According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 58% of the cats in the United States are obese. Feline obesity can lead to liver disease, diabetes, urinary tract problems, heart failure, and other fatal and painful health problems. But you can help your cat avoid the pain and suffering associated with weight problems. Help your cat lose weight and get healthy with this information.
Cat Weight Loss Tips
1. Enhance Your Home Environment
Create a cat-friendly home – per Animal Planet’s, cat expert Jackson Galaxy, “Make a cat superhighway – use the vertical space in your house by staggering shelves and ledges and making sure windows are easily accessible”. By perking your cat’s interest to explore, he will be more active which will help shred of those unwanted pounds.
Also Read: Jackson Galaxy’s Advice On Creating A Cat-Friendly Home
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2. See the Vet and Calculate
Make an appointment with the vet. Your vet can help you calculate how many calories your cat needs every day to be healthy and lose weight. Be honest with your vet about what, when and how you feed your cat.
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3. Cats Beg – Avoid Giving People Food
Cat’s can beg as well as dogs. Giving in and feeding your cat people food could contribute to your cat being overweight. If your cat begs when you eat, schedule your cat’s feeding time so it coincides with the time you eat. That will usually distract your cat from your food, and help her understand that she needs to eat her own food. If she still begs, ignore her. If you can’t ignore her, put her in another room (with her litter box and some water) until you’re done eating.
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4. Avoid Milk
Avoid feeding your cat milk. It’s a common misconception that cats should be fed milk or cream. Most cats are lactose intolerant, which means that they cannot properly digest milk lactose. The symptoms are diarrhea and stomach upset. Plus, milk has some extra calories that obese cats do not need. Water will do.
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5. Play and Exercise
Get moving. Have playtime with your cat every day. Toss your cat toys to chase, dangle a string up high to get her to reach and jump for it, and run around the house with her. Your cat will love the attention from you and the exercise. You can even buy her a cat harness and take her for a walk inside or outside. If you cat seems to lack interest, then try putting some catnip on or around the toy.
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6. Avoid Treats
Treats will not help your cat lose weight. Try using catnip instead, or just love on them in place of food rewards. If you must give treats – make sure to that calculated into their overall calorie intake.
Final Thoughts and Tips
Keep appointments with your vet to monitor your cat’s weight and to continue the discussion on how to keep her healthy. If something isn’t working, your vet can help you figure out what it may be, and offer tips to help. Your vet may also suggest a low-calorie, diet cat food.
Use these cat weight loss tips to improve and lengthen their lives. Too many cats suffer from health problems related to being overweight or obese, and these health problems will often lead to their premature death. Save your cat from being a statistic – obesity is preventable. Helping a cat lose weight is the most important thing to do to ensure a cat’s long-term health. Read more on: http://catcareadvices.com/