Is Your Cat Overweight? Has your cat been drinking more water lately and you’re worried it might be overweight?
An unusual increase in water drinking, especially in an overweight cat, may indicate a chronic disease such as diabetes.
Water has zero calories, no carbohydrates and no fat. Your cat has not become overweight from drinking water. Unless you add a high-calorie food to his water, this is the only way your cat can get heavy from drinking water. Adding sugar to your overweight cat’s water could be the culprit. Adding sugar to your obese cat’s water will not only make them overweight, it will also cause more health problems.
Some cats are genetically “heavy”. Regardless of how much or little food they eat, they still end up staying heavy. Your fat cat might just fall into one of these stockier breeds. You can certainly find this out by checking with your veterinarian or by doing a quick search on the internet.
One of the main reasons your cat might be overweight is that you are most likely feeding them an unbalanced ready-to-eat food that is mostly corn. You need to transition your obese cat to a more balanced diet that contains real meat protein along with fats and carbohydrates in the ideal percentage range of ingredients. And don’t forget about vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients.
You may also overfeed your cat. Could he be consuming too much food/calories that he doesn’t need? If you have a habit of leaving their food (most likely a kibble) outside all day, they may overeat.
Have you recently changed his feeding pattern? Are you switching from a canned or wet food to more dry food? Dry foods contain around 10% moisture, while canned foods typically contain 70-80% moisture. If you’ve recently added or replaced wet canned food with dry food, the increase in dry food could likely be causing your fluff ball to drink more free water. In this case, drinking more free water would be a natural compensation for absorbing less moisture from your diet.
Some cats would just eat and eat, whether hungry or not. I bet your cat eats when bored. You can reduce his food intake by choosing the right size bowl. Try as much as possible not to put your overweight cat on an unbalanced diet by simply reducing calories!
Does your overweight cat exercise regularly? A cat that sleeps and loafs around all day is prone to obesity. If you’ve recently added a new play toy, or if your chunky fluffy ball has just discovered a new play toy and has increased its movement, this is a good activity. However, due to his movement, he may need extra free water!
Water alone does not lead to weight gain. If your overweight cat is drinking too much water, it could be a sign of more serious problems. Drinking too much water can cause your cat’s kidneys to fail. Other serious problems like thyroid and diabetes could also be reasons why your heavy cat is drinking a lot of water. On the other hand, drinking more water can be the natural result of a lifestyle change.
If you notice changes in your cat’s behavior, especially in its eating habits, you should watch and monitor it carefully. Research online. Contact a veterinarian. A vet will perform the necessary tests to check if anything is wrong.
