Garfield anyone? The infamous fat cat.  Do you know a friend or family friend who has a cat that looks like it ate another entire cat? Let’s be serious, you probably do.  NO JUDGEMENT! well okay maybe a bit of judgment but what it really boils down to is we have an unhealthy animal which is in need of our help, your help.

Let’s discuss some of things obesity puts our cats at risk for:

1. Arthritis- I think this is fairly self explanatory, the extra pounds means more stress and strain on muscles and joints, we can see early onset of this disease and it is not pretty! *SAME for dogs*
2. Diabetes Mellitus- Diabetes, most of us know what this means, it means daily (often twice daily) insulin injections. It often means special diets. It can mean damaged kidneys, urinary tract infections and neurological issues. *Again dogs*
3. Hepatic lipidosis (Fatty Liver)- A pretty nasty disease, a fat feline develops fatty liver when an over conditioned cat (politely fat) goes without eating for a number of days. This starvation results in excess mobilization of fat, however the liver has a finite capacity to metabolize the fat and ends up accumulating it within its cell. These fatty liver cells do not function properly and without prompt and proper veterinary treatment can result in liver failure and death!

“Well my cat just has a under active thyroid”, maybe, but probably not, hypothyroidism is rare in cats. The more likely reason is your cat has an unhealthy attraction towards lasagna and a full time job of sleeping.

Cats, especially indoor cats are fairly lazy, we don’t take them for walks, we typically don’t participate in regular active play so it really is no surprise that they can pack on the pounds.  It is all about calories in and calories out, if they have free access to food or get table scraps and then proceed to nap 95% of the day,…well,….

The solution?

1. stick to their food (no extras)
   1. sometimes considering use of high fiber foods to keep them full or canned food to increase moisture and water intake
2. measure their food (ask your vet how much to feed them/day)
3. Increase their activity- daily laser pointer sessions anyone?
   1. Use something like a slim cat treat ball, I put the meal in the ball and the cat needs to chase and bat it around to release the food
4. KEY POINT: slow weight loss is important! please consult your veterinarian for customized weight loss plans for your cat

Get out there and get those cats slim!