Did you know that cat obesity is epidemic, with 58.3% of cats either overweight or obese?
It’s easy to think “My cat isn’t one of them.” But 45.3% of cat owners incorrectly identify their overweight or obese cat as being a normal weight. I used to be one of them, before Ashton’s weight loss journey.
Ashton Needed to Lose Weight
Anyone who knows about Ashton knows she loves to eat. Maybe it’s a throwback to her origin as a feral kitten, or maybe it’s something else, but she’s the most food-motivated cat ever in my household.
It shouldn’t have been any surprise that Ashton ended up overweight a couple years ago. She actually tipped the scales at well over 13 lb, putting her firmly in the 40% of cats who are overweight and nearly putting her in the category of 19% of cats who are obese.
Overweight cats, like overweight humans, can suffer from health issues such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. I didn’t want the ailments caused by obesity to cause her that kind of discomfort, and we certainly didn’t want to risk them cutting her lifespan short, so something had to be done.
Our vet said that too much high-calorie food and snacks and not enough exercise had gotten Ashton to where she was today. So there was no escaping it: It was time for Ashton to go on a diet.
How Ashton Reached a Healthy Weight
Under our vet’s supervision, I started looking for cat food for weight loss that didn’t clue Ashton in on the fact that she was on a diet. That’s when I discovered food from Weruva.
I loved that I could fine the nutrition information for the food on the Weruva web site without having to jump through a lot of hoops to get to it. And what I found in the nutrition information was even better. Not only is Weruva low in calories, they’re low in carbs, phosphorous, and magnesium, too.
Look at what’s inside a can:
It’s food fit for human consumption. It looks like something you would pour over rice and serve at your dinner table. (Don’t worry, I haven’t actually done that!) You can see that it’s bone-free white meat chicken, not mystery ground-up stuff, and Ashton heartily approved of her new diet.
Over the course of about a year, she lost the extra weight she was carrying and weighs a little over ten pounds today. She could probably stand to lose another half pound, but she is close enough to ideal to have her on a maintenance diet today.
Ashton’s maintenance diet is from Weruva, too. With Ashton’s famous love of chicken, she loves all of the poultry flavors, and there are plenty to give lots of variety while keeping her a healthy weight.
Try Weruva for Your Cats
The team at Weruva wants you to be able to try their food and see why Ashton loves it so much, so we’re holding a giveaway of two cases of 24 count Weruva TruLuxe 3 oz. cans. That’s 48 meals! The TruLuxe line features formulas with lean, shredded grass fed, Australian beef, pink salmon, basa and turkey. The winner can choose either land or fish flavors, or a combination of both. The drawing is open to entrants from the US and Canada.
And that isn’t all! Weurva also wants to make a donation to your favorite 501(c)(3) or registered Canadian nonprofit rescue organization. The winner of the drawing also gets to choose a favorite rescue organization to receive $100 worth of Weruva BFF food.
Entries will be open until 12:00 am on June 25th, so enter below for your chance to win Weruva food for yourself and for your favorite rescue organization.
FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. We received food for free from Weruva, but the story above is our own and isn’t influenced by by this compensation. We only feature products we have used or would use or that we feel are of interest to our readers.
References and further reading:
Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, National Pet Obesity Survey Results
Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, Prevalence and risk factors for feline obesity in a fist opinion practice in Glasgow, Scotland
Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, Prevalence and risk factors for obesity in an urban population of healthy cats
The Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, Prevalence and risk factors for obesity in adult cats from private US veterinary practices
Mark's Mews says
June 11, 2015 at 12:12 amWe are each in one of the CATegories. Iza is fat, Marley is normal, and I, Ayla, is a bit unnerweight.
TBT says that getting Iza’s weight down is like tryin ta make a wolverine a veggerian. He uses these screens over his skillets and he caught her lickin the grease offa one while it was in the open dishwasher tray! She is dedicated to eating…
Summer says
June 11, 2015 at 2:45 amWanna hear something hilarious? The Weruva humans were at CatCon, and they had their food on display in martini glasses, like at BlogPaws, and they were giving away a can for free! BUT humans who were willing to put some of the food on a cracker and eat it got TWO cans!
My human came home with one can. What a wimp.
Lola and Lexy says
June 11, 2015 at 3:15 pmMOL, Summer! Trust me, we’d only get one can, too.
