Love Your Pet. Take Them to The Vet.

When you are a cat owner, you want your cat to be and stay as healthy as possible. However, sometimes all of the love and treats you give them may lead them to be overweight or chubby. If this has happened with your cat, there are some steps that you can and should take to deal with the situation and help your cat get to and maintain a healthy weight. By following these steps, you can be sure you are doing everything you can for your cat's health and well-being. 

Go to the Veterinarian

The first thing you will want to do when you think your cat may be overweight is to see the veterinarian. The veterinarian will not only weigh your cat but will also do a thorough physical exam to determine if they have any conditions potentially causing the weight gain. 

This exam may also include routine blood work to check liver and other organ functions. Sometimes, for example, liver problems can cause belly swelling, which may make your cat look overweight. 

If your cat is just plain overweight, the veterinarian will give you an idea of how much weight they need to lose and can help get you on the right path as far as how much you feed your cat on a day to day basis. 

Play With Your Cat or Take Them for Walks

If your veterinarian says your cat needs to lose weight, it is not just food monitoring that you need to do; you should also encourage them to get more exercise. You can do this in a couple of ways. 

One way is to simply play with them more. Get rope toys or string toys that you can wiggle and move around the house so the cat will chase them and try to wrestle with them. You could also get interactive toys that cats can play with, such as tracks with a ball in them that they can hit and chase through the course. 

Laser pointers can also get cats moving. Just be sure not to aim it at their eyes or faces. All of these options will help your cat to be more active and playful. 

You could also opt to take your cat out for walks on a leash. There are harnesses for cats that you can slip on them and then attach the leash. You can walk a cat much like a dog, though the cat will likely pull in all sorts of directions. 

Now that you know a few steps to take when you think your cat might be overweight, you can be sure to get to the veterinarian right away to find out what is going on with your cat and get them the help they need.