Practice good nutrition
to help cats avoid certain diseases

The move of cats from mostly outdoor pets to mostly indoor pets has caused an explosion of obesity-related diseases and infirmities, many of which are identical to those experienced by humans. I not only deal with the problem in my practice, but my almost 14-pound Martha gives me personal experience to tax my skills in feline weight reduction, also.

Heart disease is more common in both cats and humans because of the increased workload on the heart. Orthopaedic problems are increased because of increased physical stress on the frame, leading to arthritis and early debilitation.

Diabetes mellitus, a condition in which the pancreas doesn't produce the amount of insulin that it should to help metabolize blood sugar, is one of the most common problems in obese cats. Diabetes is treatable.

Several liver disorders occur more frequently in overweight cats. Surprisingly, the deadliest one, hepatic lipidosis, happens when the cat stops eating. Changes in the operation of the liver cause fat to be deposited there, which eventually can shut down the liver altogether.

Less dramatic and somewhat less deadly liver problems occur in fat cats, too. Most of these relate to slow movement of bile out of the liver, sometimes accompanied by infection of the bile ducts. Cholangitis and cholangiohepatitis are two examples. While cats so afflicted don't die as acutely as hepatic lipidosis cats, the condition is fatal in some cats. Like most health problems, with obesity, prevention is better than treatment. When first starting out with a kitten, put him on a feeding schedule. Pick two times of the day that you can feed the allotted quantity of a top quality kitten diet, and stick with those times.

Keep up the good habits you start with, and you'll have full control over your cat's food intake for a lifetime. Suppose, though, like me, you started bad habits when your kitty was young, leaving food down all the time. The only cure is a transition time.

First, set a goal weight. Put food in the bowl on your twice-a-day schedule, and don't fudge. If your kitty objects too much to the reduction, you can start with twice daily feedings at the current level, and reduce the quantity slowly over a three-week period.

Many cats just don't like for the bowl to be empty. "Fear of hunger," I call it, which also causes many people to overeat.

Patience is required when taking off weight. Don't expect it to come off in just a few weeks. It doesn't have to happen all at once, just so your kitty's going in the right direction.

If feeding correct quantities of his regular food isn't getting the weight off, and there's only a little weight to lose, try switching to a "light" formula of the same food. However, if your cat is seriously overweight, light foods may not be enough. They're only a 5 percent reduction in calories. Real feline tubs, like Martha, need a specially formulated diet and a weight loss plan developed with your pet's doctor. Martha's eating Prescription Diet r/d, and doing nicely, thank you. Obesity has become a fact of life for many cats. Your actions can keep it from becoming a fact of death.