Helping an apartment cat lose weight?

rolenta

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My cat's getting a little on the tubby side (not too bad, but you know, it could get to where it makes her less healthy). She's only a year old, so I really don't think she should be overweight, especially at this age. Anyway, I live in an apartment, so there's no yard to put a cat run in or anything for exercise... how can I help her lose weight? I feed her innova.
 

sar

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Do you have a cat tree? They are really good for exercise!

You could also play with her with a wand toy, as they will get kitty running around!

I don't know about the food, as I'm in the UK. Is it wet or dry food? Do you free feed or feed to a schedule?
 

gizmocat

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I have Gizmo jumping up and down her cat tree chasing her 'mouse on a string' toy. She also loves to run up and down the hall. If your apartment is small, have the cat jump on furniture chasing its toy. Lead it all over the approved areas of the apartment; up on a chair, down to the floor again, along the back of the sofa. It's possible to get a cat really moving indoors.

And change the food. Most cat food is horrible--it's all filler. If you look at the ingredients and see corn or wheat or byproducts listed as one of the top three ingredients, the food should be replaced. Get one with high protein and fat (cats do need fat) and low grain content, and your cat should lose weight quickly since it is still young.
 

naturestee

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How much Innova do you feed her? Is she free-fed? Or is she just getting a lot? From one of the other discussions it sounds like Innova is pretty dense and therefore you only should feed a small amount. Cats can easily overeat on stuff like that so you need to give it to them in meals, not free-fed. (Gizmocat, Innova is pretty darn good stuff.)

What kind of toys does she like? Play with her with a lot of interactive toys- wand toys, mouse on a string, lazer pointers, and just throwing small toys for her to pounce on. And rotate the toys that she plays with alone. Is she getting bored with that catnip mouse? Put it in a drawer and give her a different one. Then switch them in a couple weeks. It makes old toys seem new again. While you're storing a toy you can put it in a container of catnip so it absorbs the scent. Cat trees and simple things like box hideaways and paper bags can get her moving.

Also, if she's an only cat then getting her a friend could make her more active. It gets boring during the day with no humans around, but another playful cat to wrestle with can change that. My kittens take turns chasing each other around the living room and onto furniture.

I think cats do well in apartments and small houses without ever going outside. It's just a matter of maximizing your space (cat trees, cat shelves, cardboard box toys) and encouraging her to exercise.
 
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rolenta

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Thanks for the tips. I think the key is to stop free-feeding her. I guess I never thought to do it any other way since growing up, that's how all the cats were fed.
 

moggiegirl

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Originally Posted by Naturestee

How much Innova do you feed her? Is she free-fed? Or is she just getting a lot? From one of the other discussions it sounds like Innova is pretty dense and therefore you only should feed a small amount. Cats can easily overeat on stuff like that so you need to give it to them in meals, not free-fed. (Gizmocat, Innova is pretty darn good stuff.)

What kind of toys does she like? Play with her with a lot of interactive toys- wand toys, mouse on a string, lazer pointers, and just throwing small toys for her to pounce on. And rotate the toys that she plays with alone. Is she getting bored with that catnip mouse? Put it in a drawer and give her a different one. Then switch them in a couple weeks. It makes old toys seem new again. While you're storing a toy you can put it in a container of catnip so it absorbs the scent. Cat trees and simple things like box hideaways and paper bags can get her moving.

Also, if she's an only cat then getting her a friend could make her more active. It gets boring during the day with no humans around, but another playful cat to wrestle with can change that. My kittens take turns chasing each other around the living room and onto furniture.

I think cats do well in apartments and small houses without ever going outside. It's just a matter of maximizing your space (cat trees, cat shelves, cardboard box toys) and encouraging her to exercise.
Eve and Lily are adorable and they look very nice and comfortable in your home. Do you live in an apartment too?
 

naturestee

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Thanks! I own a house but it's very small, especially since the stairs to the basement are in the garage which I won't let the cats into. My last apartment was a lot bigger.
 

catsallover

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I've heard that feeding wet food instead of dry can help too, because of the high moisture content, and maybe that would help her switch to a feeding schedule from free feeding. (Remember to do it gradually if you decide to try it- maybe start with dry food available like she has now, adding wet as a treat at the times you want her to eat, and then gradually decrease the amount of dry she has available, and increase the wet at "treat time", until she is used to her schedule, and weaned off the free feeding-just a thought
).
 
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rolenta

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I have another question... how many times a day should I feed her?
 
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