How can I get a lazy, overweight cat to lose weight and exercise?

11 responses so far ↓

• 1 Bailey // Sep 22, 2008

  Use catnip and get her on a leash she will learn slowly to use the leash and catnip always works

• 2 babi3xloulou // Sep 22, 2008

  There is cat food for overweight cats, but that really didn’t work for me. Anyway I bought a fish tank (small) with 3 fish inside of it and my cat got so awake and active that she tried played/catching the fish so while she was doing that I bought this cat laser which she played with to. whenever she would play with the fish I would play with her with some toys.

  my cat doesn’t play with any cat toys accept for this wand I got at walmart it a Tinkerbell wand and i got it in the party section. That might help

• 3 milomax // Sep 22, 2008

  Well, first off, cats are supposed to lose weight slowly. She should lose about 1/8 lb. per week at the most to maintain her health. The fact that she’s losing at all is a success!!

  Probably any bit of activity helps. Have you tried a laser pointer? I haven’t seen too many cats who can resist that one.

  Even if you are just getting her to roll around a bit - that counts.

  Good for you for helping your kitty get healthy! Just remember it’s supposed to go slowly for cats.

• 4 Melissa // Sep 22, 2008

  Unlike dogs, cats have a much more delicate balance between their eating habits and their health. You can help your cat lose weight but it is vital you do it gradually. Dogs can go for longer periods of time without food or with feeding interruptions (although this is not recommended!) than cats. No crash diets for cats!
  Step2Feed your cat good quality food. My brands of choice are Innova and Blue Buffalo. Cats can become finicky and boss us around with the flavors they like to eat. But just as this doesn’t work well with children, it won’t work well for your cat either. If you give your cat only a hi-quality, high protein food, he or she will deign to eat it when they get hungry enough. Cats usually get used to the new food even if they are fussy at first. Always make sure a cat eats on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be much in the way of quantity. But, again, unlike dogs, cats cannot go for long periods of fasting without ill effects.
  Step3Most people let their cats ‘free feed’. It’s more common in cats than dogs since it appears the cat will only eat what he or she needs and won’t overeat. Wrong. Many cats frequently overeat this way. If you feed your cat only a SMALL quantity of food two to four times a day, (I find two is enough for mine) you will be regulating your cat’s intake. Whatever isn’t eaten in the first 15 minutes should be taken up and saved for the next meal or disposed of. Essentially, you want to feed your cat the equivalent of one small mouse a day: high protein, a little roughage and water. (Yum.)
  Step4A good way to get your cat to lose weight is to increase his or her activity level. Playing more with your cat is the most obvious way to do this. But you can also become a little ingenious about it. Try putting your cat’s food on a higher surface that will make the little guy have to climb to get it. Water too. Don’t make it difficult, just a little more exercise. If you have stairs in your house, putting food dishes or the cat box where it is easily accessible, but more of a workout to get to, can also help.
  Step5In short, feeding small amounts of good quality food at regular intervals combined with increasing your feline’s activity level should help your cat SLOWLY shed unwanted pounds. Lots of love and grooming is likely to make the whole process more fun for both of you, though!

• 5 q2003 // Sep 22, 2008

  Have you ever heard of The Bird (or it might be Da Bird)? You can get it at most pet stores. Basically, it consists of a handle for you to hold on to and a string that has feathers on the end. My cat goes CRAZY over it.

