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Tips to help your cats (and dogs) lose weight
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items These are the things that we did to change our habits so that our indoor-only cats would lose weight. One is down to the right weight and the other one just broke into the 17 pounds range (down from 21!)
The most important thing to help your pets lose weight is to remember that you're the one who's feeding them! Be firm with yourself and stop giving them all the treats!
Yourself!
We tried this to bulk up their food and make them eat less, and it helped one of them but the other one didn't like it. It's worth a try to see if your cat will get with the program. (Affiliate link)
Cat Food for Weight Loss Management - Petco
Get a baby scale and weigh your pet once a week. That's the reality check for you to see if you need to cut back on their food or play with them more to get them moving! (affiliate link)
Amazon Best Sellers: Best Baby Scale
Get a notebook to keep track of how much your pet is losing and things that happened along the way. It will help you to keep track of what worked.
Weight-loss diary
Get a slow feeder bowl to slow them down. One of our cats eats so fast he doesn't even chew the food, so I got the bowl for him and it slows him down. (affiliate link)
Slow Feeder
A measuring cup set will help you give your pets the exact amount of food that they SHOULD be eating. It probably won't be what they WANT to eat but that doesn't matter! (affiliate link)
Cups - Measuring Tools & Scales: Home & Kitchen
Your veterinarian will be able to tell you the calorie count that your pet should be getting each day. After you know that, you can adjust the amount of food that you give them.
Your veterinarian
Our cats like the stick part more than the bird part, but if it makes them chase things and get moving, it doesn't matter! (affiliate link)
Cat wand toys
Once you know how many calories your cat needs, you'll have to figure out how much of their food they need each day. This takes a calculator and a lot of note-taking, but it's worth it to figure it out. (affiliate link)
Calculator
I like giving our cats the wet cat food because it also gives them some of the water they needed for the day. (affiliate link)
WEIGHT CONTROL WET CAT FOOD
You'll have to be able to resist your pets staring at you (or whining) to try to beg for more food. Remember, you're the one who made them that fat, so now they're going to make you suffer a little.
willpower...
Get a pair of walking shoes and go take a walk about an hour before dinnertime. If you're not in the house for an hour, they can't scream at you because “they're starving.” Feed them when you get back. (affiliate link)
Walking Shoes | Curbside Pickup Available at DICK'S
If you only have one cat and they're not afraid of it, an automatic timer food dispenser might be a good idea. It trains your cat to think that you're not the one feeding them, so they won't pester you as much about it. (affiliate link)
Automatic Cat Feeders
These fish toys are the best…We've had a set for two years and the cats still play with them. I throw them and the cats chase them, which gives them a little more activity than they would get on their own. (affiliate link)
Fish Cat Toy
A basic laser toy will keep your cats running and get them a little more movement to burn calories. (affiliate link)
Laser Cat Toy