How can I reduce my cats food for weight loss

Cat Dieting: How to Help Your Cat Lose Weight

Prior to starting your cats weight loss journey, talk to your veterinarian about how to do this safely. Cat dieting is not as simple as restricting food, and rapid weight loss can be very dangerous. Any cat weight loss plan should be a collaboration between you and your vet.

Here are a few ways that you can help your cat lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

How to Help Your Cat Lose Weight Safely

First, speak with your veterinarian before putting your cat on a diet. They will help you establish a cat dieting plan that supports gradual, healthy weight loss without restricting food intake too drastically.

Severe cat food restriction and rapid weight loss can actually make your pet very sick, causing a serious disease in cats called hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease.

Calculating Your Cats Body Condition Score

The ideal weight for a cat is determined by their body condition score. This is an objective measurement of your cats body composition based on the visibility of their ribs, presence of a waist, and how easily their vertebrae can be felt.

Once a body condition score has been assigned, your veterinarian can help you establish your pets target weight and daily calorie intake goal using the following formula for resting energy requirement (RER):

70 x (body weight in kg)^0.75=RER

How Much Weight Should a Cat Lose Each Week?

Cats should not lose more than 1-2% of their total body weight per week.

By reducing their calorie intake to 80% of their RER, you should see a weekly weight loss rate of 1-2% (this may vary slightly depending on the individual cat).

Your veterinarian can help you figure out all of these calculations for calorie intake and weight loss, plus portion sizes. Weigh your pet weekly to ensure that your cat is on track with your vets plan. If your cats weight loss is greater than 2% per week, increase their calorie consumption by 10% with the help of your vet. If the weight loss is less than 1% per week, reduce their calorie consumption by 5-10%.

If at any point your cat stops eating, please have them examined by your veterinarian.

3 Methods for Helping Your Cat Lose Weight

Here are a few tips for supporting your cats weight loss goals in a safe and controlled way.

Cat Weight Loss Food

Your vet can help you determine the right food, portions, and feeding schedule for your cat.

Most cat weight loss diets will be a combination of either:

High fiber/low fatA higher fiber content can support satiety and increase bulk, allowing your cat to consume more and feel fuller.

High protein/low carbohydrateThis diet can delay stomach emptying, which also leaves your pet feeling fuller.

The higher water content in wet food can help with weight loss by increasing the volume of food without increasing the calorie count.

Exercise

Calorie restriction is important for weight loss, but increasing your cats activity level also plays a role.

You can support your cats weight loss through exercise by:

Automatic Feeders and Treat Balls

Using an automatic feeder can help get your pet get accustomed to scheduled meals. This can help with weight loss and long-term weight management.

Using treat balls or food puzzle toys to dispense your cats meal can also help slow down your cats eating while providing stimulation and exercise.

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The 14 best cat foods for weight loss of 2024

What to look for in cat foods for weight loss

When shopping for the best cat food for weight loss, you'll want to consider the following criteria:

AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for adult maintenance or all life stages:The AAFCO is a nonprofit organization that provides nutritional guidelines for pet food. An AAFCO statement indicates that a food meets the nutritional needs of cats based on their life stage. You can confirm a cat food is nutritionally complete and balanced for "adult maintenance" or "all life stages" if it has an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement on the label.

Keep in mind that cat food will only meet your cat's nutritional needs when served in the right portions. Giving your cat a smaller portion could lead to a nutritional deficiency, while overfeeding them may lead to weight gain, especially if they don't get much activity.

Growing kittens need more calories and nutrients than adult cats. Therefore, weight management foods don't make a good choice for kittens, even if the food is labeled for "all life stages." If you have any concerns about your kitten's weight, consult a vet before you change their diet or feed them smaller portions. As your cat nears their first birthday, your vet can evaluate their weight and how many calories they should consume daily.

Guaranteed analysis and nutrient profiles: The guaranteed analysis on a pet food label shows the percentages of important nutrients, including protein, fat, fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Food for adult cats, including seniors, must have a minimum of 26% protein and 9% fat. Our experts say it's important to carefully examine the guaranteed analysis of protein, fat, and fiber percentages to ensure the recipe meets your cat's needs. The best cat foods for weight loss generally contain low to moderate fat and high fiber.

Ingredients list: The ingredients on a pet food label appear in order of weight. As obligate carnivores, cats must eat diets made up of animal-based proteins. So, animal proteins in the form of whole meat, meat meal, or animal byproducts should appear first on the ingredients list of any cat food. To add fiber to your cat's diet and keep them feeling full between meals, opt for recipes with whole complex carbohydrates such as whole corn, whole brown rice, oats, and inulin. Sources of inulin you may notice on cat food labels include chicory root and, less commonly, Jerusalem artichoke.

