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Obese ginger cat
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4 Old-time home remedies to help an overweight cat lose weight

By Emilie Heyl Content Writer

Updated on the

Being overweight or obese can be very bad for your cat's health. How can you make a fat cat lose weight? Here are our grandma-approved tips and tricks!

Since becoming domesticated, cats have let themselves go. They eat more because of the pet food, exercise much less and are more stressed.

These changes are harmful to their health and lead to them becoming overweight and, as a result, often suffer from diabetes, joint pain, kidney disease, liver disease or heart problems. It is therefore generally advisable to take them to a veterinarian to find solutions to overcome their get back to a healthy weight.

But there are also natural and ancestral methods to help them to maintain their weight:

Home remedy for a overweight cat: Zucchini or green beans in tuna juice in addition to kibble

Monitoring your cat's diet does not mean imposing a restrictive diet: although domesticated, they are still carnivorous nibblers who consume many small meals a day. Therefore, it is important to leave them dry food (and water!) at will. It is better to avoid giving them sweet treats, but you can instead give them a few pieces of courgettes and green beans cooked in water in addition to their kibble.

To make the vegetables more appetising, feel free to add a teaspoon of tuna juice. By consuming them, it will fill the cat's stomach and they will make less trips to and from their bowl of food!

Place bowls in different locations

Over time, has your cat become a lazy kitty? Is his diet rich and his physical activity is non-existent? To enable weight loss, allow him to eat in a playful way: outside, he would hunt for food. So, put some food in different containers and place them high or hide them in strategic corners! Your cat will thus be physically and mentally stimulated.

Do you have a question? An experience to share? Create a post on our forum!

Handmade toys for exercise

The warmth of the radiator, the softness of the pillow, bowls near the bed... everything is done to keep our feline friend's activity to a minimum. Why don't you take the time to play with them? Our creative grandmothers did not fail to make toys to have fun with their little companion. For example?

By tying a stick, string and cork together, they made wands that they loved used to play with their cats. But you can just as easily give your cat some balls made of aluminium foil. Because playing with your cat is about allowing them to exercise and therefore keeping them healthy!

'Fleurs de Bach', the anti-stress solution

In addition to an overly rich diet and a lack of physical activity, stress is also a factor for weight-gain in cats. Anxious, they will tend to eat more to decompress. For many decades, our grandmothers have trusted the power of flowers to relax and soothe their loved ones. Their secret? Rescue, the famous little bottle known as Fleurs de Bach. And this floral elixir works miracles in cats: 4 drops in their water bowl can be enough to relax them!/p>

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