"HELP! My tummy's rumbling."
Health risks due to obesity in cats include the following:
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Hepatic Lipidosis
- Respiratory problems
Furthermore, cats that are overweight are at greater risk for complications from anesthesia and surgery.
How to Check Body Condition on a Cat
With a little practice you can do a visual check of your cat's condition. A cat that is at a healthy weight will be obvious.
- Have someone hold your cat in place on the floor. Look down.
- Cats should have a waist. Run your hands down the cat from ribs to hip. You should see a slight waist.
- There should be an indentation in the abdomen when you run your hand from ribs to pelvis.
- Ribs can be felt without a fat padding.
I'll bet this works for humans, too. :)
For the humans, first thing on the agenda...pull out the old juicer and shine it up. This is one of my favorite gadgets in the kitchen but we do have an on again off again love affair going on. Right now, it's LOVE!
Instead of snacking between meals, a glass of fruit and veggies freshly juiced is how I start to get back into this healthy regime. Today it was apple, carrot, melon, pineapple & cantalope. Add some ice and you just can't beat it. This takes the place of lunch today but even a small drink half-way through the day so you don't get the 3:00 hungers is a good way to start. It's a fabulous way to use up any fruit and veggies in the crisper, too. I picked this one up for $99.00 on sale.
I'm all refreshed and heading out to cat-sit. Now, where is that clothes brush? ;-)
hugs, Deb
That first photo is too cute! My indoor cats are a bit overweight. It's hard to keep them in line. My outdoor cats seem so skinny, but maybe they are normal and just seem small in comparison. Of course they do get a lot more exercise than our indoor cats.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the love/hate relationship with your juicer. I go back and forth on juicing kicks. It's hard to keep up with it!
Our Harley kitty has a wobbly belly but she is thin in the rear end our vet told us to give only a tea spoon of wet food as she is an indoor cat and the wet food has a lot of fats in it ! Also the treats Temptations are very fattening as they are like a full meal . I give her a teaspoon of wet indoor meat and half a cup of indoor dry and the vet said they should not eat dry through out the day either . Our dog Miggs is out side during the day chasing rabbits and squirrels and we walk an hour a day she get's lots of exercise she is a cross pretty muscular and weighs 75 lbs . As for me well we wont go there after the winter hehe ! Working on it ! Thanks for sharing ! Have a good day !
ReplyDeleteI have to keep an eye on one of my cats, too. She is losing what she gained and only has one pound to go. She is getting a lot more exercise now that there are two kitties in the house under one year old. Thank you so much for your kind words about Austin.
ReplyDeleteMiss Pops gets chubby too easily, and I struggle as if I cut back food, she just cries and cries all day and night til she gets fed. She only gets diet biscuits, so I find it hard work.
ReplyDeleteI love my juicer too, and once you start juicing you seem to crave it every day and all the nutrition it gives. I have found nightshift is helping, as I only eat one meal a day and just light snacks of fruit and a small muffin for the rest of the day.
Julie and Poppy Q
xxx
Well..how true. We dont have winter here, its always hot with monsoon and we still eat a lot and put on weight too. Unfortunately here, an overweight cat is deemed as cute and adorable. So, many people free feed them. I think I should cut down on free feeding. Juicing is a great way to maximise all the nutrition, we love it here too :)
ReplyDeleteEmily and Naomi tend towards pudge too. I've been watching them but they could both stand to lose a pound!! The boys are just fine.
ReplyDeleteYour cats are all lovely!!! I'm looking forward to seeing them again. I plan to drag Gordon out to the beekeeping store in Carleton Place soon so maybe we can have another visit, or maybe I can coordinate Ronna and Richard to come then too!
Please do. That would be great.
DeleteOur Sam (girl) is 16 and used to be overweight, but she lost weight since we've put her on wet food only (on advice of vet--she has constipation problems and the beginning of kidney problems). Our boy cat, Chase, is younger and jumps and plays more, so he doesn't have a weight problem. He eats dry and wet food.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a juicer, but the juices sure do sound refreshing!
My parents had one named Pandora. She was built like a tank, but very active.
ReplyDelete