There is no easy way to cut down those excess fats in your pet cat. But you cannot simply force your cat to run in a treadmill or put in on a leash and force it to run outside. With cats, it may get tricky, but we will surprise you with several tips and tricks to maintain the body weight as well as the health of your cats.
Moreover, we first need to learn the causes of obesity in cats so that we can prevent our cats from being obese or overweight again in the future. One of the two main reasons lies in the diets of cats itself.
You may learn how to make homemade cat food and make it nutritious for your cats. But if you don’t, well a majority of people feed their cats with canned cat food or oftentimes using pellets.
This may be a quick alternative, but it is not always healthy for your cat. So you need to learn which nutrition should be contained in cat food.
The other reason is depression and stress. Yes, cats also undergo depression and stress. So that is why you need to make sure that your cat is treated well and happily. Learn the signs of depressed cats here. Here are simple workout ideas for your fat cat!
- Cat tower
Make it fun and interactive for your cat, because cats won’t like a boring workout session. With a cat tower, your cat can have both fun and exercise. You can easily get a cat tower from an online shop or your local pet stores.
The price itself ranges depending on the size and the features of the cat tower. The high one with lots of more gadgets and gizmos would cost you a lot, but a simple one is not that expensive to afford.
And to keep your cat active, you could use small healthy treats as motivations. Try placing these treats anywhere in the tower and your cat is guaranteed to start climbing for it.
- Having fun with lasers
As owners, you would also like to have some fun right? Try to experiment with lasers, they are not so expensive and you can get them easily. Cats would be attracted to the light that lasers produce and would start chasing around for it.
Simply turn the laser on and point it to different parts of your room. Surely enough, your cat would start running to reach the lasers.
And if you are leaving your cat for a long vacation, you can buy an electronic interactive laser and keep your cat busy. Speaking of leaving your cat, do you know how long can you leave a act alone during vacation?
- Wands and Toys
There are many things that cats are attracted to. One of those things is playing wands or toys. These toys are usually furry or covered in feathers. This exercise is also a great addition to the laser workout and it doesn’t cost much too!
Wands and toys also do not the battery, so they would last for quite a while. Feathers, mouse, or anything that would make your cat chasing for it. Cats would be tricked into thinking that they are chasing for prey, so they would be interested to make a run for it.
- Catnip
This is a common tool for cat owners. Basically, catnip is a plant that can make cats go crazy and hyperactive. It can easily be planted at home and you can buy it at a local shop.
Catnip has different effects on different cats, so be sure to try it out and see the effects that it has on your cats. If it does work, do not give it too regularly because it will affect the behavior of your cat. Learn which plants are toxic to animals.
- A walk outside
Just like a dog, it is actually possible to take your cat out for a walk. It would take a few exercises and trials so that your cat will get used to being put on a leash and walked around.
At first, you might want to use a body leash on the cat so that it can be lead around by yours. And after a while, you can start releasing your cat and trust it to follow you.
Usually, when you already have a strong bond with your cat, it would not run away from your sight.
- Bubbles
Sometimes you just have to try something new and go modern. Bubbles are always fun, for kids and even for pets. But in this case, we won’t be using usual bubbles, because the soap property would be harmful to the cats if consumed.
That is why we are using a catnip bubble, it has a more natural ingredient and safer for cats if it is accidentally eaten. Blow it up and watch your cat pop the bubbles one by one.
- Cat wheels
Last but not least, is a not so common gadget for cats. A cat wheel, similar to a hamster wheel is a fun and also athletic exercise for cats. To get one, you can buy it online or in your local pet shops. Some people even make it DIY if you don’t want to spend money on it.
The mechanism itself is actually easy and simple for a cat to use. The stand inside the wheel and would start running. The wheel’s speed would vary depending on the cat’s running speed.
Like previously mentioned, it is an uncommon gadget, but it is very effective for hyperactive cats that are capable of moving far and quickly.
To learn more about cats, we might as well check our article on behaviors of cats without their owner at home!