I have a fat cat that needs exercise.

Question

I have an indoor only cat that is quite the fatty. When I lived at a farm, she could run outside and play, but now that I live in the city she's turned fat. She cannot go outside. My home has a very long hallway that she can run up and down and a big carpet staircase. How can I get her to exercise? I often throw her toy down the stairs so she runs down and carries her toy back up, but she needs more exercise. Also her food is not a problem. I watched her eating carefully.

Thanks so much. I want to get my cat to a better weight so she can be healthy.

Answer 1

Really as far as cats go there is only a couple things you can do...1) change her food to a weight maitenence or lo cal food...slowly intergrade it with her current food untill you are feeding only the local food......this in itself will help. 2) You said you do play wither her & thats GREAT but you just need to do it more.....go to your local pet store & find some interactive toys that will stimulate her to play & chase that you can play with her with....it will take a bit of work(or should I say "play") on your part but you should be able to slim her down if your consistant.....also like I said a lower calorie weight maintenence food will help too

Best of luck♥

Ooooo!! Just remembered a PERFECT toy that you could try...a laser pointer!!! MY cats go absolutly NUTTS over them...they get totally crazy & chase that lasetr pointer ALL over the house!! they love it!!!

Answer 2

You may have to get more active in the play with your cat so that she is running more frequently. I also had an overweight cat. We watched his food intake, but I'm sorry to say that playing with the cat often was forgotten.  You know that darn vet was right. My beautiful cat just lay down one day and stopped breathing. He was very young. Do what ever you can to help your cat. Good luck.

Answer 3

Cats are all different, just like humans and other animals.

A large built big boned cat will weigh more than a small boned petite cat.

I have big and tall built cats that are a muscular and healthy 19 pounds... and on the other end of the scale I have a teeny tiny boned cat who weighs in at a meer 7 pounds yet she is very healthy too. Based on their individual body structure I could never compare them.

It's best to assess your cats weight by it's body condition and not compared to other cats.

Here's a chart to help you do that...

http://www.purina.com/cats/health/BodyCo...

Once you determine if your cat is overweight, you need to be aware that there is NO such thing as dry "diet" food for cats. Dry foods are filled with carbs that make your cat fat. You can't make a dry food without carbs, so there are no dry diet foods.

The proper amount to feed per cat/per day should be about 5.5 ounces of wet (high quality grain free canned or Raw Meat/Bones/Organ) food.

The calories in that amount of food are sufficient for most "normal" sized cats. Of course a highly energetic cat will need more food to keep it healthy, and a lazy cat will need less food to keep it from getting obese. But 5.5 ounces of wet food per day is a good place to start.

Here is a fantastic site that will help you help your cat lose weight!

http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.ht...

Answer 4

I had two overweight cats and it was the food.  When I stopped "free feeding" dry cat food and switched to can and homemade, they lost their weight.  Dry cat food especially puts the weight on them because its high in carbs - for cats that don't get out and play and run, a lower carb diet is the best. Also, obesity has often been links to diabetes in these little guys- so you will want to watch for that- If your baby can't get enough exercise- the diet is the secret to getting the weight off.  Go to Janet and Binkie's food charts - the info was put together to help diabetic cat owners determine the amount of carbs that are in the cat food but it's a good source of info for all cat owners- in it you will find tons of info and the percentage of carbs in all of the most popular brands- you can see how your current food compairs - most def check it out

Answer 5

Regular playtime and exercise are essential to keeping your pet healthy and happy. Have you tried buying her some neat cat toys? Keep a scratching post and a variety of toys available to your pet.  Rotate the toys regularly to avoid boredom, and remember, not all things that amuse your cat are expensive pet store purchases.  A small catnip mouse inside a paper grocery bag can provide a lot of enjoyment. Have fun with her and remember that sometimes a cat wants someone to play with. :)

Answer 6

you could exercise together. since you live in a house with staircase and corridors, you could go up and down or walk briskly for several minutes or minutes advisable to cats... ^_^