E ʻike paha ʻoe inā pono kāu kitty e hoʻemi i lalo? He mea maʻamau nā pōpoki momona a ʻaʻole paha ʻoe e ʻike aia kāu ma ka ʻaoʻao portly. Akā ʻoi aku ka nui o nā pōpoki momona a me ka momona ma mua o ka poʻe i ke kaumaha olakino, a ke ʻike nei nā poʻe holoholona i nā pōpoki super-obese.

"ʻO ka pilikia no mākou, makemake mākou e hoʻopōʻino i kā mākou mau pōpoki, a makemake nā pōpoki e ʻai, no laila ua maʻalahi ka hānai ʻana i kahi mea liʻiliʻi," wahi a Philip J. Shanker, DVM, ka mea nona ka Halemai Cat ma Campbell, CA.

He mea ia e noonoo nui ai. ʻOiai ʻelua mau paona ʻē aʻe e hiki ai i kāu pipi ke loaʻa i kekahi mau pilikia olakino e like me ka maʻi maʻi type 2 a hoʻomāhuahua i nā mea ʻē aʻe, e like me ka arthritis. Hiki iā ia ke pale iā lākou mai ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe pono ʻana iā lākou iho. ʻO ka mālama ʻana i ke kaumaha nui e alakaʻi i kahi pōpoki olakino a hauʻoli.

Kaumaha kūpono no nā pōpoki

Pono ke kaumaha o ka hapa nui o nā pōpoki ma kahi o 10 paona, ʻoiai hiki ke hoʻololi ʻia e ka ʻano a me ke ʻano. Hiki i ka pōpoki Siamese ke kaumaha ma kahi o 5 paona, ʻoiai ʻo Maine Coon hiki ke 25 paona a olakino.

Hiki i kāu kauka lapaʻau ke hōʻike iā ʻoe inā ʻoi aku ke kaumaha o kāu pōpoki, akā aia kekahi mau hōʻailona hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻimi iā ʻoe iho, wahi a Melissa Mustillo, DVM, he kauka holoholona ma A Cat Clinic ma Maryland. "Pono ke kiʻi hola aniani i nā pōpoki ke nānā aku ʻoe iā lākou, ʻaʻole pono lākou e hāʻule ka ʻōpū i lalo, a hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻike i ko lākou iwi ʻaoʻao," wahi āna. (Aia kekahi ʻokoʻa: ʻo ka pōpoki i paʻa i ka momona e loaʻa mau ana ka "ʻōpū haʻalulu" ma hope o ka lilo ʻana o ke kaumaha.)

Pehea e mālama ai i nā paona

Wahi a Vets, ʻo ka piʻi ʻana o ke kaumaha o nā pōpoki ma muli o ke ʻano a me ka nui o ka meaʻai e hānai ʻia ai lākou, me ka luhi kahiko.

"I ka wā e luhi ai lākou, manaʻo lākou, 'E hele paha wau e ʻai. … ʻAe, nānā ʻaʻohe meaʻai i loko o kaʻu kīʻaha, e hoʻopilikia ana au i koʻu makuahine no ka ʻai hou aku,'” wahi a Mustillo.

A i ka wā e uē ai lākou, hāʻawi nā mea nona nā mea he nui i mea e hauʻoli ai kā lākou mau holoholona.

Akā hiki ke pale a pale i ka loaʻa ʻana o ke kaumaha:

E hoʻololi i ka meaʻai maloʻo me ke kīʻaha, kahi e loaʻa ai ka nui o ka protein a me ka liʻiliʻi o nā haʻahaʻa. He ala maikaʻi nō hoʻi ka ʻai hiki ke hoʻonohonoho i nā manawa ʻai ʻokoʻa no kāu pipi. Nui nā pōpoki i ke kaumaha ke haʻalele ka poʻe nona ke kīʻaha kibble maloʻo i hiki iā lākou ke ʻai i ka lā a pau.

E ʻoki i nā meaʻai. Hana like nā pōpoki me nā uku ʻē aʻe, e like me ka manawa pāʻani me ʻoe.

E hana i kāu pōpoki no kāna ʻai. Ua ʻike ʻo Vets i ka olakino a ʻoi aku ka mālie o nā pōpoki i ka wā e hoʻohana ai nā mea nona nā "puʻupuʻu meaʻai," pono i ka pōpoki e ʻōwili a hoʻoponopono paha e loaʻa ai nā meaʻai. Hiki iā ʻoe ke hūnā i kekahi i loko o nā keʻena o ka pahu waina a i ʻole e ʻoki i hoʻokahi a ʻoi aku paha nā puka liʻiliʻi i loko o kahi hue plastik a hoʻopiha i nā kibbles. Hoʻopaneʻe nā puʻupuʻu i kā lākou ʻai ʻana i ka ʻai ʻana i ko lākou ʻano kūlohelohe e ʻimi a ʻai.

Inā ʻoi aku ʻoe ma mua o hoʻokahi pōpoki, pono ʻoe e hānai i ka pōpoki kaumaha i loko o kahi lumi ʻokoʻa a i ʻole e kau i ka meaʻai a ka pōpoki olakino i kahi kiʻekiʻe i hiki ʻole i ka pōpoki momona ke hele.

E noʻonoʻo e hoʻohana i kahi mea hānai holoholona microchip, kahi e loaʻa ai ka meaʻai i ka holoholona i hoʻopaʻa inoa ʻia i kēlā mea hānai. Aia kekahi mau hōʻailona kola kūikawā he mea ʻē aʻe inā ʻaʻohe microchip kāu pipi.

Ma mua o kou kau ʻana i kāu pōpoki i ka meaʻai, e lawe iā ia no kahi hoʻokolohua kino e ʻike pono ʻaʻole loaʻa kahi pilikia olakino. Ua lawa paha ke pani ʻana i ka ʻai ʻai ʻana i nā lā a pau me nā meaʻai i wehewehe ʻia. Akā, pono paha i kahi pōpoki kaumaha ke hoʻololi i ka meaʻai hiki i ke kī a i ʻole kahi meaʻai ʻōlelo kuhikuhi kūikawā i ʻoi aku ka nui o ka protein, nā huaora, a me nā minela i kēlā me kēia calorie.

E hoʻomanawanui, wahi a Mustillo. "Inā ʻo kāu pahuhopu ʻo [kāu pōpoki] e nalowale ana i hoʻokahi paona, pono paha ia i 6 mau mahina, a hiki i hoʻokahi makahiki. Ua lohi loa.

Mai hopohopo inā aia kāu kitty ma ka ʻaoʻao curvy, wahi a Shanker. Hiki i kāu kauka lapaʻau ke kōkua.

"Inā ʻoi aku ka piha o ka pōpoki, ʻaʻole ia he manaʻo e make lākou i ka maʻi puʻuwai," wahi āna.

Hoʻokahi mea e hoʻomanaʻo ai: Mai pōloli i kāu pōpoki. Hiki i nā pōpoki, ʻoi aku ka nui, hiki ke hele i loko o ka hemahema o ka ate inā ʻaʻole lākou e ʻai no nā lā ʻelua.