So, how to make a weight loss plan for fat cats?
1, give the cat a physical examination. Be sure to go to the pet hospital for a physical examination first to ensure that cats are healthy in all aspects and have no potential safety hazards before they can carry out a weight loss plan, especially cats with heart disease and elderly people who are not suitable for losing weight through exercise.
2. Learn to judge whether a cat is fat or thin and determine whether your cat needs to lose weight. In veterinary medicine, physical condition score (BCS) is mainly used to evaluate the obesity of cats. Simply put, it is judged by vision and touch.
Mainly check the cat's bones, subcutaneous fat and muscles, waist and abdomen contours. For example, a cat has no waist, a big belly, difficult ribs to touch, and no wrinkles in its abdomen. This shows that this cat is a fat cat and needs to lose weight.
Physical fitness score is a method to evaluate the nutritional level of pets with scores. Commonly used are five-point system and nine-point system. The main points of examination mainly include: ① bones, including ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvis (hip bone); ② subcutaneous fat thickness and muscle thickness (with emphasis on the back); ③ Abdominal circumference, abdominal wall folds and waist circumference.
According to the scale, from 1 to 9, from thin to obese, 5 is the ideal state.
3. Learn to calculate the daily feeding amount of the cat and reach the ideal weight. You can use ICR (intermittent calorie restriction) or calculate the cat's daily resting calorie requirement to convert the feeding amount.
Intermittent caloric restriction (ICR)= 75% of energy requirement (MER) in the first two weeks, and 65,438+0,000% MER in the second two weeks, which lasts for 6 months alternately.
For example, for a cat weighing 15kg, the recommended feeding amount of a certain brand is 80g a day, and that of an overweight cat is 75g. In order to achieve the effect of losing weight, it is calculated that 58.5g should be fed every day.
Using CCR (long-term calorie restriction), feeding 58.5g a day is consistent with feeding 58.5g and 80g for two weeks. If the rotation lasts for 6 months, the cat will see obvious weight loss effect.
Calculate the daily resting calorie requirement of cats, RER (kilocalories/day) = body weight kg*30+70.
The daily calorie requirement of a cat weighing 15kg is 7kg*30+70=280kcal.
The calorie of this cat food is 5500 kcal/kg, equivalent to 15 kg. The daily feeding amount of cats is 280/5500≈0.05kg, 50g. But this is air-dried food, and the feeding amount is less than that of puffed food.
4. Make a cat weight loss plan. ① According to ICR, 75% of the normal feeding amount, 75% for two weeks, two weeks 100%, and the weight loss effect can be seen in six months. Be careful not to reduce it by 25% at once, but slowly until it reaches 75% of the normal feeding amount, so that the cat can adapt.
② The buffet was changed to regular ration. Cats are usually active in the morning, evening and after midnight, so they can be fed once in the morning, evening and before going to bed. Snacks can be fed together with the staple food, which adds up to the planned daily feeding amount.
③ Put an end to unnecessary snack feeding, such as cat strips and snack cans.
(4) Increase the amount of exercise or play time (play time). The time should be gradually increased, for example, from half an hour to 1 hour, which is within the tolerance of cats.
⑤ If the cat is hungry, it can be a food with strong satiety, such as plantain seed shell powder rich in fiber and low in calories.