Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [119]
Nurse Alert!
Obese cats very often have a difficult time grooming themselves. Until the cat has lost the necessary weight, be sure her fur is kept in good condition with combing and/or brushing. Pay particular attention to the anal region, which may capture waste and cause urine scald or attract flies or maggots. Perfect Coat Bath Wipes offers a pre-moistened toilet that’s convenient for keeping pets clean.
Slimming The Cat
Exercise is vitally important not only to maintain weight or prevent weight gain, but also to take off the extra pounds. Cats should get about 20 minutes aerobic exercise every day to stay healthy. Keep in mind that obese animals can’t maintain activity for extended periods. Any exercise program should begin slowly and be adjusted to the cat’s ability level. Interactive play is the best way to engage your cat in exercise. Feather toys or fishing-pole lures that the cat will chase are ideal, says Rhonda L. Schulman, DVM, an internist at University of Illinois. “If you just spend some time, some cats will learn to play fetch,” she says. Try using tiny wads of paper, and flipping them across the room or down the stairs. “My cats really like the laser light. They will chase that all out of the house.”
Cats enjoy watching the world, so setting up a bird feeder outside a couple of windows may engage them enough to move. “Something they can watch that would actually force them to pace a bit, that’s great,” says Dr. LaFlamme. For cats that are blind, try tying a bell or rattle toy on the end of a string, and let sound help you exercise the cat.
Controlled leash walking is great if your cat will put up with a halter and leash. “There’s no reason cats can’t be taught to walk on a leash,” says Dr. LaFlamme. Cats won’t power walk, but a slow to moderate stroll at the end of the leash once or twice a day around the house or garden will help burn energy.
Very overweight cats may be reluctant to move at all. “Make the animals work a little bit for their food,” suggests Dr. Abood. “Your animal can’t handle a flight of stairs, so how about a ramp up to a chair so they’re expending a few calories. For pets that are more ambulatory, put the food at the top or bottom of the staircase so the animal always has to go up and down to get her food.” Even setting the food bowl at the opposite end of the house far from the cat’s favorite couch will get her moving.
Controlling calories is easier than getting the cat to exercise. “Avoid the tendency to ad lib feeding,” says Dr. Nelson. “That’s a major factor in causing obesity.” In other words, instead of just setting out the full bowl of food for the cat to nibble all day long, switch to meal feeding of controlled portions.
Moderately overweight cats may shed pounds simply by cutting out the treats and increasing play sessions. Senior diets typically have fewer calories, and switching the cat to a more age-specific formula can help. “Lite” formula diet cat foods are available, but they aren’t magical. In fact, pets often gain weight on lite diets if they’re fed ad lib, or if the brand of food is different from the cat’s former diet. That’s because the lite designation only means the food is lower in calories than the same brand “regular” food—it’s a comparison within the same family of foods.
Divide the food into four or even five small meals a day to help keep her from feeling deprived. Multiple small meals also tend to increase the body's metabolic rate, so she burns more calories faster and consequently loses the excess weight. Once she’s reached the target weight, serving meals twice-daily will maintain her health.
When cats are obese, medical supervision by the veterinarian, and often a special therapeutic weight-loss diet, is necessary. Several are available from different pet food manufacturers, and each offers innovative formulations that help the cat safely lose weight.
Comfort Zone
Treat Balls: When put on a diet, cats often pester