Another words they develop a fatty liver.How do you know if your cat is overweight?. Try running your hands down the sides of your cat. If you need to use a good bit of pressure in order to feel the ribs, then your cat is likely overweight. Any visibly distended or pouch-like belly is also a good indication of a weight problem.

As with most things, it's much easier to keep good habits from the start than to try to initiate a crash diet for your cat, as most adult cats will not appreciate a change in their cuisine. Gradual change is necessary.

The biggest hurdle might be switching from a free-feeding model to one where you feed at intervals two or four times a day. This way you can "cap" the total amount of daily food intake, even if you are leaving food in the bowl in between sessions. In general, cat owners think in terms of "cups" of food. These portions should be downsized in most cases and thought of in terms of ounces. A seven pound cat, for instance, should expect a meal of one ounce in size. Really. It's not animal cruelty. If they were in the wild that's how much they would hunt and eat.

There are also foods to avoid, at least on a regular basis. For example, even though cats will drink milk, most are in fact lactose intolerant, which means that milk will upset their stomach and may cause diarrhea. Tuna is another food which might be great for your cat's birthday, but never as their main diet. The tuna that we eat is high in polyunsaturated fats, which is fine for humans, but not so good for cats. Cats need vitamin E in their diet, and while tuna-flavored cat foods have vitamin E supplemented, ordinary tuna does not.

Of course, maintaining a healthy size and shape for your cat goes beyond regulating diet. If you have an indoor cat, do your part to keep them stimulated. Always have enough cat toys on hand. And rotate the toys so they don't get bored. Have some cat posts or other fun stuff for them to scratch or jump up on.

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