Obesity in Cats: Proven Ways of Treating It :
Do you suspect your cat may be overweight? If you do, don’t be scared because this content provides you with the causes, symptoms and proven ways of treating feline obesity. Endeavor to read through.
What is Obesity in Cats?
Obesity is a buildup of extra bodily fat; hence, obese cats are those cats with excess body fat. In addition, when excess fat exceeds ideal body weight by more than 20%, a cat is deemed obese or overweight. Unfortunately, obesity is one of the health problems common in cats.
What are the Dangers of Obesity in Cats?
Obesity has dangerous effects on your pet as it puts it at serious risk for health issues.
Some of the health conditions overweight cats are likely to develop are arthritis, impaired immune system, heart disease, cancers, diabetes, urinary bladder stone, skin problems, metabolic disorders, among others. These diseases can reduce the lifespan of cats.
Symptoms of Feline Obesity
To know if your cat is obese, take it to your vet for examination. However, It’s possible for you to know when your cat is adding excess body fat through the following symptoms:
1. Obvious weight gain
2. An obese cat has trouble hopping or climbing stairs. It also sits or lies down frequently.
3. If you’re unable to feel your cat’s ribs or hip bone, or if you can only forcefully feel them, then your cat may be overweight.
4. Disappearance of the waistline
5. Untidy and dirty hair coat
Causes of Obesity in Cats
Causes of feline obesity include:
Low quality diet and inaccurate feeding
These are among the major causes of feline obesity. If your cat consumes foods (such as treats) high in fats and calories but low in protein regularly, its body fat tends to increase, thus leading to obesity.
Also, wrong food measurement and free feeding (allowing your cat to eat whenever it wants by setting out a bowl of food for it) are common practices that could lead to obesity in your cat.
Irregular exercise
Due to greater inactivity and less opportunities for exercise to burn calories, indoor cats or cats with limited outside access are more likely to be overweight.
Other elements that could contribute to cat weight increase include: breed, neutering, medication, age, and gene. Cats that are crossbred, neutered, and middle-aged (8 to 12 years old) are more likely to develop obesity.
Treatment of Obesity in Cats
The proven ways of treating obesity in cats are listed below.
Consult your veterinarian:
Consult your veterinarian first if you think your cat may be overweight. Your vet would let you know the current weight of your cat, identify the optimal or target weight for your cat, and also create a weight-loss program specifically for your cat and give you other crucial details about its health. He’d also recommend the kind of diet your cat requires (diets such as prescription diets and calorie-regulated diets) and the daily quantity it needs.
It is important you adhere strictly to your vet’s weight-loss strategy for your cat.
In addition to following your vet’s recommendations, consider the following strategies:
1. Feed your cat the recommended quantity/amount of food by either using a measuring cup or a gram scale to measure it’s food.
2. Use a slow down feeder bowl to feed your cat. This bowl helps your cat eat naturally and also prevents it from overfeeding.
3. Encourage your overweight cat to engage in exercises.
There are numerous ways to encourage your cat to increase it’s engagement in physical activities. You could take it on a walk frequently, give it a fun task with a food puzzle toy before feeding it, encourage it to play and climb trees, e.t.c.
In conclusion, Obesity in your cat can be treated by following your vet’s dietary recommendations and encouraging your cat to engage in exercises. Furthermore, getting a measurement cup and a slow down feeder bowl would help in feeding your pet rightly.
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