Monitor your cat’s weight loss

#Middlebury #Cats

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I read your column about the man who needed to put his severely overweight cat on a diet. While you wrote that it’s important to feed them about 40 calories less per day than normal – that way the cat won’t feel like it’s starving – you didn’t say that owners need to weigh their pet regularly during the diet and adjust their food amounts so that they keep losing weight steadily and don’t plateau. – Kim in Oyster Bay, New York

DEAR KIM: That’s right, and thank you for mentioning it! As your pet slims down, it will plateau – reaching a point where the amount of calories it’s eating each day maintains its weight. Weighing your cat regularly – once a week if possible – will help you keep track of whether it’s losing weight, and how quickly.

Again, cats should consume about 24 to 35 calories per pound, per day. Some vets recommend a little less, about 20 calories per pound. For example, a 12-pound cat needs 240 to 288 calories per day (based on 20 to 24 calories per pound). If the cat needs to lose, say, 4 pounds, gradually feed it less – knock off about 30-40 calories per day to start. Every cat’s metabolism is different, so weighing regularly will help you to make adjustments to their diet.

To figure out how much food to give your pet, look on the back of the container for the serving size – it’s in ounces or grams, with calories per serving in the nutrition data below that.

Also, invest in a digital kitchen scale and weigh your pets’ food at every feeding so you know precisely how much they’re getting.

Send your tips, questions or comments to ask@pawscorner.com.

© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.