• 6 Ken // Sep 22, 2008

  It''s not your cat's fault, It is the crap you are feeding. Giving less crap isn''t the answer either She is not old and she needs you to feed appropriate food for the species. That means no dry food. feed her properly she will feel better, lose weight and then become more active

  Nutrition since there are so many bad things out there is very important to your cat’s health
  Contrary to what you may have heard; dry foods are not a great thing to feed a cat.
  Please read the label on what you are feeding? What are the ingredients? Do you know what they mean? Is the first ingrediant a muscle meat like chicken or meal or other things?
  http://www.catinfo.org/#Learn_How_To_Read_a_Pet_Food_Ingredient_Label
  http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/InterpretingLabels.htm
  Dry foods are the number 1 cause of diabetes in cats as well as being a huge contributing factor to kidney disease, obesity, crystals, u.t.i’s and a host of other problems. Food allergies are very common when feeding dry foods. Rashes, scabs behind the tail and on the chin are all symptoms
  The problems associated with Dry food is that they are loaded with grains and carbohydrates which many cats (carnivores) cannot process. Also, Most of the moisture a cat needs is suppose to be in the food but in
  Dry, 95% of it is zapped out of dry foods in the processing. Another thing, most use horrible ingredients and don't use a muscle meat as the primary ingredient and use vegetable based protein versus animal. Not good for an animal that has to eat meat to survive.
  http://www.catinfo.org/#My_Cat_is_Doing_Just_Fine_on_Dry_Food
  You want to pick a canned food w/o gravy (gravy=carbs) that uses a muscle meat as the first ingredient and doesn't have corn at least in the first 3 ingredients if at all. The best food for cats does not contain any grains at all.
  Fancy feast is a middle grade food with 9lives, friskies whiskas lower grade canned and wellness and merrick upper grade human quality foods. I would rather feed a middle grade canned food then the top of the line dry food.
  Also, dry food is not proven to be better for teeth. Does a hard pretzel clean your teeth or do pieces of it get stuck? http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4a.php

  Please read about cat nutrition.
  http://www.newdestiny.us/nutritionbasics.html
  http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm
  http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm#Dry_Food_vs_Canned_Food.__Which_is_reall

  Vetinarian diets The reason your vet thinks so highly of the pet food they sell probably has more to do with money than nutrition. In vet school, the only classes offered on nutrition usually last a few weeks, and are taught by representatives from the pet food companies. Vet students may also receive free food for their own dogs and cats at home. They could get an Iams notebook, a Purina purse and some free pizza. http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/Vets.htm

• 7 Jennifer J // Sep 22, 2008

  If the food recommendations from the vet are working, definitely continue with that. As far as toys that will help, that really all depends on your cat’s personal preference. My three cats all love to play, but their tastes vary greatly. The oldest will only play with a feathered toy. The middle will only play with fuzzy toys. The youngest will only play with laser pointers.

  Consider what your cat enjoys, or try a little of everything. Her age is definitely a factor in why she’s slowing down, but even her rolling over and playing on her back is a start. You can’t expect her to get up and run a kitty marathon right away =) Let her build up to it.

• 8 tåkë cárê õf mÿ cât // Sep 22, 2008

  It’s great to know that you realize that you cat has gotten more weight than he could handle and needs help. However, this has to be done slowly and gradually. There are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind and one of the most important is to never cut out his food too much, too soon. With an overweight cat, weight loss has to happen gradually to prevent fatty liver disease.

  Here’s a great website with well researched info and guide on how to properly create a diet plan:-

  http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/catweight.html

  A Short summary:-

  To get a cat to lose weight, do the following after consulting with your veterinarian:

  1.) Have a thorough physical exam, lab tests, and accurate weigh recorded. Be sure to rule out hypothyroidism or other metabolic disorders.

  2.) Feed less food than you have been

  3.) Feed foods high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrate

  4.) Feed small portions at intervals (2x to 4x per day) rather than continuous free access/ free choice

  5.) Increase the cat’s activity/exercise by enriching the cat’s environment

  6.) Reweigh the cat at three to four week intervals to assess your weight loss diet’s progress

  7.) Reconsider the total daily amount fed if weight gain or no weight loss is noted

  8.) Once the cat is at an idea weight, adjust the total amount fed so that the cat’s body weight remains stable.

