Symptoms and Treatment of Feline Obesity
📝 Summary
Feline obesity shows as a bulging belly, hard-to-feel ribs, splayed sitting posture, and sluggish movement; diagnosis is 15–30% over ideal weight. Treat with portion control (60% of maintenance, high-protein, small meals), more exercise, and underlying-cause work — never crash-diet.
1 Signs
From above, a healthy cat has a smooth outline; if the belly bulges sideways, it’s overweight.
Feel the sides: if you must press hard to reach the ribs, the cat is too fat (normally ribs are easy to feel).
A lean cat tucks its front legs when sitting; if they splay, it’s likely overweight.
Fat cats move slowly and resist activity — noticeable against other cats.
2 Diagnosis
Over 15–30% above the breed’s ideal weight counts as overweight; an adult cat averages 2.5–5.5 kg absent pregnancy or nursing — weigh to judge.
3 Treatment
Simple obesity: cut intake to 60% of maintenance on a low-calorie, high-protein diet for 8–10 weeks, keeping up minerals and vitamins, and confine the cat indoors so it can’t snack elsewhere; small frequent meals help.
Find the cause: obesity has many roots, so treat the underlying one; dieting may be combined with it.
How: tighten diet (no extra treats), add exercise (play, walks), and consider a bile-acid supplement to aid fat digestion and protect the liver. Don’t rush the weight loss.
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