McLean Animal Hospital's homepage
  • GET IN TOUCH416-752-5114

Overweight Cat Help

Reaching a healthy weight will reduce your cat's risk of developing certain health issues.

Obesity is one of the most common diseases we see in house cats today. They do not get as much exercise as they should, and are often overfed. It is a very big problem because it leads to so many serious diseases such as diabetes, hepatic lipidosis and many others.

Is my cat fat?

On a scale from 1-9 (9 being extremely obese and 1 being emaciated), a cat should be a 4-5/9. At this body condition, the ribs are easily palpable, with minimal fat covering. From an above view of your cat, you should see their waist and from the side the abdomen should tuck up.

How can my cat lose weight? Weight loss tips for cats?

The most important weight loss tip is not overfeeding your cat or giving excessive treats. We can help you determine just how much your cat needs. In addition, trying to encourage your cat to get exercise is a great way to help them lose weight. Whether it is playing with them, making them walk around the house a few times before you feed them, or putting their food bowls up high, so they have to exercise to reach the food. All of these methods together can help make house cats a little bit more active and burn more calories!

What is offered in nutritional consultation?

We can provide a full assessment of your pet to determine how much extra weight they are carrying. We can then recommend a diet that would be most appropriate and determine how many calories per day they should be receiving, in order to lose weight at a healthy rate. Just as important as that initial assessment is, it will be important to continue to monitor their weight loss progress and modify the diet as needed.

Return to Cat Services