The internet has developed a host of words to describe animals that are perhaps a little larger than they should be. Chonker, choncky, thicc, and absolute units are all phrases one might hear when seeing a pet that is particularly well-fed. 

It doesn’t take a genius to understand that, despite the cuteness, pets shouldn’t really be overweight. So here is a collection of before and after pics of cats whose owners did their best to help them lose weight. Get comfy as you scroll through and be sure to upvote your favorite examples and comment your thoughts below. 

#1 Chonk Is Going Into The New Year A Little Less Chonky

Image credits: bescaredwithme

#2 She Can Lick Her Bottom Again

Image credits: NewtonsKnickers

It’s not hard to see how some of these cats ended up in this situation. Just like us, cats have evolved to be out in the wild, finding food, perhaps chasing it and fighting. Instead, we all sit inside comfy, climate-controlled homes and have regular meals that are pretty calorie-dense. 

Plus, who doesn’t like a little snack? Most of us probably eat more than we should and move a lot more than we do. A housecat doesn’t exactly have access to the same physical activities that it would have in the wild. And since most of us love our pets, we always like to give them a little snack to munch on. 

#3 Adopted A Chunk And Now He's Shrunk

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#4 From Rotisserie Chicken To Chicken Tenderloin

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#5 Enzo’s Diet Has Been A Success

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So experts have a number of tips to help get your cat's health back on track. First and foremost, a food scale can be useful to understand just how much (or little) food they are getting. There is no one-size-fits-all scenario, as everything from the cat’s breed, gender and access to the outdoors will influence how much it needs to eat. 

#6 Chonky Boy JC At His Chonkiest Last Year (36.7 Pounds) And Last Month (Down To 18.4) - He's So Much Happier And Energetic These Days

Image credits: quattrophile

#7 The Dechonkification Of Freak. 2018 vs. 2023

Image credits: RaigarWasTaken

#8 Here’s Pepper Before And After Dechonkification

Image credits: semifragile

This is why it’s best to consult with an expert and perhaps show them the cat to get a better estimate. Since a random decrease in nutrition has its own risks and can add stress to the animal's life, which has its own host of health risks. That being said, there are definitely fatty snacks that can be cut wholesale from its diet. 

#9 From Fat Lucy To Fab Lucy! She Was Rescued Weighing 26 Lbs, But Now Is Back To A Healthy Weight

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#10 I Didn’t Realize How Much Weight He Had Lost Until This Old Picture Came Up In My Memories! Everyone Congratulate Simba For His Hard Work

Image credits: StoreBrandWaffle

#11 Cabbage In 2020 vs. 2021 - Chonker Transformation

Image credits: dongle-dan

Of course, a healthy lifestyle isn’t just eating less, it also involves more movement. While for humans this tends to manifest as a gym or at least more walking, it can be a tad harder to implement these changes for a cat. Getting a cat to use a treadmill is not going to work in most cases and the majority of indoor cats are going to remain indoor cats. 

#12 Quincy Is Still On Her Journey, But She Is Looking Much Healthier Of Late

Image credits: get_a_job_grouch

#13 River Is Down 2 Pounds! And Still Yelling For Food Like Always

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#14 Used To Be A Chonk

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So the onus of responsibility will fall upon the owner. The best bet is to get a few toys and see what the particular cat likes. Then have a few minutes of play sessions every day. Not only will this make the cat more active, but it’s good stimulation for its brain and it helps create a bond between the cat and the owner. 

#15 So Proud Of My Boy's Weight Loss

Image credits: NukaJuice

#16 Sybil's Chonk Status One Year Ago vs. Today. Good Job Sybil

Image credits: pussnbootz

#17 Before And After Chonk

Image credits: FixEverythingInPost

Additionally, it can help to introduce some more ways the cat can be active even when the owner is not around. Vertical spaces are a great option, particularly if the cat has to jump and climb its way up. Our feline buddies do like a height advantage, so this way savvy owners can “trick '' their pets into exercising more. 

