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My spayed cat gains weight despite exercise. How to prevent obesity?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 1 year and 5 months old

My cat seems to be gaining weight after being spayed. She gets lots of exercise. I don't want her to become obese. What can I do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on July 23rd, 2016

Cats can be prone to weight gain after being spayed due to the hormonal changes this causes. I would recommend switching her to a weight management food that is lower in calories than a regular adult diet. If you are able to, feeding her canned food only will also help, since canned food is less calorie dense due to its water content. If you want to leave some dry food out for her, consider feeding it from a puzzle toy like an Eggcersizer or Kibble Nibble - this way, she has to play with the toy to get the food out, which provides her with some additional exercise and also limits how much she can eat at a time.

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