Figure out how much food you should feed each day to promote weight loss. Your vet has various formulas and charts. Here's a place to start.
For many cats, the best way to lose weight is with a canned diet food fed several times per day, rather than leaving food down all of the time. One of the reasons canned diet foods work better is because finicky felines often prefer wet food to dry.
Pet your cat or play with her when she begs for food. Many cats substitute food for affection so flip the equation and you may find that playtime displaces mealtime.
Feed small meals frequently - especially give a last feeding for those cats that like to wake you up in the wee hours begging for more goodies - divide the total volume or calories into four to six smaller meals. Whatever you do, do not feed extra food.
Another way to avoid annoying cats during the night is to have an automatic feeder just for the overnight hours.
Offer fresh water instead of food. If your cat is eyeing the empty food bowl, a drink of cold, fresh water may be satisfying.
"How long will my cat need to be on a diet?"
Most cats will achieve their ideal weight within six to eight months. If the process is taking longer than this, something needs to be changed. A healthy weight loss would be close to one pound per month. Some cats may need to go slower while others may shed the pounds more quickly.
"I have more than one cat, but only one is overweight. How do I feed them different foods?"
Feed the cats in different rooms. Keep them separated for 15 to 30 minutes, then remove any uneaten food until the next feeding.
Feed the normal-weight cat up high where the overweight cat cannot go.
If there is a large size difference, create a narrow opening that only the slimmer cat can fit through to get to their food bowl. For example, use a safety chain on a door so it opens just enough for the one cat.
Microchip cat feeders are feeding stations that only open when they recognize your cat’s microchip.
Their already high price is made worse by the fact that you need one for each unique diet, and may even need one for each cat.
Never leave food out while you are away. You cannot control who eats what when you are not around.