#18 Everyone Say Hello To And Congratulate Hermione On Her Weight Loss Journey! She's Got A Bit Left To Go

Image credits: reddit.com

#19 Big Girl Is Down Another Pound - Down 9 Lbs (22 Lbs To 13 Lbs) Total. Just A Few More To Go

Image credits: cinemabears

#20 Garfield's Dechonkification

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As cute as we might find these chonkers, it’s not just their hearts that might be at risk when cats are overweight. Cats are naturally very clean animals, so a larger surface area and diminished dexterity due to size can actually cause them a lot of distress, as they can no longer properly clean themselves. 

#21 My Zeezee Has Lost Close To 10 Pounds In The Last Year And A Half! She's Finally Down To A Healthy Weight Again

Image credits: Sam_I_Am_Now

#22 When Bronson Was Heavy, His Paws Always Seemed Confused When He Stood Up, Like They Weren’t Exactly Sure What Their Job Was

Image credits: iambronsoncat

#23 Before And After Losing Almost 2 Kg. One Year Apart

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On top of that, they may suffer from my joint issues and have general mobility problems. This can create a sort of vicious cycle, where the cat doesn’t want to move, gains weight, and struggles to move even more. This is why it’s vital that the owners take preventative measures, or at least do their best to play with their cat regularly. If you don’t like playing with a cat but still own one, perhaps rethink your life choices. 

#24 Before And After Weight Loss For Our Fluff Chonk

Image credits: TheLifeOfReilly

#25 6-Month Difference

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#26 Ivy’s Weight Loss Journey. It Was A Struggle

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While many of the cats here are clearly too large to be healthy, a cat can be overweight and suffer from it without it being necessarily visible to its owner. This is why it’s best to see a professional or at least look through guidelines created by experts to get a better picture. One useful resource is the PDSA’s Pet Health Hub.

#27 My Chonky Boy Butters Is Almost At His Goal Weight Of 15 Pounds, Down From 20! After Almost 7 Months Of A Strict Diet He Only Has 0.8 More Pounds To Go

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#28 Down Two Pounds Since November! Started At 16.8 Lbs, Currently - 14.6 Lbs. Vet Said Target Is 12 But He’s Looking Very Fine

Image credits: reddit.com

#29 Kudos Are In Order For My Best Friend Bubba! I Hope This Will Keep You With Me For A Few More Years. Proud Of You Dude

Image credits: TheSpoodler

Ultimately, a healthy cat will live longer, which any pet owner should see as a good thing. So figure out if your cat needs to lose weight and then get a plan in place. And if you want some more inspiration, Bored Panda has got you covered, check out our other articles on different cat’s weight transformation journeys. 

#30 Chunky Was 6.2 Kg When We Adopted Her, After Being Left With Unlimited Food In The Shelter. Now She’s 4.4 Kg

Although taken at different distances you can see how much weight she’s lost over the past year. 

Image credits: beatricepotters

#31 Petite Girls Can Dechonk Too

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#32 We Just Hit Our End Of The Year Goal! My Little Meatball Lost 20% Of Her Body Weight This Year. We Have Maybe One More Pound To Go

Image credits: Late_Order_9834

#33 Tomorrow Marks One Year Of Sushi's Diet Journey! 3 Lbs Down But Just As Derp

Image credits: greenagemutantninja

#34 Duncan Is Dechonking While His Little Buddies Grow

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#35 Eloise’s Transformation From ~17.5 To Under 13. It Took A Lot Of Work, Experimentation, And Investment But I Can Tell She Is Much More Active And Happy

Image credits: Zeltron2020

#36 I Know He's Not Chonk Anymore But Look At His (Healthy, Vet Recommended) Weight Loss

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#37 Phoebe’s Weight Loss Journey Is Going Well

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#38 This Is Bella's Before And After. She Has Lost So Much Weight. She's Such A Happy And Playful Cat Now And Her Fur Is So Much Softer And Healthier

Image credits: bella_the_putt_putt_butt

#39 Vito's Journey From 17,2 To 14,8 Lbs. Looking Purrfectly Pawesome

Image credits: Tracy9Lives

#40 Progress Slowed To A Crawl These Last Couple Years, And She’s Still Just A Teensy Bit Heavy For Her Size, But She Has A Shiny Coat And A Clean Bill Of Health

