How To Put A Cat On A Diet With Multiple Cats?
A common dilemma for many pet parents is putting a cat on a diet and keeping them healthy, happy, and most importantly, sticking to the point they do not become obese. This is an issue because obesity among felines can cause numerous physical problems such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and more mental problems such as depression.
If you ever find yourself in this situation, check out these tips to help you put your feline friend on a diet without any pitfalls.
Acknowledging the problem
The first step you should take when putting a cat on a diet is acknowledging that they are overweight. The issue with pet parents not accepting their pet’s weight problems is that even if the cat starts showing signs of being fat and unhealthy, people will still deny it and carry on feeding them as much as before.
You need to know if your feline friend needs to go on a diet so you can start looking for ways to help them lose weight and lead an active life.
From there, we move on to what we can do about it!
Portion control
Starting with portion control is usually the best way to begin because this means that your furry friend will be eating less than usual, which means they’re not going to feel hungry and, most importantly, not become ravenous.
An important thing you need to know about portion control is that it does not mean your cat will be allowed a certain number of calories a day because this can cause them to gain weight if they aren’t active enough; instead, you should consult with a professional before deciding how much food they should have per day.
How to get a cat to lose weight with multiple cats:
Many reasons cause cats to gain weight.
According to the veterinary surgeon Karen Nemetz, DVM, Ph.D., obesity is “one of the most common problems” in pets. If your cat is gaining weight and you want it to lose fat or if you have two overweight cats at home, I hope this article will help you get started on how to juggle them under control. How much should a cat weigh? Read here about ideal body weight for cats based on age and size.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
Weight management in cats means getting back to the goal but not overfeeding. So let’s look at feeding options when there are multiple cats in the house:
1) Feed each cat separately:
This is the best option, but not always possible.
2) Feed the cats only every other day:
Cats are more likely to eat enough food each day if it’s given just once a day than if you give it twice a day. And because they will be hungry for longer between meals, they will be more likely to eat everything offered and not play with or hide some of their food – which is common in multi-cat homes.
If your cat refuses to eat all its daily ration at one time, split up the daily amount and feed morning and evening instead of giving two servings right next to each other; then leave out fresh water at all times.
3) Divide into multiple meals:
Instead of offering food at all times, offer food just once or twice a day. This might help picky eaters who would not eat enough of their daily food allowance if provided only once.
However, keep in mind that this is simply another way to divide the daily ration into smaller meals, so you should limit your cat’s access to freshwater throughout the day.
4) Feed cats on different levels:
If your cats have no problems sharing feeding areas, you can put one cat’s dish on each level of your home – upstairs and downstairs – so they have to be active to get it. Another option is to use a multi-story feeder designed for more than one cat that will make them work out a little bit every time they want to eat.
5) Feed growing kittens separately:
Growing kittens have unique nutritional needs that are not always the same as adult cats, so find out whether you can offer them exceptional kitten food if there are multiple little ones in the household.
If not, you will have to feed each cat separately for this shorter period. Also, consider mixing some warm water into your kitten’s milk before serving it if your cat is fussy about drinking milk; this often makes the difference between having the kitten happily drink its milk or leaving it untouched.
You can also try giving smaller amounts several times throughout the day rather than one sizeable daily ratio but only do that once your kittens are at least 12 weeks old and used to eating solid or semi-solid food and drinking water regularly.
6) Feed the oldest cats separately:
This is particularly important if your senior cat has special needs, such as being overweight or needing a special diet due to a health condition. In this case, you will have to feed it separately from other cats, so its needs are met without compromising the needs of other cats in your feline family.