Fat cats

Patrick is a bit of pudding – he does love his food.   We manage to keep his weight down though because if he put on too many pounds it would affect his health (and mousing capablities!)   An overweight pet is less able to exercise and will not have the good quality of life of one who is lean and healthy.  How can you tell if your pet is overweight?   Feel the ribcage and if you can’t, your cat is definitely obese.   An average size cat weighs around 10lbs but this varies according to breed, size and body structure.  Some little cats are around 9lbs and the big bruisers might be 11 or 12lbs.   Anything over 15lbs and your pet is heading for trouble and needs to diet right away.   Check with your vet if you are unsure about your cat’s condition.

If you feed processed commercial cat food, try feeding smaller portions.   Providing fresh food often helps the pet on a diet, it’s more satisfying and there are less additives so a bit of white fish or chicken or lean meat, chopped up fine, will help with weight loss.   Many cats become addicted to biscuits, remember that these are not a natural food but just convenient for us and  profitable for the pet food manufacturers.   If you find a brand that is low in fat your cat will stay slimmer and healthier.  Most commercial pet food contains a small amount of meat and the rest is additives and fillers.   Check the labels!   We llike Burns complete cat kibble – it’s a top quality biscuit produced by a leading vet in Scotland.   There are no suspect or nasty ingredients, it’s just pure straight food.   Cats love it and look much healthier and slimmer when they are on it.

If your cat has become a ‘couch potato’ you can encourage him to exercise more by putting small quantities of food in different locations so that he doesn’t just stroll over and munch away.   Make him find his dinner, it will be a bit of exercise at least.   As a cat becomes slimmer he will feel better and become more inclined to run around and play.   Fat cats do look cuddly and like cute cushions but if you let your pet get overweight you will be affecting his health and shortening his life.