If your cat is carrying a little extra weight or has been classified as 'chubby' or 'obese' based on their Body condition score (BCS), you’re not alone. Weight gain is one of the most common health concerns in UK cats - and managing it safely can feel overwhelming.
Traditional feeding guidelines and generic portion sizes don’t work for every cat. That’s where our fresh, personalised meals make a real difference.
Unlike one-size-fits-all diets, KatKin is built around tailored portions and complete, high-protein recipes that help cats reach their ideal weight safely and sustainably.
Here’s how:
1. Personalised portions – controlled calories, every day
Every KatKin plan starts with your cat’s unique profile - age, weight, activity level and body condition score.
Our calorie calculator takes body condition score (alongside age, weight and lifestyle) into account to work out how many calories (rounded to the closest 50kcal) your cat needs to reach their ideal body weight gradually and safely.
So if you let us know your cat is ‘obese’ and ‘inactive’, we’ll factor that in when calculating their daily portion. If your cat is 'chubby' but 'extremely active', the calculator will take into account that they're burning additional calories.
Because calories are tailored to your cat’s needs rather than generic feeding charts:
You don’t need to work out how to reduce portions yourself - we do the maths for you.
Portions are precise, helping avoid accidental overfeeding.
Calorie targets are designed to support slow, steady weight loss - which is the safest way for cats to lose weight.
Rapid weight loss can be dangerous for cats, so our calculator is built to promote gradual progress, not drastic restriction.
2. Calorie awareness without compromising nutrition
When helping a cat lose weight, it’s essential to reduce calories - but never essential nutrients.
All of our recipes are made with 100% fresh, human-quality meat, gently steam cooked and frozen to preserve nutrition - with no grains, fillers or artificial ingredients.
Because our meals are complete and balanced:
Your cat still receives the correct levels of protein, vitamins and minerals - even when your cat is in a calorie deficit.
High protein content helps support lean muscle mass during weight loss.
Natural fats are included in appropriate amounts to maintain coat health and overall wellbeing.
Weight loss should never mean nutrient loss. With KatKin, calorie control doesn’t mean cutting corners.
3. High protein helps maintain muscle
Cats are obligate carnivores - meaning they are biologically designed to eat meat.
During weight loss, maintaining muscle mass is crucial. Diets that are too low in protein can cause cats to lose muscle along with fat.
KatKin’s meat-first recipes provide:
High-quality animal protein to help preserve lean muscle
Balanced fat levels to provide energy without excess
High moisture content to support hydration and digestive health
This balance helps ensure your cat loses fat - not muscle - as they work toward a healthier body condition.
👉 We include fat in our recipes as part of a cat's healthy, balanced diet - even during weight loss. Read more about why here.
4. Variety that supports consistency
Consistency is key when helping cats lose weight - but that doesn’t mean mealtimes need to be boring.
At KatKin, we offer a range of recipes from chicken and beef to fish and pork-based options.
You’re in control of your cat’s recipe selection:
If your cat enjoys variety, you can rotate flavours as often as you'd like to keep meals exciting.
If they prefer just one recipe, they can stick to a favourite while still receiving balanced and complete nutrition.
Keeping mealtimes enjoyable helps ensure your cat consistently finishes their carefully calculated portions - an important part of a successful weight-loss journey.
👉 Click here to learn how to update your cat’s recipe selection in your account.
5. Easy to update as your cat progresses
As your cat loses weight, their calorie needs might change - and that’s a positive sign of progress.
Your KatKin account makes it simple to adjust your cat’s details as their weight, body shape and activity level evolve, so their portion size can adapt alongside them. You might have even seen your cat become more active and playful, meaning their activity level also needs to be updated.
Why updates matter
Your cat’s:
weight
body condition score (BCS)
lifestyle
activity level
All influence how many calories they need each day.
By keeping these details up to date, our calorie calculator will suggest the most appropriate portion size for your cat’s current stage - whether they’re moving from obese to chubby, or transitioning into maintenance as they reach their ideal weight.
It’s important to know that we won’t automatically change portion sizes without your approval, as this can affect your plan price. Instead, once you update your cat’s details, we’ll suggest a new portion size and you can decide whether to apply it.
When to update your cat’s details
Regularly (a minimum of every month is ideal)- even small weight changes can affect calorie needs.
After vet visits - if your vet confirms weight loss or a new target weight.
When activity levels change - more active cats may require adjustments.
As weight goals are reached - to move from weight loss to maintenance.
How to update
You can update your cat’s details in your KatKin account by navigating to:
Manage plans → My Cats
From there, edit weight, body condition score and activity level.
After saving, scroll to daily calories to see the new suggested calorie amount, and select Change tray size if you’d like to apply the updated portion.
This ensures your cat’s plan stays fully tailored - supporting safe, sustainable weight loss and long-term health.
6. My cat still seems hungry and is begging for food
If you've let us know your cat is 'chubby' or 'obese' and they don't seem satiated by the portions of KatKin they've received in their trial box, this is really common behaviour.
Our calorie calculator will recommend a portion size to help your cat slowly and safely lose weight. This essentially means they'll be in a calorie deficit and may show additional signs of hunger or beg for more food in between meals. The nature of fresh recipes means they're often more satiating for cats compared to high-grain and lower-meat based cat food, but it can take some cats more time to adjust to physically smaller portions or less frequent meals.
Low calorie density recipes for cats with smaller appetites
Our 7 different recipes vary in calorie density depending on the ingredients in the meat (for example, pork tends to be more calorie-dense than chicken). This also means the weight of our portions vary too: 200kcal of Cluck weighs more than 200kcal of Oink.
Our recipes with lower calorie densities are:
Gobble
Cluck
Splash
Quack
These recipes all weigh more per 100kcal than Mooo, Oink and Baaa.
This naturally low calorie density means:
Cats with larger appetites may benefit from our low-calorie-density recipes, as they'll get the right amount of calories, from a larger portion. This can help make them feel fuller for longer (compared to our smaller portions of calorie dense recipes.)
A larger portion can still meet their calorie goals. This is especially helpful for cats who still seem hungry, but need to lose weight.
All of our recipes are complete and balanced, so you can rest peacefully knowing that your cat is getting the right amount of food for them, no matter how large their portions seem.
👉 Click here to learn how to update your cat’s recipe selection in your account.
Perception vs reality
It can be surprisingly difficult to accurately assess whether a cat is overweight.
Many cat parents underestimate their cat’s body condition (only 32% of owners perceive their cat as overweight, compared to the predicted 50-60%)
Before selecting ‘just right' when signing up for KatKin, we recommend following our guide to determining your cat’s Body condition score (BCS). Providing accurate information ensures we calculate the most appropriate portion size.
If you're unsure, our Cat Experts and In-house vet team are always happy to help.