Expert formulations: Expert formulation is even more important when it comes to weight loss diets since the best cat foods for weight loss are developed to provide more nutrients per serving, with fewer calories. We only recommend food from brands that employ a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist or a PhD-level animal nutritionist. This helps ensure your cat's food meets nutritional recommendations and includes the right ingredients for cats. It also aligns with the WSAVA guidelines and our experts' guidance.

Manufacturing standards: We expect commercial cat food brands to be transparent about their quality control measures. This means providing information about the types of tests they conduct, how often they test, and the results of those tests. If this information doesn't appear on a pet food company's website, brand representatives should provide the information upon request.

Calorie content: The calorie content of cat food is listed in kilocalories (kcals). Weight management foods generally have fewer calories per serving but are nutrient-dense to meet nutritional needs. However, the calorie needs of adult cats can vary depending on their age, ideal weight, and overall health. Our experts emphasize the importance of switching to a weight management diet instead of just giving your cat less food. Your vet can recommend the best cat foods for weight loss and the right portion size for your cat. When a pet is only a little overweight 10% to 15% a successful approach to weight loss may involve switching to a lower-calorie food and adjusting treats and snacks, combined with increased exercise, Churchill says. Pets more than 15% heavier than their ideal weight are considered obese and may benefit from a prescription weight loss diet.

Vets can use a scale and the body condition scoring (BCS) system to assess your cat's weight and body fat. Your vet will consider your cat's lifestyle, ideal weight, and overall health to recommend the ideal number of daily calories your cat should eat. You can ask your vet to teach you how to use the BCS system to check your cat's body fat at home between wellness visits. Churchill says that frequent monitoring of your cat's weight is important since it allows veterinarians to fine-tune caloric intake and ensure that weight loss stays safe and healthy. She adds that cats should lose weight gradually, at a rate of 1% to 2% of their body weight per week.

Healthy weight loss for cats: A vet's guide

When we think about ways to improve feline health, weight loss for cats should be a top priority. Nearly half of all cats within the United States are overweight or obese. While it may be tempting to view your cats excess weight as just a bit more fluff to cuddle with, the reality is that excess weight can predispose your pet to a number of health problems. Overweight cats are more likely to develop joint pain, diabetes, and a variety of other conditions. Even if you are feeding one of our best cat foods, problems can occur when feeding guidelines arent followed or if your cat doesnt exercise enough. Fortunately, weight loss can help prevent these problems.

How can I help my obese cat lose weight?

Cats, like humans, maintain a healthy weight when they burn as many calories as they consume. When a cat consumes excess calories, they gain weight; over time, continued weight gain can lead to obesity. Therefore, obesity has two potential causes: excessive food intake or inadequate exercise. In many cats, obesity occurs because of a combination of these two factors.

Think about feral or stray cats: they spend much of their day chasing and hunting down small prey. This burns a lot of energy, and the payoff is small, hard to digest, food rewards. This balance between calorie intake and expenditures tends to keep feral cats on the lean side. Contrast this to a typical indoor house cat: most pet cats spend their days laying on the couch or a warm lap, periodically walking over to the food bowl to ingest large meals of highly-digestible cat food. When viewed through this lens, its not hard to see why obesity is so common in cats!

To help your cat lose weight, you will need a two-pronged approach: decrease your cats caloric intake, while simultaneously increasing your cats activity level.

Whats wrong with being overweight?

Being overweight is more than just a cosmetic issue. Here are just a few health conditions that are more common in overweight cats

• Diabetes Mellitus a condition in which the body does not respond normally to insulin, leading to symptoms like excessive thirst, excessive urination, and other internal organ dysfunction
• Osteoarthritis a painful, degenerative condition which is associated with obesity, due to obesitys increased pressure on the joints and inflammatory factors released from fatty tissue
• Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) FLUTD can cause symptoms like discomfort urinating and toileting in inappropriate places, and is often seen more in overweight cats
• Cancer as with people, being overweight can predispose cats to certain types of cancer
• Cardiovascular issues extra weight can lead to more breathing difficulties and extra strain on the heart. Overweight animals may find exercise difficult and brachycephalic breeds (with narrow nostrils and other breathing abnormalities) will struggle the most
• Poor grooming difficulty reaching all areas of the body can lead to matted, unkempt, and dirty fur

Weight loss in cats

Before starting a weight-loss program for your cat, visit your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam, and may also recommend laboratory tests. This workup can help rule out underlying conditions that might contribute to your cats excess weight, while also highlighting issues that need to be considered when changing your pets diet.

