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Understanding Obesity and weight loss for cats
Cats are naturally one of the most elegant and flexible animal. They are acrobatic and co-ordinated.
Compare that to many of our modern day house cats.
Overweight, and lazy.
They waddle around from the food bowl, to the litterbox, then back to the couch. We have them overfed, and inactive.
There is so much obesity in the domesticated cat population, estimated at over 30%! That is a lot of fat cats! Unfortunately its affecting their health in similar ways to how obesity affects ours.
So firstly, how do you even know if your cat is obese and needs to loose weight?
Sometimes it can be really hard to tell just by looking at them. They can be covered in a thick fluffy coat that hides their actual condition, and as a society, we are so used to seeing overweight pets, that it has become normal, and a ideally conditioned cat can appear “skinny”.
Firstly, weigh your cat. A health average domestic cat weighs 4-5Kg. If your cat is a particularly small build, or a large build cat, they can be a Kilo over, or under respectively.
They will all vary slightly, so it’s always a good idea to combine weight and condition scoring. This is the best way to tell if your cat is overweight. It doesn’t matter the frame size of your cat, you should be able to identify if they are overweight with this method.
Condition scoring is a really simple exercise you can do at home. you can download my body conditioning infographic here.
Condition scoring
You can even disguise it as affection. Firstly, look down on your cat. Like a birds eye view. They should have two straight lines for their sides. No bulging rounded tummies out the sides. They should be streamline. Then have a feel for the ribs. Apply gentle pressure around their rib area. They should be easily felt. If they are not easily felt, and instead of ribs, its soft and squishy, you have an overweight cat.
A cat does have a flap of skin on the belly, called the primordial pouch. This is a special area of loose skin on the abdomen. This is similar to the tissue on the scruff of the neck. It is composed of fatty tissue and loose skin.
Because this is made up of some fatty tissue, in an obese cat this can get bigger. When condition scoring a cat, the primordial flap needs to be taken into account, and not mistaken for a fat tummy.
Beware of teeth that may come out around the tummy area- especially if you call them fat.
In my experience as a nutritionist, people don’t like to learn that their cat is overweight. But try to be objective about it. It’s really for their own good for them to be kept trim. If they are overweight, they should go on a weight loss program.
If you are not confident condition scoring your own cat, ask the vet next time they are getting a check-up.
So my cat is obese? so what's the problem, and why do they need weight loss?
I am often asked how important is it really if they are a little overweight? Or what is they are obese? Why do they need to loose weight? They seem so content sitting on the couch, and sleeping all day. So let’s look at the problems with obesity in the cat.
An overweight cat is uncomfortable. They can have trouble grooming, and maintaining their coat. They can have difficulty breathing and suffer from more arthritis and joint pain.
There are also the more serious risks, such as liver disease, hypertension and poor immune function. They can also be much higher risk when under anaesthesia.
They also have a high risk of insulin dependent diabetes, which means they may require insulin injections daily, and close monitoring and blood test.
Why is my cat overweight?
There are a few reasons why cats are overweight. It’s a combination of overfeeding, low activity levels, modern lifestyles and even potentially hormonal changes due to de-sexing.
Although cats often sleep a large portion of the day, they are naturally active animals when awake. Cats living with humans are usually contained, which can lead to boredom and inactivity. When they are bored, they will want to eat more. The food commonly fed to cats is also high in carbohydrate, which is often converted straight to fat.
What can be done for an obese cat?
If you have an obese cat that needs to loose weight, start with a full health assessment consultation with your vet. Check for any health complications which may be present, and may need closer monitoring during a weight loss program. Get a starting weight, and then work out what their ideal weight would be.
Their new diet should be based around 60-75% of their recommended calorie requirements at their ideal weight. This is the weight we are trying to achieve. This might seem like a fair bit less than they are used to eating. They will tell you they are starving as the plead with you every time you go the cupboard or the fridge. Just gently remind them it’s for their own good, and stay strong.
If you are a big treat feeder. Incorporate their treats into the 75% of their daily calorie allowance. Treats can quickly undermine a weight loss program, for cats and humans alike.
Break their daily requirements into 2-3 meals over the day. This will be much more satisfying for them than one large meal a day, followed with fasting for 12 hours. Feed them their 2-3 meals a day, and ignore those incessant cries of hunger.
The second part of any weight loss program in increasing their level of exercise. If they are showing no interest in their current toys, buy some new ones and play with them. It’s much more fun when you are playing too.
A laser pointer or a torch is also a great way to get them moving, and chasing. This can increase the level of exercise possible with a hand help toy you bounce around. You can have them jumping over furniture and climbing up their scratching post (or your curtains). Have a play session a couple of times a day. They will get more out of it than one long session.
A quick note of caution. Cats have a unique metabolism, and they are at risk of fatal hepatic lipidosis if weight loss is approached too fast, and they are allowed to go too hungry. It’s important to have your vet on board with a weight loss program, and have regular check-ups to see how they are going. A regular weigh in can keep you on track, and indicate if you need to adjust their calorie intake.
If you have an overweight cat, and would like more information about weight loss for cat programs, please let me know.
you can also book your cat in for a consultation and we can create an individualised program for them.
Give your cat a pat for me x
Kerrie