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Scott has been a healthy cat for many years and has relatively few health problems. The only little problem is that he has a bit of belly bulge. As the proud owner of Scott, Kat just don't understand why Scott seems to be overweight!

Kat don't feed him any treats and his diet seems healthy and normal to a large extent. Scott's diet consists of a plate full of dry food in the morning before Kat leaves for work. When she comes home in the evening, she refills his plate so that he doesn't wake her up in the middle of the night to be fed.

There are few reasons for Scott to be overweight, a quick review of Scott's lifestyle show that he does not exercise and much room to room about. As a lone cat, his activity level revolves around which window seat in the apartment gives him a better view of the birds outside. He is also home alone much of the day and probably sleeps and eats in that time. According to an article in Cornell University Science News, March 1997, cats living in apartments are two times more likely to become obese when compared with cats living in houses or outside,

Secondly, as a neutered male, Scott is in the higher risk group for gaining weight and his diet does not help him at all as they consist mainly of dry food. According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, December 1998, these animals tend to gain weight more easily.

To improve the situation, Kat can make certain minor adjustments to help Scott lose his weight:

1. Kat should not use the free feeding program and instead feed Scott twice a day, morning and night.

2. Change the cat food to foods with high in protein and low in carbohydrates and reduce the amount of food fed in each meal.

3. Get Scott a friend! There are plenty of cats in shelters that need homes, and a new friend can help give Scott someone to play with, something to do or at least someone interesting at home with him instead of being alone.

4. Kat should make an effort to play with Scott. Try out with different types of toys. Some cats love catnip toys, others love honeysuckle stuffed toys or teasers. Some like fake mice, others bird-like toys with feathers. Adding a scratching posts and door-hanging teasers can also give him something to do.

5. Consider feeding wet food instead of dry. Some experts believe that the high carbohydrates and grains in dry foods contribute to obesity.

The five tips listed above are minor adjustments most cat owners can follow easily to help their cats lose weight. If you own an overweight cat, do get serious and help improve your cat's health today before other obese health problems surface. It might just be too late.