Cats need to have a healthy weight too. 1.Control calories and fat Measure food and feed smaller, more frequent meals. Consider the feeding guidelines on the bag of food to calculate how much the cat needs each day. Use a measuring cup to avoid over-feeding. Divide the amount of food into smaller meals, and feed three to six times a day.Reduce weight slowly. Weight loss should occur at a rate of no more than 1-2{cbee3078d4ce39f76e424083347e791929c0841cb03baa7af1ef38a79e034b1f} of the cat’s total body weight per week to reduce the risk of hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease. This is caused when fat tissue accumulates in the liver. It can usually be reversed when detected early. 2. Play more, treat less Find out if the cat prefers mouse-, bird-, or bug-shaped toys. Cats play with toys that look like prey, and many cats have favorite toy “species.” Discover the cat’s favorite color. If a cat doesn’t appear interested in playing, try toys of different colors. Cats can easily see blue, green and yellow and might respond better to these colors. Try catnip or honeysuckle to perk up a cat’s interest in a toy. Catnip and honeysuckle contain aromatic compounds that between 50{cbee3078d4ce39f76e424083347e791929c0841cb03baa7af1ef38a79e034b1f} and 80{cbee3078d4ce39f76e424083347e791929c0841cb03baa7af1ef38a79e034b1f} of cats seem to enjoy. Play games. Cats are natural hunters: try hiding a few healthy treats around the house. Pick up a wand toy and help a cat get exercise. Feathers and toy mice and all kinds of prey critters can be attached to wands with strings. Get crafty. Try making a fitness trail out of rolled up rugs for tunnels, chairs, tables and wood plank ramps. Place one or two toys along the course to encourage the cat to explore. Or, try building a cat mobile out of string and cut-out cardboard shapes and hang it from a windowsill. 3. Create an enriched environment Creating an enriched environment means making our homes more friendly to a cat’s natural behaviors in ways that increase activity and decrease stress. Add new things to the environment. Empty boxes, an empty paper bag, tubes from paper towel and toilet paper rolls are fun for cats. Bird feeders hung outside the window near a cat tree or post might provide hours of entertainment for an indoor cat. Try adding water bowls, litter boxes, cat trees, scratching posts and even grooming sessions. Create vertical spaces. Cats tend to feel safe when they can retreat to elevated spaces. Adding a tall, sturdy cat post to a commonly used area of the home is an effective way to add fun, safe vertical spaces for cats Provide several feeding areas in households with more than one cat. A portly cat, in a multi-cat home, is often the cat dominating the food. If possible, feed each cat in a separate room. Or, try feeding the overweight cat on the floor, and the other cats on top of a cat tree, or other vertical space. Article by Mudd Bay
