Although the phrase “fat cat” often refers to somebody wealthy and privileged enough to contribute large amounts of money to a particular political campaign – let’s not talk politics here, let’s just talk veterinary medicine.
Depending on the study cited, side effects from overweight cats are arthritis, diabetes, fatty liver disease, lower urinary tract disease, and a shortened life span. But what causes this and how can it be prevented?
Spayed and neutered pets receive many benefits including decreased risk of certain cancers, less straying, and less fighting. The benefits to the owners are also numerous- less spraying, less aggression, and most importantly a reduction in the number of unwanted litters. However, there is one effect of spaying and neutering that is not discussed enough, and that is the lowered metabolism which begins immediately after surgery. This puts the FULL responsibility of weight gain on the owner’s shoulders. So what can you do to help?
The first thing to do is to stop free-feeding. This can be a difficult lifestyle change for some, but free access to food all the time is similar to offering an all-you-can-eat-buffet (and we all know there is a tendency to eat far too much in such a setting). The next is to NOT follow the feeding instructions on the bags or cans of cat food you purchase. According to Debra L. Zoran DVM, MS, Phd, DACVIM in an article titled “Feline Obesity: Clinical Recognition and Management” published in the Compendium veterinary journal in June 2009 most cat food labels are based on young, active, non-spayed and non-neutered cats. This is the same thing as a fifty year old couch potato being told they need the same calorie intake as a twenty-five year old in training for a triathlon. Therefore, these cat food labels tend to recommend feeding 30% MORE than necessary for the average indoor cat with a relatively leisurely lifestyle.
Other general recommendations to help cats either lose weight or maintain a healthy weight are to feed smaller amounts at more frequent times throughout the day (this gets difficult on weekends off, but there are timed feeders available for purchase), make food times more work and more interesting for cats (toys that dump out kibble as the cat plays with them, etc), and feeding less overall per day (30% less than recommended on the label). Some sources advise using a canned food diet rather than a dry diet to get a higher protein to carbohydrate ratio.
Hopefully this short commentary will either give you some ideas to try at home or bring up some questions you wish to have answered with more discussion. Please call Quarry Hill Park Animal Hospital at 285-1059 if you have any such questions.