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After sterilization the cat's metabolism decreases and this reflect on his behavior. If after operation one doesn't make changes in a daily diet of his cat this leads to obesity in 70% of cases. For approximately nine to ten weeks is needed for a cat to adopt its organism to decrease in energetic demands. During this period a cat may put on weight by 40-50%. The risk of obesity increases when cat is slow moving and lives indoors. To avoid obesity one should follow some instructions.
Weigh an animal regularly
Obesity comes when redundant weight is 20-30% of ideal weight for the animal. That means that a cat, weighing 4 kg, suffers obesity if he puts on another 1 kilogram. One should be watchful because obesity may cause serious disorders: diabetes, kidney-stones formation. One can estimate the state of a cat visually or by palpation, the latter becomes difficult if a cat has long hair. It'll be better to visit a vet who will prompt the normal weight of your cat depending on its breed. The weight of a cat when he is one-year-old is considered to be ideal and should be kept up through all his life.
It's necessary to learn energetic demands
A slow-acting sterilized cat needs 60 kkal per 1kg of its weight daily. For a cat with a weight of 4 kg this is equivalent to a daily portion of following kinds of food:
70 g - Slim 37 (3500 kkal/kg)
60 g - Fit 32 (3850 kkal/kg)
50 g - Sensible 33 (4550 kkal/kg)
If a cat is predisposed to obesity this portions should be reduced on 15-20%. An approximate dosing may be incorrect therefore one should use a measuring cup or a balance.
It's important not to ignore the behavior of those cats asking for food permanently. Dividing a daily ration in several portions one can to satisfy the requirements of his pet without enlarging the amount of food. One must not give any other goods except for daily portion of food: milk, leavings from masters dinner and so forth.
Choose an adopted food (with a moderate amount of fats and increases amount of food fibers).
Following this rule allows one to decrease the calorie content along with satisfying demands for food and reduces the trend of overeating. For sterilized cats, disposed to obesity, we recommend a group "Premium" food, containing less than 10% of fats (Slim 37). Dry food with more than 20% of fats is recommended for very active ones or in a case of depressed digestion. Some "light" food slightly fall short of its name. They contain more than 14% of fats and their calorie content is more than 4000 kkal per kg.
Acidulate food
Sterilized cats are predisposed to kidney-stones formation, and acidulated food, causing urine acidification, are the best preventive measures for kidney-stones formation.
Provide a high palatability of food
A quick loss of weight may adversely affect cat's health. If an animal refuses to eat long, then fat begins to reserve in liver causing degeneration. Hence, a food with low fats should be of high gustatory quality and stimulate appetite. One must not keep a cat on a starvation diet longer than a week.
In conclusion
It's easier to prevent obesity than to treat it. People who keep cats should show sensitiveness towards their pets form the very moment of sterilization. Our aim is to learn how to choose and then to use the food correctly. Today the RCFI range is quite wide; everybody can find something that fits him most of all depending on his pet's way of life.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).
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