It always seems tough when it comes to weight loss. Humans find it hard, what more cats! However, losing the extra fat could mean life and death for your cat. Plus, it will likely make your cat’s life more enjoyable and add to the quality of life if your cat is the ideal cat weight.
The easiest way to determine whether your cat is fat or not is by feeling its ribs. If you can’t easily feel its ribs, that is a sign that your cat is overweight. When you have an obese cat, the best weight loss tips for cats always recommends that pet owners change up their feline friends’ diets. So what can you or should you feed your cat? Here are a few diet cat food tips and tricks so that your cat will lose weight.
How much should I feed my cat to promote weight loss?
First of all, never put a fat cat on a diet without the supervision of your veterinarian. The wrong cat diet could lead to a life-threatening liver disease known as hepatic lipidosis. A good vet will perform a physical examination on your cat to ensure that there are no underlying health issues or obstacles so that your cat can lose weight more easily.
Usually, your vet will first examine your cat to determine its ideal body weight based on its body size and build. The easiest way to determine if your cat is overweight or not is through the cat weight chart. You can follow the same chart at home every alternate day as well.
The general guideline when it comes to feeding your cat is as follows:
To maintain weight: 20 calories for every pound of body weight.
For example, your cat is 8 pounds. It will need 160 calories to maintain its weight.
For weight loss, you just have to deduct 40 calories off that number.
You further adjust so as and when your cat loses weight. Just lower the food intake to adjust accordingly until your cat reaches the average cat weight.
Your cats still need food to survive so cutting more than 40 calories is not advisable as it can lead to other diseases.
Please note that this is just a general guideline and you should consult your vet first!
Best diet cat food
Depending on the calorie content of the food, you will have to look at the label on the canned food first. Since it is vital you count calories, do not free feed and only feed your cat during meal times.
It is also better that you buy the food from the store so that you know exactly how many calories goes into it. When you cook and prepare the food by yourself, it can be difficult to calculate the exact calorie value.
For the best diet cat food, we recommend buying from Petcubes. Their pet food is meticulously crafted raw diets that balances just the right amount of proteins and formulated to mimic what felines would forage and thrive in the wild.
There are a few types of meat or proteins (which is absolutely essential for cats) when it comes to choices of Petcubes’ cat food so you need not worry about nutrients and just have to measure out the calories so that your cat can shed its fat.
Choices are between:
1. Chicken
This cat food is made from wholesome antibiotic-free chicken.
Calorie content: 147.2kcal/100g
2. Beef & chicken
Made with human-grade whole ingredients air flown from Australia, this raw cat food is made from pasture fed free range beef.
Calorie content: 153.3kcal/100g.
3. Duck
Freshly slaughtered gourmet duck, this is a delight for cats as it is fresh, nutritious and yummy! Duck is one of the leanest meat to feed your cat.
Calorie content: 123.3kcal/100g
4. Lamb
This freshly chilled, pasture fed lamb can make diet cat food for cats everywhere seem like a treat.
Calorie content: 125kcal/100g
5. Venison
Air-flown from New Zealand, the venison is from human-grade venison flank meet and is a superior formulation for cats of all breeds, especially those with allergy sensitivities.
Calorie content: 147.6kcal/100g
6. Wild Kangaroo
100% wild-kangaroo that is air-flown in from Australia, wild kangaroo is a novel protein that can combat all sorts of allergies.
Calorie content: 127.4kcal/100g
Conclusion
In order for your cats to lose weight, it may seem hard as feeding the right diet cat food to it can be rather daunting. Do start slowly and consult with your vet so that you have extra advice to fall back on. Remember that you are only helping your cat lose weight so that it will have a healthier life.