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How can you help your kitten live a long and healthy life? Although you can’t predict the health of your cat with certainty, you can increase the probability of both her general health and a long life through proper care that begins as soon as you bring her home. Your veterinarian can advise further on these five key considerations for taking care of your kitten.
Feed your kitten high-quality food designed to meet nutritional needs during specific stages of her life. Your kitten’s nutritional requirements will depend on her life stage and lifestyle. No matter the life stage, cats are carnivores and require nutrients from animal protein and fat for optimal health.
Prevent obesity with prudent portion control and frequent play activities. Exercise relieves stress, reduces aggression and keeps cats alert. Just 15 to 30 minutes of play a day can help keep your cat in shape and strengthen the bond between the two of you. In addition, getting your kitten used to playtime early on will help you get used to playing with your cat routinely.
Keep your kitten inside to help reduce the risk of illness or injury from accidents, fights and disease. As your kitten gets older, you can help avoid the stress of harassment from other animals by keeping your kitten inside. You should make your home safe by protecting your cat from environmental dangers, such as household cleaners and secondhand smoke. Cats frequently groom themselves with their tongues, and over time, even small amounts of harmful chemicals can have adverse effects.
Groom your kitten early and often to get her used to brushing. When brushing, check for bumps or abnormalities, and promptly seek veterinary advice if you discover anything suspicious. Take your cat to the veterinarian at least annually for a complete physical exam, and follow your veterinarian’s advice regarding preventive health care measures.
Your veterinarian may also recommend periodic professional cleaning of your cat’s teeth, which may preserve years of her life.
Last but not least, give your cat lots of love! Despite some cats’ aloof demeanor, all cats thrive on affection. Both you and your cat will reap the benefits of spending quality time together.
It was once thought that one year in the life of a cat was equivalent to seven years of a human life. Below is a revised way of looking at how a cat year stacks up to a human year.
| Cat Age | Human Age |
| 6 months | 10 years |
| 8 months | 13 years |
| 10 months | 14 years |
| 1 year | 15 years |
| 18 months | 20 years |
| 2 years | 24 years |
| 3 years | 28 years |
| 4 years | 32 years |
| 5 years | 36 years |
| 6 years | 40 years |
| 7 years | 44 years |
| 8 years | 48 years |
| 9 years | 52 years |
| 10 years | 56 years |
| 11 years | 60 years |
| 12 years | 64 years |
| 13 years | 68 years |
| 14 years | 72 years |
| 15 years | 76 years |
| 16 years | 80 years |
| 17 years | 84 years |
| 18 years | 88 years |
| 19 years | 92 years |
| 20 years | 96 years |
| 21 years | 100 years |
An obese cat is not a pretty sight. Cumbersome and clumsy, they suffer a marked loss in athletic ability and appearance. Decreased flexibility prevents them from thoroughly grooming, which can cause skin problems. Obese cats also have an increased risk for diabetes and are poor candidates for surgery and anesthesia.
Obesity results when an animal consistently eats more calories than they need. This can be caused by overfeeding, inactivity, reproductive status, environment, body type, age or genetics.
Assessing body condition is important in the overall evaluation of your cat’s nutritional well-being and can help in determining feline obesity. Take a few moments to follow the easy directions in the Cat Body Condition Chart for assessing your cat’s body condition.
If you suspect your cat is obese, the first step is to consult your veterinarian.
Your veterinarian will probably ask you some questions about your cat, such as how much they eat and how much physical activity they get. Answering these questions honestly will help your veterinarian recommend some simple changes to help improve your cat’s weight. Your veterinarian may also perform tests to detect medical conditions that may contribute to obesity — you want to rule these out before starting your cat on any weight-management program.
Your veterinarian may first suggest reducing the amount you feed your cat. If so, begin by reducing the daily portion by 25%. Continue decreasing intake by 10% increments every two to three weeks until your cat loses 1% of their starting weight. For example, if your cat weighs 15 pounds, a 1% loss would be 2½ ounces.
If you feed one large meal a day, or keep food available at all times, try dividing the daily ration into several small meals (at least two meals a day) and pick up what your cat doesn’t eat 30 minutes after each meal.
A diet that contains slowly digested carbohydrates, such as corn and sorghum, can result in lower blood sugar and insulin levels than a diet that contains rice as the primary carbohydrate source. Lower blood sugar and insulin levels can also help with maintaining a proper weight.
Changing diets can be stressful for pets, so if your veterinarian recommends changing diets, proceed slowly.
Begin with a daily portion that mixes 25% of the new food with 75% of the old food. The next day, increase the amount of new food to 50% and decrease the amount of the old food to 50%. During the next few days, continue increasing the proportions of the new food and decreasing the amount of old food until the food consists entirely of the new diet. This method increases the likelihood that your cat will accept the new diet and decreases the occurrence of stomach upsets.
Another way to help your cat lose weight is to increase their activity. Provide cat trees for climbing, or teach your cat to play fetch or walk on a leash. Buy or create your own toys that encourage exercise. One ingenious owner tosses her cat’s dry food ration across the room a piece at a time!
You also can use your cat’s natural hunting instinct to help them lose weight. Hide several small portions of their daily food ration around the house. If you have a multilevel home, make your cat use the stairs.
Use your imagination, but be cautious. Don’t let a fat cat get exhausted, overheated or out of breath. Also, keep in mind that a senior cat may not be able to exercise vigorously.
Replace food treats with rewards like playtime, grooming, stroking or conversation. If you cannot resist the fat cat who begs for food at the dinner table, keep them in another room during dinnertime. If you have a multi-cat household, the consistent winner of the food competition sweepstakes is often obese. If this is the case, separate the cats at mealtimes if possible.
Obesity is easier to prevent than to cure, but it is never too late to reverse it — though it requires long-term patience and commitment. Helping cats lose weight is a slow process. If the amount they eat is severely restricted, the cat risks other health problems.
Increased activity, behavior modification (for both you and your cat) and calorie restriction are your best tools for helping an obese cat lose weight. However, it is important to expect a few setbacks and plateaus. It will take at least four months for an obese cat to lose 15% of their starting weight. At that point, have another look at your cat’s body condition and go from there.
Tips for Starting a Weight-management Program for Your Cat
