Mega-chonky, thicc, and floofy pets might look cuddly and cute but their extra weight isn’t good for their health. Some pet owners have put their chubby cats through ameowzing transformeowtions and turned them into very happy felines.

Bored Panda has collected some of the very best pics of cats before and after their weight loss journeys to inspire you and your own pets to do the same. Scroll down, upvote your fave happy cattos, and share photos of your own pets in the comments below, dear Pandas. When you’re done petting these adorable felines through your screens, check out our earlier posts about other cats who lost a bunch of weight: Wilford, Bazooka, and Bronson.

Bored Panda spoke about cat obesity, health, and diet with Dr. Ernie Ward—founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. “Obesity is our cats’ number one health threat. Feline obesity is more than ‘chonky,’ it’s a biological time bomb. Obesity in cats is a serious disease with many severe consequences such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and many forms of cancer. The worst part of feline obesity is that it reduces their life expectancy and dramatically reduces their quality of life. Cats with obesity desperately need our help.” Scroll down for the rest of our in-depth interview with Dr. Ward.

#1 The Only Transformation Pic I Will Allow

Image credits: Aeributts

#2 Rehomed This Little Big Buddy A Little Over A Year Ago. Meet Big Tony

Image credits: deadfascia

#3 Bronson’s Journey To A Healthier Life. Adopted At 33 Lbs (15 Kg), Now He Weighs 19.9 Lbs (9 Kg)

Image credits: boredpanda.com

Dr. Ward told Bored Panda that around 90 percent of a cat’s weight loss is related to diet and only 10 percent has to do with physical activity. So it’s vital that you don’t overfeed your cat.

“That’s what it’s so important cat owners precisely feed the correct number of calories each day. I recommend having your veterinarian assess your cat’s current Body Condition Score (BCS), setting target an ideal weight, and calculating the number of calories you should feed each meal,” the pet healthcare professional said.

“I strongly encourage cat owners to weigh the food using a kitchen scale. We’ve done experiments with cat owners and veterinary professionals and have consistently observed that using a measuring cup isn’t as accurate as needed to achieve weight loss in many cases,” Dr. Ward said.

#4 Tommy Boy Has Been Successfully Dechonked

Image credits: shittymorph

#5 Barsik Came From A Shelter At 41 lbs. He Is On A Vet-Supervised Diet And Losing Steadily

Image credits: bigbarsik

#6 From Almost 20 lbs To 14 lbs. He’s A Larger Cat Than Normal But Now He’s A Lean, Large Cat

Image credits: scampbellsoup

“Even feeding as few as ten extra kibbles each day can add up to a pound of weight gain in a year for a cat. Once you get the hang of it, weighing the food takes no more time than using a measuring cup. Finally, work with your vet to adjust the diet or calories every three months if your cat isn’t losing weight.”

He continued: “I’ve seen too many cats who were being fed the same food for months without losing weight. When I ask them why, the pet parent shrugs, ‘I’m feeding the special food my vet prescribed.’ Weight loss is a journey with many unexpected turns and hills; you must stay alert and be willing to take a different path if you’re not reaching your objective.”

Dr. Ward said that exercise for cats can be very simple. For example, all it takes are three 5-minute play sessions with a laser pointer, feather duster, or new cardboard box each day.

#7 “I’m Sorry Ladies, I Know Dere’s Less To Love But Don’t Worry, I Still Gots Sum Rolls Leftover In Dis Belleh”

Image credits: mrbustercat

#8 Travis’ Weight Loss Progress From 2017 To 2019

Image credits: _shawna.richardson

#9 Stan Has Successfully Dechonked At 10 Years Old. He’s Got A Long Life Ahead Of Him

Image credits: OxonianShiva

“I also like using ‘hunter feeders’ and food puzzles to engage a cat’s ‘inner predator.’ Use vertical surfaces, climbing towers, and other perches to allow your cat to climb and ‘stalk’ as much as possible. Environmental enrichment and exercise are essential for emotional and behavioral health as well as maintaining a lean body mass.”

