According to statistics, about 35% of domestic cats are obese. An excess of fat in an animal's body not only makes it slow, but can also provoke a number of such dangerous diseases as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
The most prone to obesity are castrated and neutered cats and cats that live in houses with people and have unlimited access to dry food. It is quite difficult to make a pet lose weight, but for his own good, it is simply necessary.
Restricting access to dry food
In order to prevent the cat from gaining extra pounds, feed it only with the amount of dry food recommended by the manufacturer. As a rule, the exact dosage is indicated on the packaging of any dry food, depending on the weight and age of the animal.
There are also special feeds that are designed for representatives of a particular breed, as well as for animals with their own physiological characteristics: pregnant women and suffering from various diseases. You must be able to refuse a cat, since every extra portion of food does not add to her health.
It is important to feed your pet only high quality food - premium and super premium food. Cheap feed does not contain enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals, but appetite stimulants, all kinds of aromatic additives are more than enough in them. For full-fledged growth and development, veterinarians, as a rule, recommend quite affordable feeds from such manufacturers as Royal Canin, Purina Pro Plan, Hills, Advance, Nutra Gold.
Should I give preference to low-calorie foods?
Feeding your cat a low-calorie diet is a good way to help your cat cope with obesity, but it is not a panacea. Cats react quite painfully to changes in diet and may simply refuse to eat low-calorie foods. In case of refusal, it is better to return to the previous diet.
If the cat does not mind trying something new and is quite satisfied with the taste of low-calorie food, the animal should be transferred to a new diet gradually. It is very easy to make a gradual replacement of the diet - with each feeding you need to gradually reduce the amount of regular feed, replacing it with a new one. All recommendations regarding the weight of each portion of feed are indicated on the package.
It is not recommended to change feed abruptly, for example, in one day. Such drastic changes (if the cat likes the new taste) can cause problems related to the functioning of the animal's gastrointestinal tract: vomiting, diarrhea or constipation.
