One of the biggest dangers that threatens almost all domestic cats is obesity. Often the owners consider their magnificent pets to be cute, not understanding how fatal the excess weight is for them. Consider how to determine obesity in an animal, what consequences it may have from it, and how to lose weight for a cat.
How to identify obesity
To determine the weight of the pet, first you need to weigh it. You can do this on ordinary human scales, first weighing yourself, and then take the animal in your arms. The weight of the cat depends on the breed standard, physique, age and gender. A slightly different situation is with outbred animals, for which such standards do not exist, because a lot of blood is mixed in them, which means that outwardly they can radically differ from each other. In this case, an external examination of the cat should help.
An animal with a normal weight should not have visible ribs, pelvic bones, protruding vertebrae, but they should be easily palpated. The body is proportional. There is a little fat on the stomach, the waist is distinguishable.
In an overweight cat, the waist is poorly distinguishable, the ribs and spine are barely palpable, and a sufficiently large fat layer is palpated on the chest and abdomen.
In an obese animal, the ribs and spine are hardly felt due to fat, a very large round belly that sticks out from the sides when walking, a large layer of fat is felt on the stomach and chest. It’s hard for an obese cat to walk. It becomes inactive, shortness of breath appears. How to lose weight overweight cat, consider below.
Sterilized Cat Obesity
Cat sterilization is accompanied by serious hormonal changes in the body. There is an increase in appetite, metabolism slows down, and activity decreases. The cat eats a lot and does not move much, because of which she gradually develops obesity.
How can a cat lose weight in this case? After sterilization, it is important to monitor the amount of food absorbed by the animal. It’s not a pity to give the cat as much food as she can eat. Feed should be given in the amount indicated on the manufacturer's packaging, in accordance with the age and weight of the animal. Zhor after surgery in a cat can last about two months.
Castrated cats are often obese. After the operation, they become lazy and inactive, the amount of food consumed does not decrease, and therefore problems with excess weight appear. How to lose weight castrated cat, we will analyze a little lower.
Reduced activity
Hypodynamia - a decrease in animal activity. It can be caused by various factors: sterilization, age, disease. Often cats that do not have access to the street suffer from this. Street animals are constantly on the move: they hunt, seek food, fight each other, look for a mating partner. Domestic cats are deprived of all these joys. Their world is limited by the walls of the apartment, people give them food, and sterilized animals do not even think about reproduction. The only joy for them is a delicious meal. Young animals can be active: rushing around the apartment, playing, jumping on walls, but with age they become more and more lazy. As a result, it is domestic cats that do not go outside that are more often obese.
Obesity Disease
Some diseases of the internal organs can cause overweight in a cat. Obesity can cause problems with the stomach, intestines, liver, gall bladder. Often cats suffering from diabetes suffer from excess weight. Due to a lack of insulin, glucose metabolism is disturbed, which leads to obesity.
Another reason is hormonal disruption, resulting from malfunctions in the thyroid gland. Due to the excessive release of hormones or their lack, the animal becomes less active and eats more.
Another reason is a genetic predisposition. It is noted that descendants of cats with excess weight also have such a problem. Can a cat lose weight in this case? With a genetic predisposition, it is important to constantly monitor the animal and its nutrition. If you do not control the situation, the cat will quickly gain weight again. Such animals are prescribed a lifelong diet, and it is better to give them special feeds.
Problems with the nervous system, bones and muscles are the cause of the decrease in cat activity. In this case, you need to reduce the amount of animal feed.
Other digestion and body problems
It is worth noting that not only obesity can be dangerous for the animal. If the cat has lost much weight, it means that he has serious health problems. It is worth paying attention to this, because exhaustion, like obesity, can become fatal.
If the cat eats nothing and has lost weight, other symptoms of the disease should be noted. Perhaps the animal simply does not fit the new food. It is worth remembering that it is necessary to change the feed gradually, slowly increasing the amount of new and decreasing the amount of old. In addition, it is likely that a new pet is simply not suitable for a pet. In this case, it is worth replacing it with another.
If the cat's hind legs have lost weight, this may indicate kidney failure. In this case, you need to urgently consult a doctor. If the cat vomits and has lost weight, the following are possible: poisoning, infectious diseases, serious problems with the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a doctor after an examination. It is worth noting that if by the summer the cat is very shedding and losing weight, no need to worry. A warm coat falls off, and the fat layer decreases, so that the body does not overheat from high summer temperatures.
Malnutrition
One of the main causes of obesity in cats is malnutrition. Many owners are not aware of the proper nutrition of cats, they keep animals in accordance with established traditions (feed from the table) or buy an animal advertised inexpensive food, which are often extremely poor quality.