Your veterinarian can also recommend a safe rate of weight loss in your cat. Overweight or obese cats who suddenly stop eating, or have their calories severely restricted, are prone to a condition known as hepatic lipidosis. When a cat suddenly stops obtaining adequate calories from food and shifts to mobilizing large amounts of fat, this fat can harm the liver and even lead to death. By following your veterinarians guidelines, you can ensure that your cat loses weight in a healthy way that decreases the risk of hepatic lipidosis.

Diets for cats

To help your cat lose weight, you need to decrease your cats calorie consumption by putting them on a diet. Just like we humans adopt specific dietary changes to aid in weight loss, our cats will benefit from the same approach. There are two primary ways to do this, but using both strategies simultaneously can help maximize your chances of success.

First, consider transitioning your cat to a food that is less calorie-dense. Unless your cat is on a medical diet, prescribed by your veterinarian, you can consider an over-the-counter weight loss cat food. These foods, available in both dry and canned formulations, are designed to be less calorie-dense than traditional adult cat food. Prescription weight-loss diets (which are even more calorie-restricted) are available through your veterinarian. Weight loss diets are designed to fill your cat up, while providing fewer calories than a normal diet. This should mean your cat doesnt go hungry on his weight-loss regime.

If you decide to change your cats food, talk to your veterinarian for help determining the best food for your cat. Also, consider these recommendations for the best dry cat foods and the best wet cat food. Five tips to improve your cats diet can also help you take a more balanced view of your cats nutrition.

If youre hesitant to change your cats food, you can also decrease the quantity of food that your cat eats on a daily basis. If your cat is currently fed free-choice (from a bowl that you keep full at all times), start by feeding your cat a measured quantity of food each day. Gradually decreasing your cats food intake (while avoiding any sudden, drastic changes) can help promote healthy weight loss.

How much should I feed my cat to lose weight?

The recommendations on the cat food label are often a good starting point. You should be aiming to feed for your cats ideal body weight rather than for his current body weight, and measuring cats food out accurately. If your cat is drastically over his optimum body weight though, talk to your veterinarian to minimize the risk of hepatic lipidosis.

You can divide your cats recommended amount of food into multiple small meals per day or feed one large meal per day; either approach will work, as it will still be the same total amount of food given in a 24-hour period. There is evidence that once-daily feeding may be more effective at promoting weight loss in cats, though more studies are needed. Also, many vets agree that your cat is less likely to beg for food and treats between meals if they have multiple smaller meals a day.

Every cat has a different metabolism. While label recommendations are a good starting point, it may take some trial and error to find the food quantity that helps promote weight loss for your cat. Weigh your cat at the beginning of your weight loss program; if your cat has not lost any weight after several weeks, further decrease the food quantity by 10%.

Finally, ensure your cat is not receiving additional calories from treats or table food. If you give your cat treats, they should form a very small portion of the diet and your cats normal food intake will need to be decreased accordingly. Make sure all of your family is on board with this, and no one is breaking the rules.

Help your cat burn more energy

Indoor cats typically lead sedentary lives. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to increase your cats activity level.

Make a conscious effort to play with your cat. Every cat has different preferences, but the best cat toys, the best interactive cat toys, the best toys for indoor cats, and the best laser toys for cats can all provide interactive play that encourages your cat to run, jump and be more active. Many cats will have short bursts of energy, rather than long sustained play sessions; this is normal and replicates their ancestors hunting behaviors. Much of a wild cat's time is spent watching and stalking, with only quick bursts of running to catch prey. What you want to be doing is to keep encouraging more of these short bursts of activity in your pet, rather than getting disheartened by unrealistic expectations of your cat doing long periods of exercise.

Consider easy changes that can promote physical activity. If you have a two-story home, you may want to place your cats favorite bed or his food bowl, on the second story of the house to encourage him to climb the stairs more frequently. If you do move the food bowl, however, be sure that your cat finds it and is eating on a daily basis, to prevent hepatic lipidosis! Also, avoid making the litter box inaccessible, because this may encourage inappropriate elimination.

You can also make changes to your cats feeding routine, to mimic natural hunting behavior. Doc and Phoebes Indoor Hunting Feeder and other puzzle feeders require mental and physical engagement from your cat. By replacing passive meals at the food bowl with active feeding toys, you can increase your cats energy expenditures.

Make weight loss a priority

Given the large number of overweight cats in our society, its easy to view feline obesity as a normal or natural condition. Unfortunately, that couldnt be farther from the truth! Extra body weight predisposes your cat to several serious health problems, and can have negative effects on your cats overall quality of life. Talk to a veterinarian for help before embarking on your cats weight loss regime, to ensure that things are kept as safe as possible.

Concerned your fur friend is off their food and losing too much weight? Our vet shares the top things to check when your cats not eating and how you can stimulate their appetite.