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HOW TO FEED YOUR CAT TO PREVENT OBESITY

Overweight cats are at high risk of developing diabetes mellitus and heart disease. In fact, feline diabetes is on the rise due to the number of cats who are allowed to become obese by the hand of their owners.

Feeding your cat to prevent obesity begins after he or she has been spayed or neutered at 6 months of age. At this time, offer your cat the best quality adult cat food that you can afford. Kitten food is appropriate for growth early in your cat’s life, but it contains a lot of additional calories and is not necessary for most cats after 6 months of age.

Cats that live indoors are exposed to fewer infectious diseases/ parasites, traumatic events, and generally live longer. We recommend that cats live indoors. However, for these indoor cats, this means a lifestyle of restricted activity. Indoor cats should be fed one can of premium brand cat food per day. Premium brands are generally found in pet stores. Good choices include Science Diet, Eukanuba, Nutro, Iams, Purina ONE, Purina Pro-Plan, and Old Mother Hubbard Brands. There are many brands of premium cat food; these are just some suggestions. Avoid grocery store brand canned food, especially ones with pop top type lids, as some of these may be related to the development of an over active thyroid gland.

Canned cat food contains high protein, low carbohydrate, and water. Recently, some internal medicine specialists have suggested that feeding canned cat food may help overall kidney health by providing more water for the body to use in flushing metabolic wastes from the kidney.

Dry cat food contains mostly carbohydrates. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means their natural diet is prey such as small mammals. In the wild, cats eat prey in the form of small mammals, which contain mostly protein and water. The carbohydrates found in dry cat food are thought to be a large contributor to feline obesity. The benefits of dry food have thought to be improved dental health. It is now thought that the risk of obesity is far more detrimental for your cat than any benefit that dry food fed as a sole diet.

Use t/d diet kibbles as treats. Feed your cat 3-5 kibbles per day of t/d diet for dental health.