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What can I do to help my older, overweight cat lose weight safely?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered

My cat is getting older, and fatter, I'm concerned with his health. I put him in diet food, get him toys, a cat tree, one of his beds is up high and he lays in it, but I feel like he keeps gaining. I'm scared and I don't want to lose him early to this weight problem, he was a rescue and was free fed, when we really him off free feeding he acts like he's dying. I've been able to cut down how often he's fed, but he's my husband's cat and means the world to him. What can I do?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on January 28th, 2018

Cuddles is adorable! Thanks for posting pictures. I certainly understand the struggle with getting weight off cats. You didn't mention what you are currently feeding Cuddles, but the best weight loss plan I have found is changing from a dry food to a canned food. Cats are obligate carnivores and cannot utilize carbohydrates efficiently. Therefore the carbohydrates that are necessary to make a dry food dry are converted directly to fat and are not able to be metabolized efficiently for energy. Although diet food is lower in fat and calories, it is usually higher in carbohydrates, so it is very difficult to get cats to lose weight with. I am attaching a link to a website which has some great info on transitioning a cat from a dry food to a canned food (which can sometimes be a challenge). Finally, one thing that I have used to keep my cats busy (and not crying for food when they are hungry) is to feed a small amount of treats in a feeder such as this. https://docandphoebe.com/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas for Cuddles. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello, I agree with you that Cuddles is indeed overweight and at higher risks of having certain diseases such as diabetes, joint disease, skin infections, and joint problems. In cats, it is indeed very difficult to promote weight loss and we would like to promote weight loss over a long period of time. Rapid weight loss may also cause problems in cats such as liver disease. In any weight loss situation, cats should be fed wet food over dry food as this tends to have fewer simple carbs. Any wet food, including that which is not weight loss food will be better over any dry food. To avoid aberrant reactions in your cat such as the behavioral changes you are seeing, decrease his portion size by less than a 1/4 and monitor his weight loss weekly to ensure you are trending in the right direction. If you still are unable to succeed with his weight loss, you may need to consult with a veterinary nutritionist to create a good diet plan. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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