Is your feline friend beginning to look more like a pot-bellied pig than a cat?  It might be time to start a weight loss regimen.  Helping a cat lose weight will take patience and persistence, but will improve the overall health and well-being of your pet.

Cats lose weight the same way humans do.  There’s no secret science for either species.  Overall, your pet will need to eat less and exercise more.  If your cat currently controls the amount of food they receive, you’ll need to take note of how much food they eat in one 24-hour period.  If they are just overweight and don’t appear to be gaining or losing any weight, then the amount of food they are currently eating is considered their maintenance diet.  It’s just enough food for them to maintain their current weight.

体重を変更するには、毎日与えられた食事の量を維持レベル以下に減らすことによって、食事の量を制御し始めるだけです。現在、1日2杯の猫食べ物を食べている場合は、1.75杯しか食べないようにしてください。これはまだ平均的な成人の猫にとっては食べ過ぎる可能性が高いですが、徐々に健康な体重に下げることができます。 

彼らは減量カロリーの食事をしている間、あなたは最初に体重が落ちて安定した体重に落ちることに気付くでしょう。重量を安定させるために摂食量を減らすことと、摂食量を減らすこととの間には1ヶ月かかることがあります。彼らはより健康的な体重になるたびに食べ物摂取量を毎回四分の一杯減らし続けます。ほとんどの猫は一日に5-6オンスのぬれた猫の食べ物を必要とします。乾燥した猫の食べ物の場合、飼料の推奨は典型的には包装の外側に記載されている。

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Since different brands and types of cat food have different nutritional values, the amount of food they’ll need is brand-dependent.  Simply switching brands and feeding them the same amount can cause a cat to lose weight.  Some cat foods are high in fats and filler material while others are mainly lean meats.  While quality cat food is often more expensive, you’ll find that you don’t need to feed them as much of it to get the same nutritional value.

Aside from feeding habits that take in calories, you’ll also need to be aware of your cat’s overall calorie expenditure.  How active your pet is will play a big role in how much of that food they consume gets used in running around and climbing things and how much will go to fat storage.  If you have a house cat that spends all of their time indoors and much of it sleeping, then they will need at least 20% less food than the average cat.  Outdoor feral cats that hunt for food and are very active need much more food than the average cat to maintain their current weight.

As both calorie intake and export play a role in shaping the figure and health of your cat, you can manipulate one or the other to see positive results.  Increasing your cat’s time spent exercising has the same effect as decreasing their amount of food.  The only thing that is important at the end of the day is that the overall difference between the amounts of calories they take in and calories they use up is less than it was when they were overweight.  If you follow that simple formula, you’ll see positive results in your feline friend, and they’ll be on their way to a happier, healthier life.