Written by Dr Amanda Auricht

Obesity is the most common form of malnutrition in cats

More than one third of cats in most countries in the world, including Australia, are either overweight or obese.

Our pets lifestyles are becoming more sedentary, and devoted owners often provide high quality food ad lib resulting in a high incidence of excessive weight gain.  Excess body weight has negative effects on health, and evidence is mounting for strong associations between body fat content and numerous diseases.

Fat cats are prone to diabetes, musculoskeletal problems, dermatitis, lower urinary tract disease and hepatic lipidosis.

Fat cats also have a shortened lifespan and prove to be a greater anaesthetic risk.

This means that the prevention and treatment of obesity is THE most important goal of feeding cats.

However, achieving weight loss is not easy! Slow and steady is the way to go

The underlying concept of obesity management is simple. Weight loss occurs whenever daily energy expenditure exceeds daily consumption of calories. This means that fat cats need to eat less and move more.

So, how do we achieve this?

Here are a few tips.

• Remember that dry food has three times the calories of wet food
• Try to feed multiple small meals rather than ad lib feeding as this mimics normal feline feeding behaviours
• Provide food in foraging devices, food balls or puzzle feeders thus providing mental stimulation and energy expenditure when eating
• Provide food in multiple locations so the cat has to move around to access the food
• Play more with your cat-wand toys to stalk and pounce on, many cats can be taught to retrieve, ping pong balls are great to play with. Spending time playing with your cat also increases quality of life.
• Provide more opportunity for exercise, climbing towers, scratching posts, outdoor enclosures, many cats will happily learn to walk outside on a harness and a lead
• Some cats will love to chase bubbles
• Children often love being given the task of exercising a cat
• Aim for 20-30 minutes of exercise per day divided into two or three sessions
• Completely balanced prescription diets are also available to assist with weight loss, some are high in fibre and others high in protein but low in carbohydrates. The staff at the Animal Medical Centre will be able to help you decide which diet is the correct one for your cat.