  In addition to reducing calorie intake, it is important to increase the calories used. Exercise programs for cats are more difficult to design than those for dogs. Some cats will walk on a leash and this would be excellent exercise. Even just going outside under supervision can get the cat to move around a bit more. Some cats enjoy watching cat ‘videos’; it may not be that much exercise, but at least it keeps them alert and prone to bat at the TV at least a few times. Buy the cat some new toys and initiate play with the cat. Try a little catnip. In addition to burning a few extra calories, exercise and play may help keep the cat’s focus away from the food bowl.

  Kindly read through the important tips and you can start him on the road to a better body and healthier life!

• 9 presouzKitty // Sep 22, 2008

  99% of all dry food is high in grains grains are carbs and carbs equal FAT !! .. Canned foods and dry food with grains and corn and canned food with gravy are A FAT CAT or unhealthy cat waiting to happen, you need to lower her carbs, raise the protein. You have to do it slowly, so their system can get used to it. Ask your VET for the best way or just try a little mixed with her now food for a few weeks.

  FOR example I have a CAT who is diabetic, she was on science diet, I have read this could have caused her illness; her body can’t digest the grains/carbs… I have used this brand for all my pets for 20 years I was shocked to find out that her dry food I had been feeding her was 47% carbs!!! HILLS FOOD IS CRAP AND HAS been for years and I DIDN KNOW IT. And her HILLS canned food was 18-58% carbs!! Back 20 years ago they used to be proud of there less fillers, now I see they weren’t too proud to use them after all. ALL THAT CARB in her food played havoc with her blood sugar and once I lowered her carbs and fed her higher protein food her blood sugar went down more then 200 points and she did lose weight. She missed her dry food so I found one by WELLNESS its called CORE its costly but she doesn’t eat as much cuz there is ZERO Fillers no grains or corn all protein. AND ITS ONLY 12% carbs, its the lowest dry I have found and she likes it! I tried all the low/no grain cat foods and found some she likes and I keep her carbs down to 4-11% a day, I will give u the website where you can see all the carbs in all the cat foods and print it out for the shopping days, I also found if you go to a MOM and POP pet store you will get better deal with the BIG pets stores who have HUGE RENT and over head.. GOOD LUCK.
  http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/dryfo… for the dry info

  http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/ for two lists of canned food GOOD LUCK
  http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_wellness_dry_core.html

• 10 Mrs. RuneAmok Sisto // Sep 22, 2008

  Fast weight loss is not a good thing. Cats can SAFELY lose 1/2 to 1 pound per month. More than that is unhealthy and could lead to something called hepatic lipidosis - aka fatty liver. If they get that it could be fatal if you’re not able to catch it in time and can’t force feed them.

  I can’t think of a way to get your cat to exercise more - even with you playing with her - if there are no toys she’ll go crazy for.

  The only thing I can think of would be to make her work for her food - make her walk a few feet or jump up on something to get it.

  Or you can try this suggestion from my blog:
  Why is dry food bad? With very few exceptions, dry food is not appropriate food for cats. It’s chock full of carbs/sugar, doesn’t provide enough meat-based protein, and is often loaded with grains such as wheat or corn (which provide those carbs/sugars). Wheat, corn and soy are known allergens and in many cats will cause digestive upsets. Not to mention most also contain “meal” and “byproducts.” Cats are obligate carnivores who need to eat a diet high in protein (from meat) and fat and very low in carbs. The mouse is the perfect cat food - meat, organs and bones, with perhaps a tiny bit of grains that may exist in the mouse’s stomach. In addition, dry food leaves cats dehydrated. They do not instinctively drink enough water because they’re designed to get it IN their food. This results in concentrated urine which can lead to all sorts of problems. And it DOES NOT CLEAN THE TEETH! Really - think about - does dry food clean OUR teeth? If it did wouldn’t dentists prescribe cookies instead of brushing?

