12 Tips to Help Your Cat Lose Weight

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12 Tips to Help Your Cat Lose Weight

While cats come in all shapes and sizes, the average cat weight ranges from 3.5 to 4.5 kilograms. This is the healthy cat weight for a feline friend of average height and build. However, if your pet’s weight is not within these limits: do not worry. Just consult your vet, and if he gives you the thumbs up, you are good to go!

On the other hand, if your pet is an obese cat, we would suggest acting on the following tips, which can really assist in your cat losing weight! After all, as a pet owner, you are responsible for their health and well-being.

1. Cut down on the treats

While treats are necessary to encourage good behavior in cats, if your feline friend is trying to shed some cat weight, it is best to steer clear of them for a few days. This does not mean you should not reward your cat, just that you should be more mindful when and why you are giving the treat.

2. Mix the new diet in gradually

If you have started using some new diet food to reduce cat weight, the best way to ensure that your per sticks to it is to introduce it gradually into their regular food. Offer the diet food in a separate container, and once your cat eats it, start by mixing in one-fourth of the diet food with three-fourths of the regular food. This will ensure that the transition to the new diet food is gradual and long-lasting.

3. Move the food container

This is one of the oldest tricks in the book to get your pet to lose some cat weight. If you feed your cat in the living room, shift its place of feeding upstairs. If you have a big enough house, you could put the container in a room at the other end of the house. This will give your pet the opportunity to get in a few steps when going to feed itself, making it an easy tip to shed some cat weight.

4. Buy “feeding balls”

These are an ideal way to reduce cat weight. These feeding balls are made of dry cat food. Your cat will have to roll the ball around to release the food, giving it a chance to burn some calories while eating!

5. Use smaller meals

One quick and easy way to shed some cat weight is to use smaller meals that are scattered throughout the day. If you feed your cat three times a day, try reducing the portion size and making it five to six meals that are dispersed throughout the day. This will help your cat feel more satiated on smaller portions, making it easy to cut calories.

6. Go on a walk

What better way to lose some cat weight than getting in some cardio? When you come back from work, we would suggest taking your cat for a walk to a nearby park, or even around your apartment complex, for 20 to 30 minutes. This will allow you to bond with your cat and get in a few steps yourself too. While it may seem difficult at first, once you get into the habit of this evening walk, you will feel incomplete without it.

7. Use indoor games

If you do not have the time to go outdoors with your cat, do not worry. There are plenty of games you can play with your cat while staying in your house as well. Toss a ball of wool to your cat, and it will chase it around the house, or point a laser in various directions and see your cat have fun trying to catch it. These are fun ways through which you could shed some cat weight while having fun with your pet.

8. Consult the vet

Before starting on the cat weight loss journey, we would recommend consulting your vet first. This is because your vet will examine your pet thoroughly. If your cat has any underlying health conditions you should know about, your vet will inform you. He could also give you a tailor-made diet plan based on your cat’s weight, height, and dimensions.

9. Invest in automatic feeders

While some people may not recommend these, we think investing in cat feeders will not only help your pet lose weight but will help your feline friend maintain its ideal cat weight over a long period of time. This is because automatic feeders administer meals at fixed times, and once your pet gets used to being fed at set times, its habit of snacking in an untimely manner will go away automatically.

10. Feed overweight cats separately

If you live in a multi-cat household, and you only want one of your feline friends to shed some cat weight, we would suggest feeding it separately from other cats. This is because if you start putting less food in its container while the other cats keep on getting their regular feed, your cat may feel ostracized and less well-treated.

11. Reduce one percent body weight in one week

Your cat should reduce an ideal of 1 to 2 percent of its body weight each week. If the weight loss is drastic, your feline friend could develop serious conditions, such as liver diseases. If you think your cat is especially obese, you can consult your vet and develop a plan that can help you lose the desired amount of cat weight over a fixed time. However, if you are looking for a greater rate of cat weight loss, we would not suggest doing so without medical supervision.

12. Continue the diet for six months

Dieting takes patience. It will take your pet almost six months to reach its desired cat weight. At times, it can take even longer, almost 8 to 9 months. However, you should wait all this time if you want long-lasting results and want to ensure that your cat remains healthy while dieting.


Cat weight loss is easy if you follow the tips above. All you need is patience, consistency, and a regimen your cat can stick to!

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