Cathy Keisha says
June 11, 2015 at 4:13 pmI’d get 2 cans or TW better not come home.
Ms. Phoebe's Mum says
June 24, 2015 at 8:52 amMEWHAHAHA! My human would only have gotten one can too!! I do like the idea of my food served in a martini glass though, I must speak to my human…
-Clove
Marianne says
June 11, 2015 at 9:22 pmIf it’s good enough for Ashton, it’s good enough for a human, right?
Chelsea Mathews says
June 20, 2015 at 7:12 pmMy Kitsley really needs to go on this diet!
The Island Cats says
June 11, 2015 at 6:00 amWell, you know how we feel about Weruva because we just reviewed it too. But we didn’t realize it was a good food to use to lose weight. Oh and pee ess…our dad-guy has tried Weruva…though not over rice. 😉
The Florida Furkids says
June 11, 2015 at 7:14 amOMC that food looks delicious!!!
The Florida Furkids
Laura and her cats says
June 11, 2015 at 7:35 amHaving an overweight diabetic cat I would love to win this give away! Weruva is on his approved diet list of low carb & he adores chicken! With 7 cats it’s tough managing food that is good quality and everyone likes. We’d love to try Weruva!
Ellen Pilch says
June 11, 2015 at 7:42 amGood for you Ashton! I am definitely entering this, I have a few kitties that need to lose some weight.
Melissa & Truffles says
June 11, 2015 at 8:08 amYAY for Ashton!!! Tara was very overweight and know that her multiple health problems stemmed from that alone.
Savannah's Paw Tracks says
June 11, 2015 at 8:52 amOMC!! TKS really needs to lose a couple pounds and she is a chik-hen freak!!!
Brian Frum says
June 11, 2015 at 9:04 amThose diet things sure are difficult!!!
molly says
June 11, 2015 at 9:47 amYou can control how much your pet eats and keep them at a healthy weight.
Richard Hicks says
June 11, 2015 at 10:28 amMy cats can use this! Love the donation to a shelter!
Cats of Wildcat Woods says
June 11, 2015 at 10:35 amWe know how important being the right weight is for health. Both Snowball and Georgie developed problems relating to their size. Also very important is to do the weight loss gradually so they don’t get fatty liver disease like Georgie did – she tho stopped eating due to her diabetes. Good post and thank you for stopping by!
Connie says
June 11, 2015 at 10:54 amI just weighed the cats because I want to keep an eye on Fleurp and Eli’s weight… Fleurp looses when she becomes anemic, and Eli lost a whole bunch when his teeth were bad… but in doing so I realized Jack is.. um.. well.. there is more of him to love.. *hangs head* I over treat that boy
Quinn, Carol and Catitude says
June 11, 2015 at 1:24 pmWe don’t tweet or instagram or pinit or whatever, but we wanted to enter. Mommy says I am getting a little pudgy, and we would love to have Feline Rescue of St Paul get some food too. We try to pay them back for letting me wait there for my furever home. Yes, I was a rescue, and that’s who rescued me!)
Annabelle says
June 11, 2015 at 1:40 pmMr Jinx thinks Ashton is the most purrfect ladycat there is!!
Madi and Mom says
June 11, 2015 at 1:47 pmWTG Ashton…I have my annual check up next month. I fear I might have added a pound or so during the time I was taking prednisone for my tummy. Mom (not me) is working hard to get me to lose that pound.
Hugs madi your bfff
Dezi and Lexi says
June 11, 2015 at 2:04 pmDat’s pawsum, and da Weruva be nommy food. We sure hope weez win. Sissy be duin’ weal good on it too.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Lexi
Sweet Purrfections says
June 11, 2015 at 2:22 pmWe’ve eaten Weruva in the past and really like it. We haven’t tried the Truluxe yet, but we should could use a case of the food.
Truffle and Brulee
Lola and Lexy says
June 11, 2015 at 3:16 pmLola: This is great info! Lexy is a little on the chunky side, and Mommy worries. We go to the vet next month for our annual check ups, so Mommy will talk to our doctor about it then.
Lexy: What are you saying, Lola?
Lola: Nothing, Lexy, nothing! *whispers*Gotta go, Ashton!
p.s. We entered!
