How to Slim Down My Cat

1). Take your cat to a vet for a general checkup. If your cat has been overweight for a long time, the obesity may have had a negative effect on its health. Experts also recommend a vet checkup before you start a special weight-loss diet, because underlying illnesses can cause some types of obesity.
2). Change your cat's diet. Stop feeding your cat leftovers, table scraps and treats. Cut back on the amount of food you currently feed your cat by at least 20 percent to 40 percent. For example, if you currently feed your cat three-quarters of a cup of dry food, reduce it to half a cup.
3). Feed your cat weight-loss products specially designed for cats. Ask your vet and pet store workers which products they recommend. Read the label for special instructions and to determine the exact portions you need to feed your cat.
4). Teach your cat to exercise. Glue a large colored feather onto a ball with a string. Pull the ball with the feather on it around the room or in your garden. When the cat starts running after the ball, pull it faster so the cat can't catch it. Play like this for at least 10 minutes every day.
5). Hold the feathered ball in the air and encourage your cat to jump up and down while trying to catch it. The feather makes your cat think the ball is a bird, giving it extra motivation to jump.
6). Set boxes around the room or the garden. Encourage the cat to jump over the boxes by pulling snakelike toys over them.
7). Cut holes in the sides of a large box. Pull the feathered ball or snakelike toys through the holes to encourage the cat to follow.
8). Set up a multitier cat tree. A cat tree is special equipment available from pet stores that you can place in a room or in your garden. Your cat climbs onto the tree, jumps between branches and scratches the trunk to exercise its shoulder muscles. The cat tree teaches the cat to balance and also improves its coordination. Read the manufacturer's manual for special instructions to set up a cat tree.
9). Keep a diet diary for your cat. Draw three columns on a piece of paper. Write the date in the first column, the type and the amount of food you have fed your cat in the second column and the actual weight of the cat in the third column. By using a diet diary, you can monitor the cat's weight-loss progress.