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You look at your cat, and you’re glad to see it’s happy, but then you think to yourself, ‘Has he put on some weight?’. Excess weight and obesity in cats is par for the course. The reasons for this are that cats usually live sedentary lives, and we often neglect their diets, providing them with inadequate nutrition. If you’re one of the many people wondering whether your cat is in fact fat, we’re here to provide you all the information you need to verify whether it is, and how to put a stop to it. This is really important because fat cats tend to develop illnesses that can reduce their life span and the quality of their life.
Obesity is defined as the accumulation of fatty tissue (fat) in the body. Although it may not initially seem worrying, the accumulation of fat linked to being overweight can trigger changes to the body and organism that imply many risks for your cat’s health.
There are many reasons why your cat may be overweight. The most common of these are:
Your cat being overweight can have a significant impact on its quality of life. These are the most common consequences:
Although there is no standard measurement to define excess weight in cats, you can perform a check of their chest and see if you can feel their ribs, or conversely, if you notice excess fat.
The vet can provide you with an ideal weight chart for your cat according to its size and breed. If it exceeds the weight stipulated in these by 10-20%, then it is overweight. If it is more than 20% in excess of the parameters, it is obese.
There are several things you can do to control your cat’s body weight if you feel it has a tendency to be overweight. Here are a few:
As you can see, excess weight can be dangerous for your cat, so avoid it at all costs! If your cat is looking a bit fat, remember that diet, exercise and preventative disease control is key. If you have any questions about its weight, speak to your vet.