Are You Unable To Prevent Your Cat Becoming Overweight?

You might find it extremely difficult to prevent your cat becoming overweight. It can be difficult because we try and please our cat.  It makes us happy.  We don't want to upset our cat and cats can be very demanding about food.  You get into a cycle of overfeeding because it's easier and more convenient and it keeps your cat quiet!

Chunky -- Photo by Cats Protection

A lot of people overfeed their cat. I could do it myself but I consistently remind myself to not allow it to happen. However, the owners of a cat called Chunky admitted that they were unable to help their cat lose weight.  In effect, they admitted that they were unable to control their cat's weight and keep it down.  That is quite an admission because it is an admission of serious failure in cat caretaking from a health point of view.

Chunky is of a suitable name for this ginger tabby cat.  He weighs 22 pounds (10 kg).  He is about twice the weight that he should be.

Chunky is currently being cared for by Cats Protection.  Cats Protection surveyed over 1000 cat owners and 23% admitted that their cat was overweight. The figure does not surprise me because there is an epidemic of obesity in domestic cats in the UK and the USA.

Cats that are as overweight as Chunky have a significantly increased risk of arthritis and diabetes.

The only way to manage a cat's weight is to ensure that he or she exercises to a certain extent and eats less.  As it is more difficult to make a cat exercise than it is to feed a cat less than the answer is to feed a cat less.

The best way to do this is to select the finest quality wet food that a person can afford and make sure that it is provided at the recommended dosage which will quite possibly mean refusing food on occasions even if your cat is persistently making demands which are difficult to refuse.  A cat will not hold a grudge if you don't give him food on demand.  He will just get used to it. But change the diet sensibly in a controlled way.