Just like humans, you always have those ones that eat all day and remain slim and then the other ones simply take a few nibbles and explode with fat rolls and sleep all day! (My cat Muffin on back of couch)
How to Make My Cat Lose Weight?
Baby steps, but YES they do work. A little bit of tweaking and a bit of time on your part and they will lose those rolls. It is best to do this slowly.
Step 1 - Weigh Your Cat. Stand on the scale without your cat, then go back on it with your cat and subtract the difference (no way my cat will get on the scale alone!) Take note of the weight.
Step 2 - Actually measure out the kibble for the day as decided by your Veterinarian or go by the Package suggestions for the weight of your cat. No more "free feeding".
Step 3 - Purchase tiny cat bowls from the Dollar tree or online with rounded bottoms so a few kibbles looks like a lot. I found this to be one of the best tricks as my cat panics when she can see the bottom of the bowl.
Step 4 - PLAY TIME! In the wilds your cat will stalk and hunt prey for dinner. They run and jump and attack. In the house this is not likely to happen, except maybe to your couch!.
Step 5 - Rotate Toys - As cats get bored easily, you need to be always introducing new toys, so purchase a few and keep a few back for rotating.
INVEST YOUR TIME - While you are watching TV at night, or whenever you think about it, get your cat moving, but playing with your cat. Throw a toy mouse, use a laser pointer, get them climbing. Even just a few minutes here and there and this burns calories. It engages them and keeps them from getting bored. Boredom quite often equals eating!
Keep in Mind the Age and Ability of Your Cat
My cat, Muffin is 13.5 years old, so she is not going to climb anything at this point, but she does love to chase a toy mouse or a ping pong ball around. This gets her moving. So when I see her walking around or stretching and heading for another napping place or the food bowl, I will play with her and get her moving a bit.
The trick is to keep them engaged. You can see when they get tired. At this point stop.
As you can see there are so many toys you can purchase online to keep them active. If you play with them each day sporadically throughout the day, or maybe even just the evenings when you are relaxing, it will help you bond with your kitty and they will burn calories. They will look forward to playtime.
Cat Tree Condo
This is more of an investment. But my older cat does love to climb trees if given the chance. They love to hide and seek. I came across this cat tree condo, and though it would be fun for my 3 cats to climb and chase each other.
I figured you could even hang toy birds in the branches to give them something to play with and when they tire, they can snooze on the shelves.Obese Cats
This is becoming a huge problem. We want to enjoy and spoil our cats and keep them safe, but since they are mostly indoors, this can cause obesity. Just like us humans crash diets are a big NO NO, so just start small and get them used to the changes.
The biggest and best change for my cat was switching the flat bottomed bowl she had.It simply held too much kibble and as soon as the kibble went to the sides, she was meowing for more.
So you can get raised cat bowls (as pictured) that help with their digestion and the kibble will always slide to the center.
Believe it or not that was the best thing I did for my cat's weight.
Play time was next, but the food bowls made a huge difference in her weight.
Weigh Your Cat After a Couple of Weeks
Check the progress of kitty. Don't fret if you don't see a huge change at first. I measured her food out for the day, and simply put a bit out at a time. You could also invest in a automatic pet feeder if you can't be home during the daytime, that will spill out measured amounts throughout the day.
Simply measure out the days allowance and split it up into a few snacks over the day. Cats do like to nibble many times during the day, so don't stop this process, just limit it with some of the tweaks and tricks above.For me it was changing out the cat food bowl. If the food slid to the center, even just a few kibbles, she knew she still had some to eat. A bit of a mind game, but it worked for my cat. The raised bowl option also allows better digestion, which also keeps them fuller.
This is similar to making the plates smaller for human meals! My Veterinarian asked that I do this slowly. So I started with the food then slowly added more play time.
Simply Throwing a Toy Out on the Floor is Not Enough!
Maybe for a few minutes they will play alone, but they quickly get bored and next thing you know you are stepping on this toy, so play along with them. Even a crumbled piece of paper or tin foil will do the trick. Tie a ribbon to it and get them jumping and drag it across the floor. Let them win once in a while, and simply have fun.
You will temporarily forget about the stresses of your day, and this is a good thing for you and your kitty no matter what his/her age is!
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