According to Dr. Ward, cats can safely lose 1 to 3 percent of their body mass each month, as long as they’re on a vet-supervised weight loss program. “That translates to my target weight loss of about a half-pound per month for most cats. If a cat loses too much weight too quickly or is fed too little, it can develop a life-threatening form of liver failure, so be sure to work closely with your veterinarian before beginning any diet program with your cat.”

#10 Dechonkification? Completed It

Image credits: FroggoDoggo

#11 My Cat Lost Half Her Weight Over 12 Years

Image credits: silversquirl

#12 Look At My Handsome Boy’s Progress

Image credits: MishaKincade

Currently, nearly 60 percent of all indoor cats in the United States are overweight. Carrying around a lot of excess weight has negative effects on your cat’s quality of life; they’re much happier and healthier when they’re sleek and slim. Obesity increases your cat’s risk of getting diabetes. The good news is that shedding the pounds can, in some cases, get rid of their diabetes completely.

Obese cats are also at risk of contracting feline lower urinary tract disease (aka FLUTD): losing weight, changing your cat’s diet, and helping it manage stress all help get rid of it. Meanwhile, fat cats are nearly 5 times more likely than lean felines to develop lameness.

All that extra weight can lead to a lot of other health issues. For example, fat tissue can be a source of constant inflammation throughout the body and this can lead to other diseases. All that fat tissue is also sending out stress-increasing hormones throughout your cat’s system. So even if your chonky catto seems fine, it’s best for it to drop a few pounds before real problems start showing up.

#13 This Is Amy. She’s Been Living At The Shelter For Over A Year And No One Wanted Her Because She Has Weight Issues. But I Do As Well So We’re On A Diet Together

She’s doing great and lost a little bit of weight already. She even plays with our other cat. Her stomach doesn’t hang on the floor anymore either and she’s always walking around the house

Image credits: capri-sunnn

#14 Adopted This Cute Overweight Kitty, Put Him On A Diet And After A Few Years He Had Less Than Half The Weight Of When I First Got Him

Image credits: mavagam99

#15 Mister Weez Was Always My Big Chonk. After A Year Of Diet And Exercise, He’s Now My Small/Medium Chonk

Image credits: jaymemartin

The best, overarching reason for keeping your cat slim is longevity. Pets that aren’t obese lead longer, healthier lives. So you’ll have the pleasure of being ignored by your cat far longer if you don’t overfeed it. And remember—it’s not just about losing weight, it’s about keeping it off.

Speaking of overfeeding, clinical nutrition professor Megan Shepherd from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine told NPR that there are plenty of owners that struggle with not giving their pets too much food.

“It’s not hard to overfeed them in a ‘food is love’ culture,” Shepherd said.

#16 He Went From 20 To 14 Pounds

Image credits: P00ld3ad

#17 After I Was Told My Cat Was Obese, I Put Her On A Diet. She’s Looking A Lot Healthier

Image credits: bicuriousdolphin

#18 We Are So Proud Of Our Good Boy. He’s Gone From The Heavy Breathing Meme To An Energetic, Happy Boy

Image credits: tomasthedevon

#19 My Senior Rescue Boy Went From Full Loaf To Slice Of Bread

When I got him he was so shy that he only came out at night. He’s lost about 1.5 kg (about 3.3 pounds) since January. Went from 6.9 kg to ~5.4-5.5 kg.

Bosie (full name: Lord Alfred Pawglas, customarily addressed as “His Lordship”) is a 7-year-old tabby striped calico boy who was surrendered because he couldn’t cope with the addition of two babies, two other cats and a dog to the household (all in <2 years!).

Dechonking him mostly took switching him to moderated amounts of wet food with a very small portion of kibble per day in a puzzle feeder or puzzle toy.

Image credits: musicboxdoll

#20 Before – Fat, Dirty, Breathing Problems, And Unable To Clean Herself. Now – Blessed And Highly Favored

Image credits: Intyale

#21 Miracle Used To Be So Chunky

Image credits: Jessica Ann

#22 A Reformed Chonker

Basically my granny was this cat’s owner until she died in 2018 (Mitzi was very overweight when my granny adopted her as it was believed she was a stray had been fed by students) and since then Mitzi had unfortunately been stuck going in and out of the shelter for a while and making quite a few headlines and never quite meeting the right owner. Due to a lucky coincidence, a family member of mine who had originally wanted to adopt her in the first place moved into accommodation where pets were allowed at a time Mitzi was back at the shelter and they adopted her finally this year. She’s been slowly losing weight and as you can see she’s a lot better now! She will never look as slim as she weighs unfortunately due to her excess skin but she’s in a much healthier place than before and her temperament has improved dramatically!