Cathy Keisha says
June 11, 2015 at 4:15 pmI love Weruva but so far TW has only gotten me to eat the ones in pumpkin soup. I haven’t tried any of the Truluxe flavors yet since my actually iron tummy has been up and down this Spring.
Jeanne Melanson says
June 11, 2015 at 4:44 pmThanks for the opportunity to win (and try) this brand of cat food. I’ve never heard of it, but I love trying new things with my Jessie Cat. Take care!
ellen beck says
June 11, 2015 at 7:21 pmWe have never heard of this brand, but would love to give it a go! I have done TNR for the last 20 years.. I hve 5 cats inside who own us and two are overweight. I am convinced because they were once ferals and just eat to eat not when they are hungry.
Annie says
June 11, 2015 at 7:23 pmThat is so great that Ashton lost weight (healthfully) on this food! I wish Annie would eat chicken canned food. She snubs them all.
Aarone Mawdsley says
June 11, 2015 at 11:46 pmi would love to win! its a good brand
Debbie F says
June 12, 2015 at 6:33 amMy beautiful cat definitely needs to lose weight – everyone loves a fat cat, but I know it’s not healthy for him so this would definitely help. Thanks.
Amy Pratt says
June 12, 2015 at 6:59 amThis looks like a wonderful product. I sure would like to try it.
signed: Nyssa, the cat
Terri Baker says
June 12, 2015 at 8:05 amI have been struggling with yo yo diets for some time. I don’t really like the stuff the vet is giving me. I cry all day in front of my food dish hoping my owner will change me to a more delectable and satisfying food. This sounds like something I can dig my canines (or felines lol) into. Thanks for the chance; Lily the cat.
Glogirly says
June 12, 2015 at 8:35 amWeruva is very yummy! We’ve tried it before and really enjoyed it. We’d love to win the giveaway and donate our prize to a shelter too!
Julia says
June 12, 2015 at 9:33 amMy cat would absolutely love this wet food is their favourite!
Alison Gibb says
June 12, 2015 at 10:24 amThank you for this opportunity to help my kitty, Peanut. I have three kitties but only Peanut is overweight. I would love to be able to help her so that she lives a longer life!!
Angelica says
June 12, 2015 at 1:03 pmAshton look so sweet! I have one cat who’s obese and another who’s underweight. They’re sisters and eat the same food, I’ve never understood it. I think the skinny one stole the big one’s thyroid. Lol.
Donna L says
June 12, 2015 at 1:06 pmOur kitty would love for me to win this for him.
QZ says
June 12, 2015 at 1:13 pmThank you for the giveaway!
charmaine says
June 12, 2015 at 1:14 pmall 4 of my cats are rescued feral cats but out of them joey the only male cat loves to eat and be lazy so he definitely needs to lose some weight!
Christine Topley says
June 12, 2015 at 1:50 pmI absolutely love this. Paying it forward is a big thing in my life and to have the chance to give to my fav rescue is an awesome opportunity. Thank you so much and to you and Weruva!!
Carolyn R says
June 12, 2015 at 2:41 pmSounds just like my furbaby… She is overweight also and oh so picky with soft food…would love to give this a try for her 🙂 Thank you for the great giveaway
Kelley Moore says
June 12, 2015 at 2:42 pmIf I won I would donate it all to my favorite animal shelter!!!
Holly Wright says
June 12, 2015 at 3:03 pmawesome prize! my cats would love this!
lynn clayton says
June 12, 2015 at 3:15 pmi would love to donate to ottawa stray cat rescue great orginization that does so much work for feral cats here
Cherie Varrin says
June 12, 2015 at 3:17 pmMy cat is a chicken lover. She would love this type of food. I find Whiskas unhealthy..
Lisa says
June 12, 2015 at 3:25 pmMy cats would probably love this. I love that $100 is being given to a rescue too!
Bo Simms says
June 12, 2015 at 4:33 pmMaitaining a healthy weight is important for cats, and humans!
Bob says
June 12, 2015 at 5:44 pmLove that the prize includes a donation to a local shelter, the one in our town is a privately run, funded by donations, no kill shelter that can use all the help it can get.
Rachael Bhardwaj says
June 12, 2015 at 6:16 pmMy Cat Taranis could sure use this! He weighs 21 pounds, and everything i have tried doesnt seem to work!
Jen Haile says
June 12, 2015 at 9:00 pmMy cat would love this and she needs it!
