Mealtimes are probably your kitten’s favorite time of day, other than when you get home, of course! It seems counterintuitive, but you can actually use a young cat’s excitement over food to increase their activity levels and encourage healthy weight management. Keep in mind that around 60% of cats in the United States are overweight or obese, so anything you can do to keep your cat moving is great!
Feeding smaller meals more frequently
A cat’s activity level spikes around the times of day that they’re anticipating a meal. This means if you feed smaller meals more frequently, your young cat should have more activity spikes in the day. An active cat burns more calories than a cat that lounges all day. If you’re going to use this tactic, make sure that you’re not inadvertently feeding your cat more than their daily caloric intake. It’s important that you take their total daily caloric intake and divide that among the meals, leaving up to 10% of the calories for treats.Automatic feeders for cats
Building off the idea that you should feed smaller meals more frequently, automatic feeders are a great option, especially for single-cat households. They allow you to preset the amount of food and times of day that the food will be dispensed. They also have the added benefit of encouraging your cat to beg the feeder for food rather than waking you up at 5 a.m. for their first meal.Using treat toys to dispense food
You can use treat toys to dispense treats, but you can also use them to dispense meals. You cat will need to exercise to get their meal. While you might not want to do this for every meal, as it’s time-consuming and could lead to frustration, occasionally feeding from a toy can be mentally stimulating in addition to encouraging exercise.
You can also increase your kitten’s activity level with games like fetch (yes, some cats play), laser pointers, interactive toys and even going for walks!
