Mary Allen
If the cat or tomcat is visibly overweight because, as humans, there is a disproportion between energy intake and energy consumption, then you should act! Being overweight can cause serious health problems.
First and foremost, obesity is a burden on the animal. The cat becomes more sluggish, moves less due to the massive weight, and steadily gains weight – a vicious circle. Obesity in cats is not only a cosmetic problem but also promotes numerous diseases such as diabetes, fatty liver, or joint diseases. Therefore, the owners should take some measures and put the animal on a special diet or act preventively to prevent it from happening in the first place
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Active Health Support
Every cat owner should strive to ensure that the cat is as agile as possible, moves a lot, and has an ideal weight. This is only possible with a balanced diet specially tailored to the needs of the animal. A common misconception is that special, high-quality pet food is much more expensive than standard supermarket products. But if you pay attention to certain offers and look for discount vouchers for pet food on the Internet, like here on Spearhead, you can save a lot of money. With the right food, you can quickly see that the animal feels much more comfortable than with a few kilos too much. It is relatively easy to determine whether the cat has too many pounds on its ribs: fat cats wear the typical affluence flap on their stomachs and small rolls of fat on their elbow joints – a scale then breaks down the true weight. Although there are no fixed standard specifications in relation to the ideal weight, since it always depends on gender and breed, a value over 7 kg is quite questionable.
The Сause Of Obesity
There are many reasons for massive obesity in cats: On the one hand, the reasons can lie in the castration of the cats, since this can reduce the feeling of satiety, and the cats then often eat more than necessary. In addition, neutered cats often exercise less than non-neutered cats. Another reason is improper feeding. Many cat owners unknowingly give their pets food that is too greasy or has too much sugar. Too many treats are more likely to harm the cat than do them any good. Tips for a balanced and good cat diet are as follows:
- Do not take the feeding tables too precisely: the usual feeding tables are only a rough guide and are usually set too high. It is better to give the cat a little less food than the recommended gram specifications.
- For massively overweight cats, use a suitable light food (= reduced-fat food, but high in fiber and protein).
- As an alternative to treats, play or cuddle with the cat. From time to time there is nothing wrong with a treat, but the cat should “work for it”, for example by chasing after the treat.
- Never go on a radical or zero diets, as these can be life-threatening for the animal.
- So if you eliminate the treats for overweight cats as far as possible, switch to low-fat special products, and increase the activity of the cat, you will significantly increase the quality of life of your four-legged friend.