Frequently Asked Questions on Feline Obesity

Q

A

How do I adapt the cat to the diet?

A weight loss program involves modifying the composition of food (hypoenergetic and high protein) and controlling the quantity of food offered on a daily basis. Since satiety depends primarily on the quantities consumed, many cats have difficulties in consuming a reduced amount of food. Therefore, for some cats it may be necessary to acclimatize them to the reduced intake and new food. In this respect, a ~7-day period of gradual change is usually successful. If a cat refuses a particular food, it may be possible to improve acceptance by temporarily adding a small amount of the previous diet. Alternatively, a different formulation (moist diet) of weight loss diet could be chosen or a home-made devised.

Are there any alternatives to commercial weight loss diets?

It is feasible to develop a home-prepared weight loss diet for cats which is balanced and meets NRC requirements. However, it is the veterinarians duty to advise on such rations and to ensure that the chosen recipe meets nutritional requirements.

Some owners would prefer not to change the food of their cat to avoid behavioral issues or because their cat is a very capricious eater: should this attitude be encouraged?

A maintenance diet meets all nutritional needs when energy requirement is "normal". In the case of a non obese cat weighing 3.5 kg at maintenance, the daily protein contribution will be 16.2 g, 0.4 g of phosphorus and calcium, and 26 mg of taurine. For an obese cat with a target weight of 3.5 kg, the energy restriction imposes an allowance of 126 (36 kcal/kg IBW x 3.5kg) kcal ME per day, instead of 210 kcal ME for maintenance (60 kcal/kg IBW x 3.5 kg). If the same food is fed, the cat will consume 9.4 g of protein per day, 0.2 g of phosphorus and calcium, 15 mg of taurine. Since these amounts are lower than the recommended daily allowance for a cat (NRC, 2006), feeding such a diet over a prolonged period could lead to deficiencies, in particular with regard to nitrogen balance. Moreover, in order to enable such a low level of energy to be consumed, the daily allocation will need to be only 30 g! Most owners would struggle to accept such a proposal. Hence, using a standard maintenance diet is an inappropriate means of treating obesity during a weight loss program. Although concerns over diet palatability are a reason frequently cited by owners for not implementing a weight loss program, lack of diet palatability is rarely a problem for most of the commercial diets on the market if introduced gradually.

How do I manage obesity for a cat in a multi-pet household?

(© Lucile Martin)

Whilst it is difficult enough to instigate an effective weight reduction plan in a cat living alone, multi-cat households represent a particular challenge. One option would be to feed all cats the same (e.g., weight reduction) diet. However, it is likely that group-feeding was one of the factors that allowed the obese cat(s) to become overweight in the first place; in this respect, if food is left out for all cats to share, the tendency is that greedy cats over-eat at the expense of cats with better appetite control. Therefore, in order for an owner to guarantee that all cats maintain their body weight excess food must be left out allowing some of the cats to over-eat.

Thus, the only solution is to instigate individual feeding plans for each cat. This can be done in the following ways:

- Feed the cats in separate rooms or locations

- Feed the cats in the same locality but supervise them at all times and pick up feed bowls as soon as each cat stops eating

- Feed cats at different times

- Put the food for the cat(s) in normal body condition is a location where the obese cat(s) cannot reach. For instance, food could be placed in an elevated position if the obese cat is unable to climb; alternatively, the food could be placed in a box with an opening that only the normal cats can fit through.