Kittens are adorable and lovable, no matter their size, breed or sex. Despite this, we have to keep in mind that although a chunky cat might be cute, we’re setting them up for more health issues down the road. Obesity is the most common preventable disease in North American cats, with over half of pet cats being overweight.
Obesity shortens a cat’s lifespan, with cats who are 8 to 12 years old and obese having a nearly threefold increased risk of dying compared to cats with a healthy weight. Obese cats also have an increased risk of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and other chronic health conditions.
You can monitor your young cat for obesity at home by learning how to assess their body condition. Viewed from both the side and the top, your cat should have a waist that tucks in. The ribs should be easily felt if you rub your hand along them, but they should not be visible. Your veterinarian will also perform body condition scores on your pet when they come in for appointments to monitor their weight. Your VCA care team is happy to review at-home body condition monitoring with you.
Even though your cat may be very good at begging for food, you’re helping them by resisting those imploring eyes, even if they don’t appreciate it! Aside from monitoring your pet’s body condition, you can also prevent obesity by:
- Avoiding free feeding: Free feeding is when you give your pet free access to a large amount of food. You may think they’re eating less because they sometimes appear to graze throughout the day, but without measuring how much they eat, you won’t know. Free feeding is one of the greatest risks for obesity. Instead, we recommend feeding at least two measured meals per day. Cats are known to have activity spikes around expected mealtimes, so if you feed multiple regular meals, you may also increase how many calories they burn.
- Limiting treats: Treats should not make up more than 10% of your pet’s calories. You can choose low-calorie treats or break larger treats into smaller pieces in order to provide more treats without overdoing it.
- Restricting table scraps: Table scraps can easily contribute calories to your pet’s daily intake. Not to mention, some table scraps can cause gastrointestinal upset, particularly if they’re fatty. Others, like foods containing onions or garlic, could be toxic.
- Increasing physical activity: Your cat needs to exercise! You can try leash training your cat to go on walks or increase their activity with games like fetch or interactive toys that encourage hunting behaviors.
- Asking your veterinarian for your young cat’s calorie requirement: Food bags do have guidelines for what to feed your pet based on weight, but your veterinarian can calculate a target caloric amount specifically tailored to your cat.
- Using interactive feeding toys: These toys require your pet to work for their food. Your cat will eat more slowly while being forced to expend more calories.
We understand that weight loss isn’t easy. If you have any questions about obesity in cats or need support managing your kitten’s weight, don’t hesitate to reach out to your VCA care team.
Learn the “hand test” for monitoring your cat’s body condition score.
