How to Get Your Cat or Dog to Lose Weight—Experts Weigh In (2025)

• Engage in active play for at least 30 minutes a daywhether it’s with a magic wand, a laser (just make sure to reward them after their “hunt”), or any other toy they prefer. (Check out my complete guide to my favorite interactive cat toys for even more recommendations.)
• As for dogs, use puzzle toys Or lick the carpets for dry kibble or wet food. This helps engage them if they have to work for their food, and it slows down animals that tend to eat quickly. Sometimes I just throw out freeze-dried treats for them to sniff and find through exploration.
• Make sure you have plenty vertical spaces. I have three cat trees for my two cats, which help to expand the area (vertically) they can roam in my small apartment.
• An exercise wheel is one of the best ways to get indoor cats regular exercise. However, they are expensive and bulky and take up a lot of space in the room they are located in. About half of cats will adopt it, especially if they are naturally active. (I haven’t had the space or funds to test this for my own cats.)
• To have several cats. I know, it’s a big ask. Having more than one cat helps them stay more active, and they have a built-in friend to play with and chase when the zoomies strike. Like us, cats are social creatures who often live in colonies; in fact, some countries require that you adopt more than one cat or already have one to avoid boredom and loneliness. Personally, I think every cat should have a companion, although my cats are not bonded, they often play and chase each other (not to mention keep each other company when I’m away). This greatly helps reduce anxiety, boredom (and boredom-related overeating), and destructive behaviors, and helps them socialize and release energy in healthy ways.

Changing Your Pet’s Diet

As I will say about almost everything in this guide, be sure to consult a veterinarian before making any significant changes, so you get a plan tailored to your specific pet and their needs.

• Integrate humidity Or wet food as much as possible, and gradually move towards wet food rather than dry kibble, which is often full of empty “filler” calories. “Moist canned foods have a higher water content than dry foods,” says veterinarian Emma Choi. “Mot food increases your pets’ satiety and hydration, promoting weight loss and water intake.” This is precisely why I’m a big fan of pet water fountains, especially for cats, who are often chronically dehydrated. TL;DR: Encourage your pet to drink more water as much as possible. (I sneakily add water to my cats’ wet food, toppings, purees…whatever I can.
• Reduce calories. This includes cutting back on treats and table foods, like peanut butter or a slice of cheese, all of which contain more calories per bite and are consumed very quickly.
• Consult a veterinarian to see if a prescription weight loss diet it would be better for your pet. These are formulated to help your pet feel full and are fortified with additional vitamins and minerals to ensure they receive holistic nutrition while in a calorie deficit.
• Skip to freeze dried food instead of kibble or treats. Although dry food is convenient, keeps longer, and is often high in calories, it is less filling and easier to overfeed. I have been replace kibble and treats during their puzzle or “hunt” time with the freeze-dried raw products belowwhich have helped reduce overeating, contain fewer empty calories and are richer in nutrients than traditional kibble.

Red barn

Air-Dried Powerfood

Almost all veterinarians and literature I consulted warned against raw dietsas they could harbor potentially harmful bacteria and may not have the complete nutrition needed for a balanced diet.

“Raw meats mimic the natural or ancestral diet of carnivorous cats and claim to have higher protein-to-carbohydrate ratios, as well as increased antioxidants and flavonoids. But, given their drawbacks, […] Raw meats pose food safety risks due to disease-causing microorganisms,” says Choi. “A diet of primarily wet food with controlled portions of dried kibble may be most recommended. Raw feeding should always be supervised by a veterinarian.”

Technology to monitor your pet’s health

Like I said, as WIRED’s Pet Tech Editor, my cats basically can’t pee, poop, eat, or nap without me supervising him. Thanks to all this technology, I have a pretty good idea of ​​my cats’ usual weight, sleeping habits, and eating habits. It’s one of the most effective ways to monitor their health and detect when something is out of the norm (i.e. when my automatic litter box alerted me, Basil had reached his highest weight ever).

Get an automatic feeder. There is SO many types of automatic feeders, which can help with portion control (I’ve tested over a dozen). Some models, like the Petlibro One RFID Feeder, use a special tag to only ensure that a specific pet gets their share to prevent greedy pets from stealing more than their share; others, like the YumShare Petkit, feature an AI-enabled camera to scan the remaining food in the bowl and will stop dispensing to prevent overeating.

Automatic feeders also help manage the throat-vomit cycle that many cats struggle with. You can portion several small meals throughout the day, which will be distributed even when you are not there. “Weighing the cat every month and slowly and gradually reducing its calories is the best way for it to lose weight. There are automatic feeders which can be very useful for this, especially as many cats like to snack throughout the day, the ration can be divided into very small feedings throughout the day,” says Dixon.

Consider investing in a smart pet collar. Like a smart ring for a human, a smart collar for pets integrates health monitoring features with trackers, a popular way to track your pet whether you are near or far. The tracker attaches to the collar and features GPS-enabled location tracking, sleep and activity tracking, and health alerts when activity or sleep patterns change. Additionally, Tractive for Dogs has bark monitoring and also monitors heart and respiratory rate, alerting if either is elevated.

I tested the Tractive tracker above on my cat and have started testing the Fi Mini Smart Pet Collar in preparation for a brand new guide on smart pet collars. THE smart health necklace was a great way to measure Basil’s normal activity and sleep patterns. I set up daily activity goals to make sure he’s getting enough exercise, and the app compares him to similar cats and his historical activity, measuring his ranking. I really enjoy tracking his habits and progress over time. I think it’s worth a try for anyone who wants to know more closely monitor their pet’s activity and set health goals.

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