We have a confession. When we first became pet parents, we used to let Vladimir have an all-access pass to the kitty buffet. We would just set out a bowl of food and let him leisurely graze all day. When he was younger and more active and we didn’t notice any concerning weight gain, but recently he’s gotten a little chubby and lazy. As pet owners sometimes we think our pets are just “fat and happy”, when really they are actually overweight and not very healthy. Overweight pets can be at risk for cancer, diabetes, joint and mobility issues. Noooo! As always, talk to your vet first if you have any concerns. One major change we made for Vladimir was getting him an automatic pet feeder that feeds him a prescribed amount of his favorite Hills Pet food at the same time, twice a day. It’s so cute how excited he gets when he hears the food drop and he runs over to his bowl with his tail straight up! He doesn’t graze all day anymore and we know he’s getting the right amount of food that he needs. Another super important part of his weight loss is making sure he’s staying active and playing a lot! Vladimir’s favorite game is just the classic feather on a string chase haha. He will never stop playing that game. We try to fit in two 15-minute play sessions with him everyday.
Did you know, only 10% of pet parents realize their pets are overweight? You might be wondering, how to tell if your pet is overweight? “One method to tell if your cat is overweight is to feel along her rib cage. For a healthy cat, the padding shouldn’t feel any thicker than the padding over the back of your hand, says the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University. If you have to press firmly in order to feel her ribs, then she may be overweight. If you can’t feel her ribs at all, then your kitty may actually be obese.” Click here to head to the Hill’s website to get the rest of the details about kitties and weight management! The good news is, even just asking yourself, “is my pet overweight?” is an awesome step in the right direction of managing your fur friend’s health. We hope that this post is helpful and encourages you to ask yourself and your vet if your pet is maintaining a healthy weight! #HillsPartner
