How To Help Your Cat Lose Weight

This post is sponsored by Darwin’s Natural Pet Products

Obesity in cats is just as much of a problem as it is in humans. Nearly 60% of America’s cats are overweight or obese. Obesity leads to serious health problems, which is why it’s so important to help your overweight cat lose weight before she becomes a statistic.

Health problems resulting from obesity

Cats who are at an ideal body weight live longer and feel better! Obesity leads to

• Diabetes
• Arthritis, joint problems and and torn or strained ligaments
• Heart and respiratory problems
• Gastro-intestinal and digestive problems
• Compromised immune system
• Increased risk during anesthesia and surgery

Unfortunately, because food is so often associated with love, we are, quite literally, killing our cats with kindness.

How cats prefer to eat

Cats are, by nature, solitary hunters who prefer to eat alone. Cats in the wild eat multiple small meals a day, and of course, they will hunt down their prey. This is one of the reasons why free choice feeding (leaving food out at all times) is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic we’re seeing in cats.

Feeding multiple meals a day isn’t always possible due to human schedules, but ideally, you would feed several small meals a day rather than one or two large meals.

What type of food to feed for weight loss

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need meat not only to survive, but to thrive. The optimal diet for a cat is a properly formulated raw, home-cooked or grain-free canned diet. Cats should never eat dry food; even the grain-free dry varieties are too high in carbohydrates. Dry food is the equivalent of junk food for cats.

A high protein low carb diet is idea to get cats to lose weight. Raw food meets that requirement, as do some canned foods. Look for canned food with a protein content of around 9%.

How much to feed for weight loss

Cats need to lose weight slowly and gradually, especially cats who are seriously overweight. Generally, about 2 ounces a week is considered healthy weight loss. When food intake is cut too quickly in obese cats, they can develop hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease,) a potentially life threatening condition.

The average adult cat should eat 24 to 35 calories per pound per day, depending on his or her activity level. To get your cat to lose weight, calculate daily calorie intake by his or her target weight.

Don’t trust feeding recommendations on cat food cans or bags. The recommended amounts are generally higher that what your cat needs, especially when you’re feeding to encourage weight loss.

Weigh your cat regularly

Invest in an inexpensive baby scale and weigh your cat regularly. Weekly weigh-ins can help you assess whether you’re on track, but don’t get discouraged if there are weeks when the scale won’t budge. Simply use that information to adjust how much you feed.

Playtime needs to be part of a weight loss program

Just like humans, cats need exercise for optimal health. Play helps cats burn off energy and keeps them mentally stimulated. Toys that mimic predatory behavior, such as interactive wand toys, are a great way to not only encourage play, but for cat and human to bond. Puzzle toys keep cats mentally challenged.

Supplements to aid with weight loss

Never give supplements for human weight loss to cats. I don’t consider many human weight loss supplements safe for humans, and they certainly won’t be safe for cats.

L-Carnitine has been shown to have positive metabolic effects in cats. L-Lysine may help diminish the loss of lean body mass. Omega-3 supplements have been shown to promote weight loss in humans, and are a good daily supplement for all cats, even healthy cats.

Darwin’s can help your cat lose weight

With its high protein content, Darwin’s is a fantastic choice for cats who need to lose weight, both because of what’s in it and what’s not:

o 100% meat – no animal-by-products or fillers

o Ethically sourced human grade ingredients from farms they trust

o Formulated under the guidance of veterinary nutritionists

o Free range, pasture raised, cage-free meats

o No GMO

o No steroids

o No hormones

o Made fresh: you will receive your meals 4-6 weeks from production

o Ready to serve

Special offer: 50% off your first 10 pound introductory order

Darwin’s has an introductory offer that can’t be beat so you can try this for your own cats: get 50% off your first order! You can customize the proteins depending on your cat’s taste preferences.

Use code PURRSOFWISDOM to take advantage of this special offer.

For more information and to order, please visit DarwinsPet.com.

Photo ©Ingrid King

*FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, which means that I was compensated to feature this content. Regardless of payment received, you will only see products or services featured on this site that we’ve either used or would use ourselves. The Conscious Cat is a participant in Darwin’s affiliate program. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission.