Earlier today, I was rubbing my (no longer) obese cat's belly when all of a sudden I felt a hard object. I was terrified so I kept investigating the area. Turns out it is a rib! He has lost enough weight that I can just feel the outline of his lowest rib.
My other three cats have always been very svelte, but this cat--their brother from the very same litter--is horribly pudgy. He has been on a diet for the last year and, although he has been very slowly losing weight (with some occasional setbacks), this is the first tangible sign that we are nearing our goal. I am ecstatic!
Hurray!!!
The keys to this kitty's weight loss:
1. Coordinate kitty and human meal times so that the smell of human cooking doesn't encourage kitties to beg for snacks. (The vet-recommended "don't cave into crying kitties" rule obviously is beyond me).
2. Feed the underweight/ideal weight cats bigger portions, but make the obese cat's portion look the biggest by spreading it out a bit more on the plate--I have noticed that kitties are really good at looking at portions and immediately choosing the plate/pile with the most food. However, it seems that they do this more by gauging how much surface area the food pile takes up on the plate. A compact lump of food can appear a lot smaller than less food spread out over half the plate.
3. Replace all "kitty treats" with catnip.
My other three cats have always been very svelte, but this cat--their brother from the very same litter--is horribly pudgy. He has been on a diet for the last year and, although he has been very slowly losing weight (with some occasional setbacks), this is the first tangible sign that we are nearing our goal. I am ecstatic!
Hurray!!!
The keys to this kitty's weight loss:
1. Coordinate kitty and human meal times so that the smell of human cooking doesn't encourage kitties to beg for snacks. (The vet-recommended "don't cave into crying kitties" rule obviously is beyond me).
2. Feed the underweight/ideal weight cats bigger portions, but make the obese cat's portion look the biggest by spreading it out a bit more on the plate--I have noticed that kitties are really good at looking at portions and immediately choosing the plate/pile with the most food. However, it seems that they do this more by gauging how much surface area the food pile takes up on the plate. A compact lump of food can appear a lot smaller than less food spread out over half the plate.
3. Replace all "kitty treats" with catnip.