Image credits: WoodsideAnimalSanctuary

#23 Chunky To Hunky. Down 7 Pounds Since Coming Home

Image credits: GeneticCoder23

#24 From Heckin Hefty Chonk To Small Chonk. Proud Of Her Dechonkin’ Progress

Image credits: mandyschmutz

#25 Danni DeVito’s Weight Loss Progress

Image credits: Darbypark

#26 Project Dechonk Successful

Image credits: _teagan

#27 Pinky The Hutt Lost The Weight Chasing A Pupper Around

Image credits: WOOKIExRAGE

#28 She’s Proud Of The Post-Diet Body

Image credits: ianwoj7557

#29 My Girl’s Slow Dechonkification. 17.5 lbs Down To 14.9 lbs

Image credits: margarinepasture

#30 Dechonkification Has Succeeded. We Have Reached Fine Boi

Image credits: TwoHeadsBetter

#31 Chonk Progress

Image credits: Asurplusofcats

#32 So Two Years Ago The Vet Told Me Muffin Needed To Go On A Diet. Well Look At This Before And After Shot! I’m So Proud Of Her

Image credits: arielsaurus

#33 Pete The Cat, Lost 8 lbs

Image credits: MrsClarkKent

#34 Before And After, Almost Two Years Between

Image credits: TLService

#35 A Cat’s 4-Year Weightloss Journey

Image credits: Melyk63

#36 Weight Loss Journey, Before And After (He Was Neglected Before Being Brought To The Shelter)

Image credits: aspentraining85

#37 Before And After: One Of Our 14-Year-Old Cats, Lunchbox, Now Weighs Half Of The Weight She Was When She Came To Our Sanctuary

Image credits: NTX_cat_rescue

#38 Logan Here Has Had To Go On A Special Prescription Diet That Bulked Him Up To Almost 21 lbs. Now He’s Down To A Slim 15 lbs

Image credits: girlfrommars03

#39 Former Chonker Getting In Shape, She Looks As Proud As Us

Image credits: porcorosso1

#40 Here’s Bo’s Progress – 28 To 20 lbs. I Almost Can’t Believe His Transformation

Image credits: tictactastytaint

#41 10 Months In His Forever Home, And This 14 Year Old Is Down 3 Pounds

Image credits: marcytierney

#42 Mama Was A Stray Cat Who Found Us About 5 Years Ago. She Was A Very Overweight Cat. Even In Animals Diet Is Key

Image credits: trainer_wendy

#43 Fat Cat Mr Pickles Has Lost Almost Half His Body Weight After We Put Him On A Special Diet

Image credits: scottishspca

#44 18 Pounds To A Healthy 11. Still Whines For Food Constantly

I rescued her at 18 pounds. Her previous owner just left dry food out for her 24/7 because she would whine when her food bowl was slightly empty. She’s a very chatty cat

Image credits: ydnarim

#45 After Losing 17% Of Her Bodyweight, Amber Became Less Sleepy And More Interested In Playing

Image credits: boredpanda.com

#46 Before And After – Slow Churn To Slim Fast

Image credits: NTX_cat_rescue

#47 Meatball Baby, Before And After Rescue. Her Real Name Is Gracie Sue

Image credits: barber_babe

#48 From Heckin Hefty Chonk To Small Chunk. Proud Of Her Chonkin Progress

Image credits: mandyschmutz

#49 Molly’s Transformation – 14.5 lbs To 10.3 lbs. Thought You Guys Would Appreciate Her Hard Work

Image credits: leannemitsu

#50 ~1 Year Of Progress For Rey

Image credits: XxSuprTuts99xX

#51 Cinderblock Has Been Training On The Underwater Treadmill Like A Champ

Image credits: boredpanda.com

Source: boredpanda.com