Is Your Pet a Healthy Weight?

We all dearly love our pets and like to treat them now and again with their favourite titbits. However, sometimes we might be harming our pets by rewarding them too much. It’s easy to do especially when we are celebrating ourselves. Here are some tips that will help keep your pet fit and healthy for the new year.

Ideal Weight for cats

An indoor/ outdoor cat should ideally weigh between 8- 10 pounds.  This is, of course dependent on cat breed and frame. If your cat weighs more than it should it might be a good idea to look at its diet and lifestyle.

If your cat is indoor only it is easy to manage their weight because it is only you or your family feeding it. You can control the diet a lot more than an indoor/outdoor cat.  If your cat is an outdoor cat and is overweight, chances are that it is being getting fed by several kindly neighbours. There are ways to prevent your cat becoming overweight due to neighbours feeding him/her. You could firstly try talking to your neighbours and request that they don’t feed the cat. If you don’t want to speak directly to our neighbours you can also buy a customized pendant that you can hang from your cat’s collar asking people not to feed the cat.

Make your Cat work for her treats!!

If you want to reward your cat try hiding treats around the kitchen or house. You could also try hiding treats in a paper bag. This will also help satisfy the cats instinct to hunt . Make your kitty work off the treats before she enjoys them!!!

Also try feeding your cat two smaller portions rather than all of their food together.

Ideal weight for dogs

The best way to find out the healthiest weight for your dog is to visit your vet. Your vet will be able to tell you the appropriate weight for your dog based on size, breed and gender.

However you can also check your dog’s weight yourself by checking his  ribs. If your dog’s ribs aren’t extremely prominent and you can easily feel them without having to press hard, then the dog is a healthy weight.  However if you cannot feel your dog’s ribs it could be a sign that he is overweight.

Try swapping treats for wet food ( from their daily allowance)

Another way to keep your dog’s weight down is to feed him in the morning

Establish an eating schedule-if you free-feed, offer meals on a set schedule. Put the food down for a certain time and take up any food that the dog does not eat.

Limit snacks-dogs get a lot of calories in addition to their regular kibble.

Also try replacing biscuits, cheese, and other high-fat treats with fresh chopped carrots, apples, or green beans

 

Dangers of Your Pet being Overweight

Carrying excess weight makes both cats and dogs much more likely to develop diabetes, urinary disease, arthritis, and to have a decreased life expectancy.

By following these simple tips you can help ensure that your furbaby is a healthy weight with a good life expectancy.  Your pet relies on you to look after him and make reasonable decisions about their life