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#41 My Baby’s Weight Loss After 1 Year Together

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#42 We’ve Moved Out Of My In-Laws’ So Nobody’s Overfeeding My River Now

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#43 Ash's Weight Loss Journey

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#44 I’m So Proud Of My Baby For Losing Weight! I Put Him On A Diet Recommended By A Vet And Look At Him

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#45 Big Boy Daemon Was Adopted At 25 Lbs, He's Now Down To 17 Lbs (6-Month Progress). 4 Lbs Left Until Weight Goal

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#46 What A Difference Or What. Galatea Lost Quite A Lot Of Weight

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#47 The Dechonkification Of Squid

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#48 My Proudest Weight Loss Picture To Date

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#49 Such A Good Progress

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#50 I Didn't Even Know How Active She Could Be Till She Was Dechonked

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#51 Dechonkification Progress! From 17.5 Lbs To 13.88 Lbs In About 1 Year! She’s Doing Amazing

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#52 Chunky Boy Lost Weight. Healthy Kitty Now

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#53 A Long Weight Loss Journey. Almost At Her Goal Weight

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#54 Leo: 26 Lbs To 18 Lbs Over The Course Of 2 Years

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#55 From 15.4 Lbs To 10.3 Lbs. She's Officially At Her Goal Weight! I'm So Proud Of My Little Kibble

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#56 1-Year Update. Our Chonker Isn't As Chonky Anymore

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#57 From Chonk To Fit. Down Over 2 Kilos

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#58 Slowly Dechonking Alan, Our Chunky Ginger Lad

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#59 Hudson Weight Loss Update! From 18 Lbs In April To 15 Lbs In September

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#60 Chonky Tonky Isn't So Chonky Anymore

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#61 Lulu - Dechonked From 14.5 Lbs To 7 Lbs

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#62 Jesse Has Successfully Shrunk. About A 1.5 Kg Loss

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#63 Adopted Mergo At 16.5 Lbs And She Is Now At Her Perfect Weight Goal Of 13 Lbs

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#64 From 26 Lbs To 18 Lbs

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#65 Oskar Dechonked About 85%

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#66 My 12-Year-Old Girl Weighed 13 Lbs Last November. Now She’s Less Than 10 Lbs

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#67 Wanted To Share My Boy's 5 Lbs Weight Loss Over The Past Two Years

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#68 Stewie In 2020 vs. 2023. We Stopped Letting Him Free-Feed And Instead He Gets 3 Small Meals A Day. Look At The Difference

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#69 Huge Congratulations To Kitty And Her Owner Jack For Helping Her Lose 2.2 Lbs And Reaching Her Target Goal Weight

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#70 Smolls The Day I Brought Her Home At 22 Lbs vs. Today At 12,6 Lbs

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#71 Chonky Boy Meatball Is Losing Weight

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#72 Mac Has Successfully Dechonked

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#73 My Handsome Holland Has Lost 5.5 Lbs Since My Fiancé And I Adopted Him Two Years Ago

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#74 Dechonked. Geralt Got The Green Light From The Vet To Go On A Maintenance Diet. No Longer A Chonky Boy

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#75 Bubba’s Dechonkification Has Led To Some Handsome Face Gains

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#76 Marco's Progress After 2 Years! 22 Lbs To 13 Lbs

It's been an incredibly long 2 years of him being on his diet, but it's incredible to see how much happier he seems and how much more active he is. We started weighing his food and have him on the Royal Canin satiety support.

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#77 Penny's Weight Loss 6 Months In

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#78 Ponyo Is Now 2 Pounds Less Than She Was At Her Highest-Recorded Weight

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#79 After 5 Months Of Dechonk, Pepper Is One Happy Cat

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#80 Successful Dechonk

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#81 Leo: 26lbs To 18lbs Over The Course Of 2 Years

#82 I Didn’t Realize How Much Weight He Had Lost Until This Old Picture Came Up In My Memories! Everyone Congratulate Simba For His Hard Work!

#83 Quincy Is Still On Her Journey, But She Is Looking Much Healthier Of Late