  What should cats eat? Cats should eat a species appropriate diet which very much resembles Atkins (Catkins). A raw diet is the very best, so long as it’s properly supplemented to meet a cat’s nutritional needs. There are many raw feeding forums available through Yahoo Groups that one can join to learn more. The next best choice is a good quality canned food (or even a commercially prepared raw diet such as Nature’s Variety). These foods will have meat listed as the first ingredient, will not contain corn, wheat or soy, may include organ meats, and will not list “meal” or “byproducts.” See the What to feed link for suggestions. Additionally, the brand By Nature Organics is a very good food, and at 150 calories per 6oz can, is a very good choice for weight loss.

  What about supplements for weight loss? The addition of L-Carnitine to a cat’s diet may assist with weight loss. 250-500 mg per day can be added to assist with weight loss. It is probably best to start with a lower dosage until you see how your cat reacts.

  How much should my cat lose? If possible, have your vet set a target weight for you. But if your cat is obviously obese you don’t need to do that before getting started. In fact, if you’re feeding dry food currently it’s also a good idea to make the switch as soon as possible, even if only a few pounds need to be lost. You can also consult this chart to get an idea of how overweight kitty might be: http://www.placervillevet.com/feline%20body%20condition.htm.

  How soon will I see results? Cats need to lose weight slowly, at the rate of no more than 1 pound per month, and often less. This is because rapid weight loss may cause hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) which can be fatal.

  Why is this info different from what my vet told me? Many vets haven’t been properly trained in feline nutrition. They may attend basic small animal classes, but the only cat-specific training they receive is sponsored by Hills. Not surprisingly, they are taught to reach for a bag of Hills __/d when a cat presents with a particular problem (k for kidney, d for diabetes, etc.). I am not a nutritionist but I’ve gathered this information from people who DO know what they’re talking about. (See links below).

  So what should I do? The solution is to switch the fat cat (and any others in the household as well) to a good quality grainless canned food (or research raw feeding). Because these foods are species appropriate, the cat will lose weight at a safe, slow pace (no more than 1 pound per month). Switching foods needs to occur slowly, and if you’re trying to get a kibble junkie to eat canned food, that will happen naturally.

  How much should my cat eat?
  This varies. Average cats may eat between 20-30 calories per pound per day. But note that that is IDEAL pounds. Using 25 calories per day for example, an 8 pound cat could eat 200 calories per day. By the same token, a cat who weighs 20 pounds but should weigh 10 could eat 250 calories per day. You multiply the ideal weight by the calories to arrive at that figure. When working toward weight loss, it’s perhaps best to start at the lower end of the scale (20).

  How do I find out how many calories are in cat food? See the link “Values in canned food.” If it’s not listed there, you’d need to contact the manufacturer…..I believe that link provides some help t

• 11 Kat // Sep 22, 2008

  Cats are all different, just like humans and other animals.

  A large built big boned cat will weigh more than a small boned petite cat. I have big and tall built cats that are a muscular and healthy 19 pounds… and on the other end of the scale I have a teeny tiny boned cat who weighs in at a meer 7 pounds yet she is at a healthy weight as well. Based on their individual body structures I could never compare them. It’s best to assess your cats weight by it’s body condition and not compared to other cats.

  Here’s a chart to help you do that…

  http://www.purina.com/cats/health/BodyCondition.aspx

  Once you determine if your cat is overweight, you need to be aware that there is NO such thing as dry “diet” food for cats. Dry foods are filled with carbs that make your cat fat. You can’t make a dry food without carbs, so there are no dry diet foods.

  The proper amount to feed per cat/per day should be about 5.5 ounces of wet (high quality grain free canned or Raw Meat/Bones/Organ) food.

  The calories in that amount of food are sufficient for most “normal” sized cats. Of course a highly energetic cat will need more food to keep it healthy, and a lazy cat will need less food to keep it from getting obese. But 5.5 ounces of wet food per day is a good place to start.

  Here is a fantastic site that will help you help your cat lose weight!

  http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm

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