Ronda says
June 12, 2015 at 9:29 pmMy daughters cat would love this and could really use this.
Luna S says
June 13, 2015 at 12:34 amThank you for such a lovely post and the opportunity to help out a local shelter!
cheryl hodgkins says
June 13, 2015 at 12:39 amSo generous of you to donate to a shelter or rescue of our choice. Ashton is a cutie..you can really tell she loves her Weruva TruLuxe Cat Food
Marilyn Nawara says
June 13, 2015 at 4:56 amMr. B could really use to help him lose a few pounds. It’s great that you are donating to shelters!
Alisha H. says
June 13, 2015 at 1:34 pmI felt excited over the prize, but even more so when I read about the donation. I know the place I would choose. Also, I have a cat with only one eye. She was a stray and had only one eye I when I found her. Her name is Maia. She is the sweetest cat and so loving.
Karla Sceviour says
June 13, 2015 at 9:33 pmAwesome,thanks for the chance!
Linda Szymoniak says
June 14, 2015 at 12:18 amMy Maine Coon, Koneko, is overweight. Since he’s also a senior, it is making it harder for him to get around. I’d love to try this for him..
yvonne says
June 14, 2015 at 8:27 amour 7 year old cat is over weight – our current cat food isn’t really working all that well!
Marlene V says
June 14, 2015 at 9:59 amThanks for the chance to win
Kelly D says
June 14, 2015 at 1:55 pmMy cat would love this food and I would love to have the donation go towards the shelter he was adopted from.
Belinda McNabb says
June 14, 2015 at 2:30 pmWhat a great contest! Have not tried this line of cat foods and would love to have both of my cats give it a try. And even better to be able to donate to a local shelter!
Robyn Bellefleur says
June 14, 2015 at 2:35 pmI think would make my kitty very happy if I won!
Tari Lawson says
June 15, 2015 at 7:52 amWe got our cat from a local cat rescue. He is awesome. If I win, I would give the money to them.
misty w says
June 15, 2015 at 10:46 amthanks for the change to win and to help a shelter.
Michelle S says
June 15, 2015 at 6:01 pmOh, I would love for my guys to try Weruva!!! Nobody carries it locally and this would be fantastic to see whether or not they love it.
Diane says
June 16, 2015 at 12:13 pmMan I would love to win this for the local rescue groups in my area! They are overrun with kittens!
Sandy Weinstein says
June 16, 2015 at 2:09 pmi would love to win this for either the SPCA of Wake county, nc or Safe Haven Cat shelter and clinic, raleigh, nc. both of these places have pet food banks. i am a regular donor to the pet food bank at Safe Haven.
amy deeter says
June 17, 2015 at 1:31 amthis would be great.i just got my first cat last week and my kids would love to win this for him
Raine says
June 17, 2015 at 8:23 amThis looks delicious, my boys could stand to loose some pounds but they’re picky, picky guys. This looks and sounds like something everyone will enjoy!
Denise S says
June 17, 2015 at 8:59 amI haven’t seen this brand before, but I’m sure my cats would love it.
Sarah D. and Tonya Dog says
June 17, 2015 at 11:26 amMy shelter could really use this!
Debbie S. says
June 17, 2015 at 12:56 pmI would love for my cats to be eating this Weruva cat food, sounds like a very healthy choice for them. Our cats are a big part of our lives and family.
Leanne Scherp says
June 18, 2015 at 3:56 pmI have two giant cats who could both do with help losing weight.
Lethea B says
June 18, 2015 at 8:27 pmI would love to have the chance to treat my boy to Weruva, how could I give him anythng better than a food that is Human Grade?! It’s amazing that I might also have a chance to help our local shelter if I should win=)
Katie J says
June 19, 2015 at 1:09 amMy cats would love this!
Kris L says
June 19, 2015 at 3:59 amyour kitty is so cute!
Carla Stevens says
June 19, 2015 at 5:17 amWould love to win this for my 4 cats and for the SPCA
deana says
June 19, 2015 at 9:51 amThis would be perfect for my cat. Thanks for the chance
nicolthepickle says
June 19, 2015 at 3:24 pmThis would be great for our local animal shelter. Thanks.
Tammy Dalley says
June 19, 2015 at 6:11 pmMy furbaby would love this
Stephanie LaPlante says
June 19, 2015 at 6:50 pmOMGoodness I’m so in LOVE! Cutest baby I’ve ever seen.
