What should I feed a fat cat?
Diet and nutrition play a very important role in overweight cats. Diets high in fat and carbohydrates, with little protein, can lead to weight gain.
If your cat is fat, it will need a specific diet in order to lose weight in a healthy way, as well as changing some bad eating habits, low-calorie food, and leaving aside a sedentary life.
It is not only about getting your cat to exercise, but it will also need you as an owner to establish schedules, rationed portions, adequate meals, and more, and here we tell you how to do it.
What should a diet for fat cats be like?
If your cat needs to lose weight there are many suitable foods that you can offer that are very beneficial for him, both dry foods and wet foods, and even homemade!
What you must keep in mind is to maintain a balance of nutrients, protein, and calories to control weight loss.
The best thing to do is to feed your cat based on its body condition, for this, you will need to take it to the veterinarian so that he/she can evaluate him by doing a check-up and indicating a diet according to his particular case.
However, generally, a diet for fat cats should contain the following:
- Low calories.
- Low in carbohydrates.
- Low in fat.
- High in animal protein.
- High in fiber.
- Low gluten content.
- Low content of additive supplements.
- Low content of vitamin supplements.
These diets are not about your cat losing weight quickly but progressively. It should reduce approximately 1-2% of its body weight each week, which will be more or less 3 to 5% of its body weight per month.
It is necessary to be careful because a fast weight loss in cats can lead to serious health problems, such as hepatic lipidosis.
They are very sensitive to the rapid release of fat reserves. If this disease is left untreated, it can be lethal. Therefore, it is important to reduce weight in a slow and balanced way.
Dry cat food
The ideal is not to reduce your cat's food, but to change it to foods specifically formulated to reduce weight. There are many low-calorie options to help a fat cat lose weight and keep it off.
There is a wide variety of low-calorie dry food on the market with all the proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals that the right percentage needs.
It is not necessary to choose the most expensive but the one that has a source of protein that the cat likes, which generally comes from boneless and skinned chicken, turkey, and salmon.
In addition, avoid that they have a high content of cereals (corn, wheat, oats, rice, and similar) since these ingredients are not easy to digest for them, even causing kidney problems or food allergies when the quantities are very high.
If you are in doubt about which food is best for your cat, ask your veterinarian who will guide you on the best food for your cat's specific nutritional needs, age, size, and lifestyle.
Wet cat food
Canned foods contain more protein, an older amount of water, and fewer carbohydrates than canned food, so they are a great option for controlling obesity. It is made up of between 35% and 50% of animal proteins, essential for the daily diet of dogs and cats.
In addition, for sedentary pets, it generally provides half the calories of dry food, which reduces the risk of the pet becoming overweight.
The amount of water they contain will allow the cat to digest the food better, which will help your feline to follow a balanced diet and improve its health in the long term.
This food also has a satiating effect which benefits the cat's diet, as it feels satiated sooner and therefore voluntarily eats less.
And it is easier to control the portions as it is a very visual food and the quantities are indicated on the can according to the ideal weight of the animal.
Mixing wet and dry food to help your cat lose weight
It is not necessary to choose between one food or the other, you can also combine the benefits that both offer.
To avoid making it difficult to monitor the daily intake and his evolution, both types of food should come from the same manufacturer. Often, they will provide nutritional guidelines to apply both diets in combination and your cat will lose weight.
Homemade cat food
One option is to alternate low-calorie food with a natural diet. In these cases discuss with a veterinarian what would be the right food for your pet. It should be a varied diet so that it does not lack nutrients or vitamins.
For example, you can offer white fish without bones, tuna and sardines are recommended for their high fatty acids Omega 3 and Omega 6 as they take care of their health and coat.
Chicken is also a good option. Avoid bones and do not leave the skin on as it is a cholesterol carrier. But avoid foods such as noodles, cookies, bread, and any type of carbohydrates.
Remember to give him cooked meat cut in pieces, never raw, and if you want to give him eggs, better scrambled and never raw.
Regulated food rations
The main reason why cats put on weight is an excessive amount of food along with highly nutritious food. Therefore, it is necessary to stick to the prescribed amounts in order for the cat to lose weight.
Ideally, divide their food into 3 or 4 small portions per day, instead of one or two large meals, this will prevent them from starving.
You should also keep track of what cat eats, for this it is important that you communicate with all members of the household and inform them that they should not feed the cat outside the established hours, nor can they give him leftovers or treats.
Reduce treats to 10% of your cat's diet and give them at special times. You can replace this type of incentive with games, toys, and cuddles.
You must control sugar because, in addition to being overweight, it generates digestive disorders and diabetes.
And after two weeks evaluate their physical condition and health in order to continue until they reach their ideal weight.
Make sure your cat drinks enough water
Good hydration will make the cat's body burn calories and fat. Water consumption is essential for any animal when it comes to losing weight because it makes its digestive system faster and therefore it does not gain weight.
Now you know how to feed a fat cat!
We hope our tips have helped you to help your cat lose weight.
In order for an obese cat to regain its ideal weight, it is necessary to take into account the above-mentioned guidelines change to a low-fat and high-fiber diet, control the amount of food he eats and encourage him to do more physical activity.
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