash diet as this is often strenuous and harmful to the cat’s overall health. The weight loss process is a gradual exercise and cats should not be rushed into it.

Exercising

Physical exercise is a sure way of letting an overweight cat cut off the excess fat and burn off calories. Cats are normally playful animals, and outdoor activities stimulate the muscles.

Invest in a tassel toy, cat exercise wheel, fishing rod or laser light to help cats play and shed off fats. Walking the cat outside using a leash or a harness stimulates the cat’s senses, breathes fresh air and exercises the body muscles.

Best cat food for overweight cats

If the cats are overweight substitute dry foods with canned food products which constitute of fewer carbs and more protein and fats. Canned foods are an effective measure for strict and proper dietary plan as it offers controlled meal schedules.

Canned food contains 78 percent water while dry food is 10 percent water this makes canned food calories deficient and good for cats.

Provide portion controlled meals in a consistent manner

Cats are natural hunters and not grazers and should be feed in controlled portion with food rich in protein and low calories. Preferably thrice a day is enough for cats and water should be supplied in plenty to keep the cat hydrated.

Strictly cut back on cat treats

Cat treats emphasis on food rewards as this adds extra calories to the feline as they constitute high carbohydrate levels. If the need arises on treating the cat subtract a small percentage from the daily portion.

The food should be a good source of protein. This helps to avoid increasing the total amount of food consumed throughout the day. Veterinary recommend that as times goes by replacing treats with exercise as cats are playful pets.

Isolate the overweight cat from the rest

Separating of cats works best in a situation where there are multiple cats. Usually, overweight cats are ravenous eaters and may consume all the food preserve for perpetually picky cats. Separate the eating bowl and train the cats always to eat food in its dish.

How to Effectively Introduce a Cat to a Slimming Diet

When first introducing a slimming diet it is important to implement the diet gradually as cats may suddenly stop eating if confronted with new and totally different food type and portion.

Ensure that the strict calories cut diet is directly proportional to the amount of physical activity done.
Determine the Appropriate food consumption for cats.

Cats differ regarding how best they metabolize the food consumed and the calories needed. Vets recommend three steps to help determine the best diet program and calories intake.

First step

First, determine the number of calories an overweight cat consumes before implementing a slimming diet. For starters cut of approximately 40 percent of calories composition of the cat’s foods for the first few weeks. Then cut off another 20 percent subsequently until the cat is comfortable consuming fewer calories.

Second step

The process involves determining the ideal weight for the cut multiply by the calories needed then adding 70.

Formula= (required calories in a day x ideal body weight in pounds) + 70. The results are the appropriate amount of calories to be consumed.

Third step

The process involves cutting off food consumption for overweight cats. If the cat consumes six meals a day cut it to 4-5 meals for the first month. Then introduce three meals over time.

Mix dry foods with canned foods in equal proportion for starters. As time goes by adding more of the high protein low carbs diet on the cat’s meal.

IN THIS ARTICLE