Targeting obesity in humans is an important issue in this day in age, especially with so many fast food options. But if you have a cat, there tends to be lots of excuses for their increased weight gain. Some people say that they are following the instructions on the food bags, others blame it on winter weight or on neutering. Though there is some truth in these excuses, there are lots of ways to fight cat obesity (see video below).
Cats that are outdoors or stray cats, usually are not overweight as they spend all day hunting for their meals. However, Veterinary Technician at Southside Animal Clinic, Aimee Gee, says the issue with having an overweight cat is that it can lead to the development of other diseases as, “[cats] can get the same diseases as humans like diabetes.” Aimee added that she sees a lot of cats coming into the clinic that are initially overweight for a number of years and then develop diabetes.
So how do we combat cat obesity?
- Firstly you should talk to your vet to see the right amount of calories your cat should consume, as the back of a food bag is usually an estimate.
- Cats that are indoors usually do not take part in enough physical excersises which you can increase by playing with your cat or making them work for their food.
- Lastly you should limit the number of treats given to your cat and avoid free-feeding.
All stats from the following video are taken from the Alberta Government site:
