Why is my cat fat?
I confess - my cat is getting a little plump.
I suppose it’s not surprising that we are doing to our cats (and other animals) what we are doing to ourselves and our children. We are feeding them on highly palatable foods containing things like rice and grains (carbs) that cats would never eat naturally. Surprise, surprise the dry “diet” cat foods are the worst - they leave you with a hungry, improperly nourished cat and if it is a Siamese or Burmese, you’ll need to buy some ear plugs. However, the dry food manufacturers sponsor a lot of veterinary conferences so this is probably what you’ll be recommended if your cat is looking tubby when it next has a check up.
Unfortunately, cats can self-cater so if you have a hungry cat and a cat flap it won’t be long before you come home to find blood smeared all over the walls Hammer House of Horror style and rabbit eyes, ears and feet spread around the room.
My brother was having problems with his cat who was gradually putting on weight. The vet advised him to feed the cat a type of dry cat food that was supposed to be low calorie. The cat was only allowed a limited amount of this food - a cup full a day. The problem was that the cat shouted for food constantly (he’s half Burmese and has inherited the full complement of Burmese voice). Also, despite the restricted rations, he was getting fatter and fatter.
We decided to try the same approach I recommend for humans - feed him ad lib but on food which cats evolved to eat. My brother drew the line at raw mouse and instead fed on a high meat content, low carb, wet food. Bingo! No more shouting all the time and the cat lost weight. The vet refused to believe that he was being fed ad lib.
My cat Alfie was a stray and she had obviously gone hungry for a while (been on a diet). So, she still eats as if each meal is her last! I’m hoping that by letting her eat quality food whenever she’s hungry, we’ll get over this and end up with a more relaxed eater. Time will tell!
