# Fat cats: Felines heavier now than in 1990s



## David Baxter PhD (Jul 19, 2019)

*Fat cats: Felines heavier now than in 1990s, study finds*
_CBC News_
July 18, 2019

*Obesity a concern for people and cats*






_Chester the cat rests in his favourite spot, a weight scale, at The Connoisseur, a store in Port Aransas, Texas, back in 2006.  (George Gongora/Corpus Chrisit Caller-Times/Associated Press)_

A  new study involving more than 19 million cats from across Canada and  the United States suggests most of the animals continue to put on weight  after they reach adulthood, and their heaviest weight is higher now  than it was two decades ago.

  Researchers at the Ontario  Veterinary College at the University of Guelph analyzed 54 million  weight measurements taken at vet offices between 1981 and mid-2016 to  get a sense of the typical weight gain and loss pattern over the course  of a cat's life.

  They say the study, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association this week, is the first of its kind to use such a large pool of data.

  Overall,  the data showed cats' mean weight reached its peak between six and 10  years of age for the most common purebred breeds — Siamese, Persian,  Himalayan and Maine coon — and at eight for domestic cats of mixed  ancestry.

  Male cats generally hit higher weight peaks than  female cats, and cats that were spayed or neutered tended to be heavier  than those that weren't.

  The findings showed a difference of  about one kilogram between age one and the peak. As well, the mean  weight of neutered, eight-year-old domestic cats rose about 1/4 of a  kilogram between 1995 and 2005 and then remained steady for the next  decade.

  "It might not seem like much, but half a pound is still a significant amount for a cat," said lead author Adam Campigotto.

  The  study is meant as a starting point for further research and did not  look at what caused the changes in weight, nor did it establish what a  healthy weight is, said Campigotto.

  He said some possible, untested explanations for the shift include:


More people may have begun to keep their cats indoors during that time period. 
Improvements were made to the palatability of cat food. 
Changes in pet owners' feeding behaviours. 
  "Treats can have a big impact on weight for their animals and often people associate giving treats as a kind of love," he said.

  The  researchers said slightly more than half the cats involved in the study  had only one weight measurement in their veterinary file, which they  said suggests the animals' owners may not have scheduled regular vet  visits or may have switched clinics.





_Changes  in the palatability of cat food could be contributing to an obesity  trend in North American cats, veterinary researchers say. (Rachel Denny Clow/Corpus Christi Caller/Associated Press)_

  However,  the sheer number of records collected meant researchers were able to  fill those gaps by combining all values for each year of age, the team  said.

  Another of the study's authors, Theresa Bernardo, who is  also a professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, said pet owners may  want to begin weighing their cats at home if it isn't being done at the  vet. Weight changes may be linked to other health issues such as  diabetes, some cancers and arthritis, though those correlations were not  drawn in this study, she said.

  "Obesity is a growing concern in  the human population as well as in many non-human animal species in  contact with people, including domestic cats," the study's authors  wrote.

  One of the next steps will be to look at how to manage cats' weight, Bernardo said.





_As more cats spend time indoors, they also tend to become more sedentary, says Dr. Scott Bainbridge. (CBC)_

  "We have another project where we're looking at using technology like automated feeders," she said.

  "In  many cases, there are multi-cat households and sometimes one cat is  eating a good share of the other cat's dinner, so there are feeders now  that will actually feed each cat separately, which helps you get a hold  of that kind of situation."

*'Food is love'*
  At  the Dundas West Animal Hospital in Toronto, Dr. Scott Bainbridge turned  to an automated feeder after their in-house cat, Bonnie, was lovingly  overfed by multiple staff members.

  Bainbridge, a veterinarian  who wasn't involved in the study, said he's observed similar changes as  the authors in his feline clients.

  "Food is love sometimes,"  Bainbridge said. "A way to show affection to your cat is to continue to  feed them and I think people have gotten away from actually measuring  how much food they're supposed to have."

  As more cats spend time indoors, they also tend to become more sedentary and put on weight, he said. 

  The  study's findings can help vets discuss health issues related to weight  with cat owners, the researchers said. More work is needed to explore  the links between cats' body weight and various conditions, they said.


----------



## Daniel (Jul 19, 2019)

You can also ask your vet for the Body Condition Score (BCS) for your cat (or dog).

Some vets recommend wet/canned food for obese cats.