It should be understood that a cat is not a person, which means that he can’t eat everything that people eat. Soups, borscht, boiled potatoes - all this giving the animal is strictly contraindicated. Large chicken bones are deadly at all, because there are cases when sharp bone pieces tore open the throat of cats. Chocolate is poisonous for cats.
Cheap economy-class feeds, which are sold in almost all stores, do not benefit the cat and can cause serious illnesses. The thing is low-quality components, which are often part of the feed. In addition, such foods contain chemical impurities. Economy-class foods contain an addictive addictive feel in cats. The animal pounces on food not because it is hungry, but because of the impact of a kind of drug on it.
The effects of obesity
Obesity is the cause of increased stress on the skeleton and internal organs of the animal, which is why the body wears out faster. Due to pain in the joints and bones, the animal moves less, which further aggravates the situation.
Due to obesity, the number of fat cells that the blood feeds increases, which means that there are more blood vessels, and with it the load on the heart increases. Problems with the cardiovascular system begin, which can lead to heart failure or stroke.
With obesity, the load on the kidneys increases, which can cause kidney failure and urolithiasis. Often obesity in cats leads to diabetes, which may well lead to blindness of the animal. The liver is also prone to obesity. This can lead to its failure. According to statistics, obese cats live 2-3 years less than their thinner counterparts.
Treatment and diet
How can a cat lose weight? At the first sign of excess weight in a cat, you need to consult a veterinarian. The doctor will examine the animal. If obesity is the result of internal malfunctions in the cat's body , the veterinarian will diagnose and then prescribe treatment. Perhaps the animal will have to do injections and transfer it to a special feed. Often, the treatment for obesity in a cat is a diet and an increase in its activity. It is necessary to control the weight of the cat and record all changes. If the weight does not change, you need to go to the doctor again.
Overweight animals are often prescribed a special diet. However, this does not mean that the pet must be starved. The animal needs to be fed according to the schedule, and not leave food freely available for the whole day. In order to reduce the volume of the stomach, food should be given more often, but in smaller portions. After eating, the leftovers must be removed until the next time.
The animal cannot be fed from the table. In the diet of the cat must be meat, vegetables and cereals in the proportions indicated by the veterinarian. Fish can only be given once a week, as it can cause the development of urolithiasis. In the diet, in no case should there be potatoes and rice, in which there is a lot of starch. During the diet, you need to reduce the calorie content of food: eliminate fatty chicken and beef. You can give chicken, turkey, low-fat beef. It is necessary to temporarily remove fatty dairy products from the diet. At the same time, kefir, low-fat yogurt, and cottage cheese will be useful. Vegetables include carrots, turnips and pumpkins.
Special feed
It is necessary to abandon low-quality dry and wet finished feed. Only premium and super premium feeds benefit. Some manufacturers have special feeds for obese cats. It is necessary to give them by weight in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.
If you feed the cat only with ready-made feeds, you should not give him natural food. Ready-made feeds contain all the vitamins and minerals necessary for a complete diet and are designed for constant feeding. Mixed feeding will lead to an imbalance of individual components, which will disastrously affect the health of the pet.
How to increase cat activity
Cats are predators and hunters, and therefore they need constant physical activity. Street animals live a full active life and rarely have problems with obesity, while domestic cats suffer from idleness.
How to make a cat lose weight? The animal should have enough space where it can jump, run and play. Ideally, it is desirable to make special shelves for the cat on the wall, on which he can jump, or you can buy a whole game complex.
The cat must have toys. They are often played with pleasure up to the very old age, especially if the owner takes a direct part in this. Everything ringing, fluffy, rustling attracts the attention of cats, and if it still moves, the hunting instinct immediately activates in the animal.
You need to play with a cat a lot so that it spends extra calories. A cat, like a dog, can be led outside on a leash. Naturally, this can only be done if the animal has all the necessary vaccinations. At first, the cat may be afraid of the street and cling to the body of the owner. You need to train the animal gradually, gradually walking with it every day, first in your arms, and then you can lower it to the ground. It is worth making sure that the harness and the leash are reliable, and it is not worth releasing the leash from the hands, because domestic cats are often shy and can rush at any time. Unlike dogs, they do not understand the commands, and therefore it is better to follow them on the street.
Advice to the owner
Do not be led to the hungry look of a cat when he asks for food. Feed the animal clearly in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. Feeding is not a manifestation of love. It is better to devote more time to playing with the cat and his health.
Do not save on a pet. Cheap food only spoils the health of the animal. It is contraindicated to feed him from the table. It is worth ignoring the sad looks and compassionate meow. With special perseverance, you need to bring the cat to another room. And in no case do not give up on this issue, because once the weakness shown will show the cat that he is doing everything right.
Excess weight in a cat is a serious problem that cannot be ignored. Obesity can lead to many health problems, and in the worst case, to death. We examined how to lose weight at home for a cat, the owner only has to follow all the recommendations and put his animal in order.