Cats shouldn’t be overweight. In the wild they are hunters and have lean, shapely bodies. However, nowadays many people keep their cats indoors for safety reasons. This is a great reason to keep your cats inside, but indoor cats don’t get as much exercise as outdoor cats and there is a tendency for them to put on weight as they get older..
In addition, many people feed their cats meat flavored cereal, not realizing that it isn’t good for them. Empty carbs are fattening and there is no need for fillers such as wheat, corn, or soy. Outdoors, cats will hunt mice, rats, and so on and their diet doesn’t contain more than 10% carbs.
There is a lot of advice out there about diet cat food, but too many of these diets cut down on protein and fat. If they have too little protein, muscle loss can occur. In addition, cats are natural carnivores and will only be satisfied by a diet containing a lot of protein and fat. Without them, they are hungry and will want to eat more. If you free feed them with dry food, they can pick all day and therefore put on weight. It is best to just put down the exact amount of food that they are allowed.
Obesity in cats is defined by a body weight of 20% or more above the recommended weight. If your cats don’t have a waistline and their stomach bulges and sags, they are definitely overweight and need to go on a weight control diet.
In this article we will guide you through the obesity problem which cats may suffer as they age. We will also give you our top picks of weight management foods to give your fat cats. Our top pick is Instinct by Nature’s Variety Raw Boost Healthy Weight which helps to support a healthy waistline with fewer calories than their normal adult range of food.