Both my cats are picky eaters and are at ideal weight, unlike my dogs who beg constantly


----------



## David Baxter PhD (Jul 19, 2019)

I do have a bad habit of overfeeding cats, especially the Temptations cat treats and especially when I'm busy or sick and feeling guilty about not paying her enough attention.

However, my latest checkup at the vet, showing she has not lost any weight in a tear despite my making some minor changes to feeding, was a bit of an eye-opener for me, highlighted by the vet's caution that overweight cats are more susceptible to developing diabetes.

She's now on a real diet - less of everything, basically. I've cut down the portions of canned food a bit but I've cut more on the dry food (which is there for free feeding) and Temptations. I'm seeing results already after about 2 months. For one thing, she is able to groom herself better when she's slimmer.


----------



## Daniel (Jul 19, 2019)

To increase caloric output, just start gathering lizards and let your cat play with them in the living room  

Actually, I just found out a few weeks ago that lizards carry parasites, so now my cat who hunts them is on a topical that kills roundworms and other parasites.  (The wellness insurance pays for most of the cost, so the other cat is on it too just in case.)


----------



## David Baxter PhD (Jul 19, 2019)

She was actually a rescue cat from the Humane Society who had been lost or abandoned (twice: once as a kitten and once as a 6 year old) and on the streets twice. No doubt she has experience with various kinds of critters.

She is strictly an indoor cat now.


----------



## Bumblebean (Aug 3, 2019)

My cat is strictly indoor and even though she doesn't have much appetite she's "fat as a hog" (i quote vet tech friend). When i had infoor/outdoor cats none had weight issues. Except for male MCT


----------



## David Baxter PhD (Aug 3, 2019)

> she's "fat as a hog" (i quote vet tech friend)



How rude!


----------



## Bumblebean (Aug 3, 2019)

But true


----------



## Daniel (Dec 25, 2019)

Cold weather animal safety | American Veterinary Medical Association

Keep your pet at a healthy weight throughout the winter. Some pet owners feel that a little extra weight gives their pet some extra protection from cold, but the health risks associated with that extra weight don't make it worth doing. Watch your pet's body condition and keep them in the healthy range. Outdoor pets will require more calories in the winter to generate enough body heat and energy to keep them warm -– talk to your veterinarian about your pet's nutritional needs during cold weather.


----------



## Daniel (Mar 15, 2020)

The Unique Metabolic Adaptations and Nutrient Requirements of the Cat - ScienceDirect

When fed a dry food, cats replace only half their total daily water intake with drinking, in comparison to being fed a canned diet.  Studies have shown that dry diets are a risk factor for feline lower urinary tract disease. Consumption of canned foods leads to increased water consumption and diuresis, which results in lower supersaturation of stone-forming minerals. Canned diets have also been found to result in lower energy intake and body weight in cats; thus, canned diets may help promote weight loss.


----------



## David Baxter PhD (Mar 15, 2020)

That's basically what my vet told me. I feed Mindy Science Diet canned for older cats and Cloverleaf tuna mostly.


----------



## Daniel (Mar 15, 2020)

And the canned also helps prevent/delay kidney disease supposedly, which is rife in elderly cats:



> Feline Chronic Kidney Disease | Todays Veterinary Practice
> 
> Prevalence of feline CKD increases with age; as many as 30% to 50% of cats older than 15 years of age have CKD. Frequency of CKD in male and female cats is similar, but male cats are often diagnosed at a younger age than female cats.



BTW, my cats are so picky, they are not big on tuna.  They prefer to lick the gravy in their canned food, usually Friskies.


----------



## David Baxter PhD (Mar 15, 2020)

Daniel said:


> BTW, my cats are so picky, they are not big on tuna.  They prefer to lick the gravy in their canned food, usually Friskies.


Mindy is also picky.

She doesn't like tuna or other fish cat food. It must be human tuna, flaked, and well mashed up. I also add warm water to tune or canned food to make a gravy and ensure she gets more water that way.

By the way, on a hint from my son. I keep a second water dish in another room, away from where she eats. His theory is that in the wild cats don't like to drink near a kill, presumably because the kill might contaminate the water. Whatever the explanation, she prefers the remote dish of water and will actually eat and go into the other room to drink.


----------



## Daniel (Mar 15, 2020)

I did not know that about the contaminated kill water haha.   Fortunately I already have three water bowls throughout.     One of my cats only drinks water from the bowl in our bedroom area while the other cat is like the dogs and uses every bowl/location.


----------

