Why neutered indoor cats drift upward
Neutering lowers a male cat's energy needs at the same moment his appetite often rises, and indoor life removes the other half of the equation — the roaming, climbing, and hunting that once burned what he ate. The result is a slow drift rather than a sudden gain: a little extra in the bowl each day, a few treats for being charming, and meals topped up by whoever passes the kitchen. None of it looks like overfeeding in isolation, which is exactly why a vet's weight advice for this cat is about systems at home, not willpower at the bowl.
Measure the ration, and put treats inside it
Start by weighing his food rather than scooping by eye; cup measures vary far more than owners expect, and a kitchen scale removes the argument. Whatever daily amount your vet has advised becomes the whole budget — meals and treats together — so if he gets treats for training or medication, that food comes out of the day's ration instead of being added to it. Split the ration into set meals at set times rather than leaving a full bowl down all day, because scheduled meals make it visible, to you and to him, what has actually been eaten and what is still to come.
Solve the multi-feeder problem
In many homes the cat is not overfed by one person but by a household: one member feeds breakfast, another assumes he has not eaten and feeds again, and his convincing performance at the food cupboard wins a third. Agree one simple rule — whoever feeds him records it — and put the day's measured food in a single container each morning, so the container itself shows how much of the budget is gone. An empty container at six in the evening ends the debate kindly and factually. This is the unglamorous heart of weight management for a cat with several devoted humans.
Add movement an indoor cat will actually accept
Exercise advice fails when it imagines a different cat. Most indoor cats hunt in short bursts, so two or three brief play sessions built around a wand toy, timed just before meals to mimic the hunt-then-eat rhythm, will move him more than a long session he walks away from. Rotate toys so yesterday's mouse is not today's furniture, use stairs, tunnels, and a tall scratcher as terrain, and consider scattering a few pieces of his measured kibble to find rather than serving every bite in the bowl. Stop while he is still interested; a game ended early gets asked for again tomorrow.
Weigh, watch his shape, and report back honestly
Weigh him on a regular rhythm your vet suggests — many owners weigh themselves holding the cat, then without — and keep the numbers rather than trusting impressions, because gradual change is invisible day to day. Run your hands over his ribs and look at his waist from above and the side; your vet can show you what a healthy outline feels like for his build. If the numbers stall or climb despite honest measuring, take the food log back to the clinic rather than cutting further on your own, and using KinsLe Care Teams to assign his meals and play sessions means each one is timestamped when done, so the vet sees a truthful record of the routine, not a hopeful summary.