Obese Cat - Best Cat Exercise to Lose the Weight - Totally Works

I am an admitted cat lady.  There I have said it!

But just like us humans, some cats seem to hang on to weight more than others.  I have 3 cats and one can eat all day and is naturally slim, the other one is borderline and the oldest one is plain old FAT. (my old fat cat is the one laying on her side!)

Cat obesity is a problem, especially with indoor cats.

I Tried Everything to Control the Cat Obesity in My House... Nothing Worked Until Now!

I tried interactive toys, they grew tired of them.  I tried climbing trees, they slept on the shelves.  I tried restricting their food, they nagged me until I fed them.  But with these two steps, I changed it all.

✅Step 1 - Get a measuring Cup and go by the suggested servings on the packages of food (I use Whiskas dry) and try to stay within that limit the best you can.  Don't super restrict, just play with the suggested amounts then slowly cut it back to the suggested amount for what your cat is supposed to weigh.

✅Step 2 - LASER POINTER TOY - I know you have seen them, but they will chase it until they tire, then will chase it again and again lots of times per day.

This toy actually burns calories.

You can sit on a chair and shine this on the floor and they will chase it everywhere.  Even older cats will get moving a little bit.

Obviously gear it to the age and health of your cat.  I don't shine it up the wall for my older cat because her back legs are stiff, but she will chase it around on the carpet floor.

My other two cats are younger and will chase it up the wall, under tables, they will simply not take their eye off of it.

When I notice they are tiring, I stop.  Then the next day or even later that day I will start it up again.  Anytime we sit down to relax we will get the cats moving and we are slowly working it up to a good few times per day.

Not only does this burn calories, but it is totally entertaining.

You can also get ones that are on a timer.  Bit more of an investment but can keep they happy and active while you are not home.

✅Cat Exercise Totally Helps to Burn off that Fat

The family have been enjoying getting the cats moving.  The part that totally intrigues me is that they don't seem to tire of this toy.

Their toy mouses get knocked around once in a while, but I really do think they need more stimulation and this laser toy does the trick.

✅Weigh Your Cats First for this Experiment

Stand on the bathroom scale without the cat and then pickup your cat.  Record the difference in weight.  This is a good starting point.

Try to stay within the expected food range by measuring your food out for the day instead of just free feeding.  I spread it out over the day.

✅Smaller Cat Bowls

I also went to the dollar store and found smaller cat bowls that are more rounded on the bottom so that any kibble left looks like more in the bottom of the bowl.

In our house, as soon as the cats could see the bottom of the bowl they were looking for more food.

A little bit of a trick, but this does help.

✅Fresh Water

Many cats are picky and when they are thirsty and don't like the stale water they will eat instead.

 I found if you make sure their water is changed daily or even more, they will drink more and eat less.

They are super picky if the water is stale or full of chlorine.

✅Get Them Moving with this Laser Toy

Get them moving a few times a day.  If they are totally sedentary, go slowly at first.  It turned my older cat Muffin into a happy kitty again.

At my cats' last checkup, I was advised I was going to run into trouble.  I tried weight control food, which costs more, but actually made them gain weight as they just didn't seem to fill up.

So I stuck with my regular food and measured out their daily feeding.  I would always leave a little in the bottom of the bowl because cats seem to get worried when it is empty.

✅Obese Cats Equals Ilness

Obese cats run the risk of diabetes, heart disease and all the fat related issues us humans can get.  So, for under 20 bucks I found this laser and my cats are moving every day.  Muffin has already begun to lose weight.

As I was researching different ways to get my cat's health on the right track.  I came across this cat exercise wheel.  Now that would be a totally different way to get them moving, but might be a great idea for a super active cat!

✅The laser toy was the best idea for my 3 cats.

I find with toy mice, they simply don't get stimulated. They have to create the play themselves, whereas a laser pointer will have them moving in different directions and they just love chasing that red dot!

I hope this helps, and you can get started on the path to a healthy cat. They are family members and it is up to us to help them enjoy life to the fullest.

Obese Cat - How to Help Your Cat Lose Weight - The Fun Way

As a cat mom of 3 cats (yes I am officially a cat lady!) and also having countless cats over the years, I can tell you cat obesity is similar to us humans.

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!