Michelle says
June 20, 2015 at 1:02 amThanks for the chance!
Deb Barnes - Zee and Zoey says
June 20, 2015 at 12:53 pmWe love the part of getting to donate to a shelter if we win! Thank you for this giveaway!
Jenny from As the World Purrs says
June 20, 2015 at 8:07 pmWe love Weruva!
QZ says
June 20, 2015 at 9:09 pmThank you for this great giveaway!
Wanda Bergman says
June 20, 2015 at 9:47 pmThe kitty in these pictures looks well loved !!!
Emilia Evans says
June 20, 2015 at 11:07 pmWe all love Weruva here. I actually have tried it – lol – when the rep from the company said they all tried it as part of their training I figured I’d be brave. It tastes like chicken without seasoning. Frankly it was better than the chicken canned for humans I got in a chicken salad kit from the grocery store. My crowd of rescue critters would love to win this for our favorite rescue that saved the lives of 4 of them.
wendy hutton says
June 21, 2015 at 8:36 ammy sister has a cat who is extremely overweight, not a good thing
Milk says
June 22, 2015 at 12:01 pmMy sissy kitty would wuv this! She can only eat soft food and we like to feed her natural – no mystery paste! And I have just the shelter in mind if I win!!
Suz says
June 22, 2015 at 12:03 pmMy cat and I both need to diet..I guess I could always split the prize with him.
Danielle says
June 22, 2015 at 10:09 pmI don’t have a cat but if I won I would donate it all to our local animal shelter
Brenda Penton says
June 23, 2015 at 4:53 amThanks for the chance. I have 3 kitties who could use this, they are all a little pudgy.
Laila and Minchie says
June 23, 2015 at 9:07 amThat looks so good it would be very easy to maintain a healthy weight eating it!
jill rivera says
June 23, 2015 at 9:50 amAfter Max had his surgery because crystal form in his bladder he is on a grain free diet.
susannah says
June 23, 2015 at 12:59 pmWe have 2 very large very loving cats who might benefit from this giveaway… :0
Wendi says
June 23, 2015 at 8:54 pmGREAT GIVEAWAY!!!!!!! love to be able to donate!!
Nicole Carter says
June 23, 2015 at 10:19 pmThank you for the giveaway! My kitties could lose a pound or two.
laurie murley says
June 23, 2015 at 11:02 pmthanks for such a great opportunity, and for the chance for a shelter pet to have a second chance.
Cat Hare says
June 24, 2015 at 1:09 amOur kitty needs to lose some weight too. There was a Weruva flavor she liked but I can’t find it any more. It was some kind of tuna. They make very good products. I need to let her try some of the other choices.
Nancy Blue Moon says
June 24, 2015 at 9:29 amWow..Our kitty rescue here could really use this generous donation!
wen budro says
June 24, 2015 at 10:56 amThis looks like a wonderful cat food. I love that the quality is fit for human consumption. It looks healthy….without all the fillers and by-products that are so common in commercial cat foods.
Breanne says
June 24, 2015 at 12:55 pmThanks for the giveaway!
Shannon says
June 24, 2015 at 1:48 pmI think our cat is mostly fur and not fat but she does like her treats so I don’t think a lower calorie food would be a bad idea.
Sharon says
June 24, 2015 at 7:24 pmLooks like my Bella is overweight too. The Werruva cat food sounds like something she would love. Glad it worked for your cat and my cat is a gravy lover to boot, so I’m sure she’d love this real food solution. Before this, I had a rescue cat that a vet prescribed high fiber food to help loose weight. This is a much better and tastier solution for my Bella!
Lisa V. says
June 24, 2015 at 8:23 pmMy cats would appreciate the food and my local shelter would love the donation.
Laurie Nykaza says
June 24, 2015 at 8:30 pmMy 4 cats can would just love this food ! I really like them giving a donation to a shelter too.
Missy Bates-Roberts says
June 24, 2015 at 9:08 pmI would love to try this for my big boy Fred! He is so overweight but gets so mean when we try to put him on a diet! He loves his food so we decided we would rather have him be fat and happy!
Cherry City kitties says
June 24, 2015 at 9:41 pmWe’d love to NOM on some Weruva and get some for our shelter kitty friends!