Fat Cats

Did you know that between 30-40% of all the cats and dogs in the United States are overweight?

Who is to blame?

The cats and dogs or their human care givers? You guessed it, we are. We love our pets so much, that in an effort to keep them healthy and happy, we are in turn creating health and numerous other problems.

Overfeeding, lack of exercise and too many treats are the culprits. The extra weight is as detrimental to our pet’s health as being overweight is to our health.

However, our pets don’t know they are overweight and as a result cannot do anything about it, we can, however by changing our ways of feeding them, giving them more exercise and holding back on extra treats.

No fad diets here just plain common sense and less high carbohydrates. Yes, even cats can benefit from a high protein, some fat and low carbohydrates. Cats are carnivores, which means they are meat eaters.

Simply stated an overweight cat is eating more than it needs.

Keep in mind just because you have had your pet spayed or neutered maine coon for sale is not the reason he/she is overweight. Just like humans, too much caloric intake, lack of exercise and normal aging will add on the pounds.

I am not going to give you the perfect diet for your cat to follow. That is up to you and your vet to decide.

Just as with starting a diet for yourself, you should see your doctor. It is a good idea to visit your vet and make certain your cat is in good health and ready to start the slow road to losing weight.

An overweight pet should have his/her heart and thyroid checked and some minor blood work done to see if there are any metabolic problems.

As you have learned from earlier reading, cats are carnivores (meat eaters) and dogs are omnivores (meat and plant eaters). A cat’s body works differently than a dogs and care needs to be taken to see that your cat is getting all the proper nutrients its body needs while still trying to lose weight.

A cat has to eat everyday, do not under any circumstances allow your cat to go hungry or think by not feeding it that you are helping Kitty to lose weight.

First of all because of the nature of a cat’s metabolic system, never start a reducing diet without your Vet’s supervision. If you do, you may end up with some medical bills you weren’t planning on.

Obesity in cats can lead to diabetes, arthritis and hepatic lipidosis. Hepatic lipidosis, which is known, as fatty liver syndrome is somewhat, like anorexia in humans. It happens in cats for a variety or reasons.

Obese cats because they are prone to diabetes; pancreatitis, cancer or other liver disorders are prime targets. However it can also be stress related.

Cats do not take kindly to change and any kind of change can cause stress. In our case we are talking about a cat losing weight, which includes a change in diet. New food, new eating patterns, a change in routine all can cause stress and make a cat stop eating.

Whatever you do, when you decide to start Kitty on a diet, do it slowly. Discuss with your Vet what to expect regarding Kitty’s behavior plus use your own common sense. No one knows your cat better than you do, sometimes outside advice, no matter how good, does not fit your cat and its behavior. The reason for mentioning this disease is simple, your cat needs to eat, and this problem may occur when a cat is not eating sufficient calories or has gone without food for several days.

So if you are planning to make a drastic change in your cat’s menu (changing to a new food) while you are putting him/her on a diet, do it slowly. Allow sufficient time for your cat to accept the new food by mixing small portions of it with the current food.

If you are in the habit of leaving a bowl of dry food out for kitty to munch on while you are at work (and who hasn’t), this is a “no no” if you are trying to get kitty to slim down.