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Treatment of obesity

It is dangerous for cats to lose weight too quickly because this predisposes them to the development of hepatic lipidosis, a potentially fatal liver disease whereby fat is deposited within the liver as a result of a change in metabolism during fasting. A gradual, steady decrease in bodyweight is ideal; it may take up to a year for a severely overweight cat to reach its ideal body condition. The veterinary surgeon can draw up a weight loss programme that combines a suitable feeding and exercise plan with careful monitoring. It is very hard to see weight loss in a cat that you are in close contact with on a daily basis. Regular visits to a veterinary surgeon for weigh-ins will also ensure that weight loss is not too rapid.

Cats are carnivores and, unlike humans and dogs, they must have meat in their diet to survive. A cat's natural diet consisting of small prey mammals would be high protein and low in carbohydrate. In order for cats to lose weight, veterinary diets have been designed which are high in protein, low in fat and low in carbohydrate. This helps cats to lose fat whilst maintaining lean body mass (ie, muscle).

In addition to a suitable diet, cats can be encouraged to exercise either through increasing play, or by encouraging movement around the house (walking up and down stairs either by using a pet harness or by moving feeding bowls etc.).

Once a cat has reached its target weight, it may be preferable to feed a 'light' or low calorie food. These diets are designed for the less active feline and do not contain as many calories as the normal maintenance foods. While it is hard to see weight loss in a cat that you are watching every day, it is equally difficult to see the early stages of weight gain. Regular weight checks should be continued to ensure that the fat doesn't start to creep back on.

Here are steps to healthy weight loss:

Before starting a weight loss program, consult your veterinarian.

• Regular exercise. Adding a few extra steps and activities to your day can really help both you and your cat burn unneeded calories!

• Schedule play time. Cats love to hunt, so activate their prey-drive. Dangling a fishing pole and wand-type toys with feathers or bells at the end of a string can be lots of fun for both of you. Playing with these toys while watching TV is much better than being a couch potato!

• Place cat's food at a distance. If you have a multi-story home, try placing your cat's food bowl on a different floor from the one he sleeps on to encourage as much stair-climbing as possible (this is not recommended for litter boxes, which should be easily accessible).

• Proper nutrition. Restricting calorie intake is an important part of the weight loss process, which involves portion control and a low-fat premium cat food.

Do not put your cat on a crash diet. Cats should only lose about one percent of their initial weight per week. Helping them return to an ideal weight will ensure your cat lives healthier for longer.

First, your veterinarian needs to do a thorough physical exam, blood chemistry profile including Thyroid hormone evaluation, and record an accurate weight for the cat. Then you should gradually... over a period of three to four weeks... add greater and greater proportions of the suggested feline weight-loss diet. Mix the new diet with the old, slowly decreasing the percentage of the old diet and increasing the percentage of the new one.

Pay close attention to how much the cat is eating every day. When the cat acclimates to the improved, high protein diet (fed in small amounts frequently during the day), reweigh the cat at four-week intervals. If there is no weight loss at all, or even some weight gain, the amount of food you are allowing is simply too much. You may be thinking in human-sized portions, not feline. Remember the mouse. Every three to four weeks reweigh your cat on the same scale each time so that accurate weight measurements are done. A fifteen-pound cat should not lose more than half a pound in four weeks. (Remember the Hepatic Lipidosis problem!)

Always be observant and report to your veterinarian any time a cat stops eating for two or more days. (That's one of the subtle problems with the "free choice" method of feeding. We often do not notice that the cat's food dish is still full until the cat is well in to a fasting mode. When cats are sick the first clinical sign is often a loss of appetite; so a non-interactive, free choice feeding protocol provides less information to us than an interactive portion controlled feeding method.) Any cat that hasn't eaten in three days is in trouble! Seven days of fasting actually impacts the cat's immune system.

Once you have established a feeding plan that induces gradual weight loss over a period of months the cat will reach a point where weight maintenance occurs. At this optimal weight the cat should not "look fat" nor "look skinny". You'd be surprised how much more active and alert the cat will be at an optimum weight. You have successfully avoided the probability of Diabetes, arthritis and Hepatic Lipidosis. Your cat will probably live a few extra years and have a much better quality of life... and that will make you happy, too!

Get kitty moving! Exercise can keep your cat's weight down, as well as help him avoid getting diabetes. Play with your pet using a laser pointer to shine the dot around a room, or bouncing a ball down a flight of stairs and encouraging the cat to chase it. Find a few more fun toys to get your cat revved up and playing.

If food is a cat's motivation, then making the cat work for its food would be a way to get them to exercise without knowing it. You may try strategically place small amounts of food on several plates throughout the house. This way, the cat has to move about the house, and therefore exercise, if he wants to eat.

If your vet agrees that your cat needs to take off some weight, a good way to begin is to reduce or eliminate treats and table scraps. This step alone can result in a marked difference in your cat's weight. Pet health experts also recommend measuring the amount of food your pet receives, to be sure that you keep the serving size consistent.
If reducing treats is not enough, you may decrease the amount of food your cat receives, or feed fewer calories. Low-calorie pet foods are typically lower in fat and higher in fiber. These foods allow a nice-sized portion, while reducing the number of calories the pet actually receives.

Finally, be patient with your cat's program, and remember that weight loss is a gradual process.

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 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.