Obesity is not an exclusive evil of the human species. Nowadays more than 30% of domestic animals like cats and dogs are overweight.
In their natural habitat this animals do not have "ready" meals. They are forced to actively seek out their food without ever knowing for sure when it will be their next meal. Cats like other carnivorous animals spend a lot of energy chasing and hunting their prey.
When domesticated, these animals greatly reduce their physical activity. In addition to having their meals assured on a daily basis, they do not make any caloric expenditure in the search for food. This lifestyle becomes results in weight gain that can be detrimental to the health of your pet.
Making your pet follow a diet plan is no easier than making a human. Your cat is totally dependent on you to eat thus consuming only what is given to it. Therefore, the success of your cat's weight reduction plan is dependent on the amount and quality of food thatyou feed her.
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How to know if your cat is overweight?
1. When holding the animal laterally you should be able to feel the ribs and feel them individually under a slight layer of fat.
2. At the base of the tail you should be able to feel the bones that attach to the lumbar vertebrae under a small layer of fat. If they are visible or too protruding it means that the cat is too thin.
It is important that before starting any weight reduction diet consult your veterinarian. Although rare, it is possible for your cat to suffer from a pathological disease that causes weight gain-such as metabolic dysfunctions or thyroid gland problems.
If there is nothing pathologically wrong with your cat then you can start a diet plan.
1. Reduce the amount of food. Do not keep her plate always full with 24 hour food available. Instead, give her small rations of food 2 to 4 times a day. This way it is also easier to control how much your cat eats at a time and at what time of the day.
The food rations advised by pet food brands do not always correspond to the truth. Many exaggerate the daily rationd.
The amount of dry feed advised for a domestic cat usually ranges from 30 to 95g per day depending on the weight of the animal.
2. Keep in mind the type of food suitable for your pet. Cats should have a diet rich in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates. Unlike dogs, cats are not able to digest carbohydrates. Dried foods are mainly composed of flour and sugars; the poor ability of cats to break down these types of carbohydrates causes them to accumulate as fat instead of being transformed into energy.
A healthy diet for a feline is composed mostly of proteins (35 to 40%) and fats (40%). The vast majority of the dry rations available on the market have high levels of carbohydrates (grains) and are low in protein.
3. Do not reward your cat with snacks.It doesn't always mean that your cat is hungry when it gets agitated. Cats seek your attention for several reasons. If you offer your cat a snack each time this happens, you will establish a relationship between that behavior and the reward-encouraging her more and more.
Most specialty cat biscuits are saturated with artificial flavors so the pussy will not be able to resist them. The composition of these snacks turns out to be even more poor in nutrients than the dried rations themselves and are therefore impregnated with sugars and flours.
If you really want to present your cat with something special, cut out little bits of chicken or boiled fish. These are natural proteins that cats like and at the same time do them well.
Unlike humans, cats take more pleasure out of consuming pure proteins than carbohydrates.
4. Increase your cat's daily activity. It is certainly easier to get a dog to walk or run in the park than a cat, so the activity of the cat should be done indoors.
Get interactive toys that move by themselves like springs, pendant strands, pinch balls etc. Adopting another cat will do the trick in your pet engaged and active.
5. A diet plan for weight loss for a cat should be carefully and very gradually drawn. The metabolic response of these animals to an overly abrupt and restrictive diet is very pronounced and can quickly lead to the emergence of serious diseases such as liver lipidosis which often turns out to be fatal.
6. After starting a weight reduction diet plan, you should weigh your cat regularly every 3 weeks. If you do not register any loss you should reduce the feed or increase their daily activity.
7. When your cat reaches the ideal weight, adjust the amount of food so that it can maintain it.
8. Supplements: Carnitine is an amino acid that helps the liver transform stored fat into glucose. This supplement is available for pets and can help your cat lose weight and gain energy. Carnitine is naturally present in large amounts in proteins so it is even more important to include them in your cat's daily diet.