My cat is fat. Getting fatter. He's so fat, when he lays down, my other cat thinks he's the new carpet and goes to sleep on him. The problem is he always wants to eat. I have restricted his diet and feed him limited amounts 3x a day. But all he does is beg for food whenever I go near his bowl. What will help him not be so food-obsessed?

 

Have you tried diet cat food? Even switching to a healthy cat food can reduce calories if you are feeding him Cat Chow or other low quality food. The amount matters too. How much are you giving him at each feeding? Average house cats don't need much, our pudge boy is on just over 1/3 cup a day, and that keeps him trim but not skinny. (Our other cat, however, can eat a cup or more a day and maintain a perfect "body grade score" - similar to humans' BMI.)

Also - no treats! At least not ones with calories. One treat our cats love is the water we pour off of a can of tuna. No fat, no calories, just happy cats.

Exercise is good - find a toy he likes and encourage him to play, even if just for a couple minutes at a time. Just like people, exercise burns calories and helps shed the pounds.

As for begging, our big boy is on a diet too and begs like he is being starved. He even tries to eat the dog food. He tugs at the heart strings like a puppeteer. We resist the tempation and tell him we'll alert the humane society of his plight, but if he is being REALLY cute, we give him catnip instead. Makes him forget aaaaalllll about that food.

However if King Kitty has put on the pounds somewhat quickly, check with the vet to make sure there isn't a health issue causing the weight gain.

Good luck!

 

I would definitely take the kitty to see the vet. Quickly adding pounds can be the sign of many things and a vet check is definitely in order.

You did not mention if your kitty was spayed/neutered, and how old he is. More information would be helpful, but as I said to begin with, the vet check would really be my first step.

Cats who are strays or who have had to struggle to stay fed will often times be obsessed with eating anything and everything they can get there little paws on, so that may also be a factor. As suggested, dietary restriction and exercise is always a first line of defense, IF there is no other health issues.

Keep us posted.