Pet Health: Ask the Kitty Guru

Question: I am a seven year old domestic longhair neutered male. Yesterday my people took me to the vet for my annual vaccinations and exam. I am in good health except for the fact that I weigh sixteen pounds. My vet said that I need to lose five pounds! That sounds like a lot to lose. How much should cats weigh? Is it true that there are health risks for overweight cats? And what can my people do to help me lose weight?

Answer: Yours is unfortunately an all too common problem. Obesity is the number one nutritional disease seen in American cats. Most cats should weigh between eight to eleven pounds unless they are an unusually large breed such as the Maine Coon. While five pounds may not sound like a geat deal to a human, for a cat it is a considerable amount. Overweight cats are four-and-a half times more likely to develop diabetes, seven times more likely to visit the veterinarian for lameness resulting from joint disease or muscle injury, and three times more likely to have non-allergic skin conditions, than cats of normal weight. Obesity puts added strain on the cat's heart and increases the risk associated with surgery. Perhaps most frightening are the findings from one study that obese cats are twice as likely to die between the ages of 6 to 12 years than cats of normal weight. Humans are peculiar about obesity. They find it unattractive and undesirable in themselves and other humans, but oftentimes they seem to think that overweight cats are appealing and comical. Hopefully your humans are becoming enlightened about the many risks facing an overweight cat, and are truly committed to helping you attain your correct weight.

Reducing weight involves two key elements: (1) reducing the amount of calories taken in and (2) burning more calories than are taken in. It sounds simple but oftentimes it is far from simple when you take into consideration the method used by many humans to feed their cats. All too often people allow cats to feed "free choice". They keep a dish filled with dry cat food available at all times so they really have no idea how much food the cat is consuming in a day. It would be far better if these owners could get into the habit of feeding their cats two or three measured meals each day. Cats can become use to eating two meals a day and there are many benefits to feeding them this way.

First of all, they know how much the cats are consuming (imperitive to weight reduction), and they know that the cats are eating. Anorexia in cats, particularly overweight cats, can be very dangerous (this is why humans should never put cats on a crash diet). Cat owners need to be sure that their cats are eating, and that can be difficult to determine if the cat is fed free choice. Make it a family rule not to give kitty treats or table scraps. If an overweight cat is always begging for more food the amount of canned food given can be increased (it is mostly water and contains less calories than dry food), just remember to decrease some of the dry food. When it comes to exercise cats can be notoriously difficult to motivate. Kitties tend to want to conserve energy, particularly if we are overweight and find movement difficult. People will need to be creative when trying to motivate overweight adult cats. Usually interactive toys work best, and remember to start slowly and work up to several minutes of kitty aerobics each day. Obese cats cannot and should not play for very long at first but will be able to work up gradually. Any weight reduction program should be monitored closely by your veterinarian. There are many excellent low calorie, high fibre cat foods available today and your vet will be able to recommend the best one for your particular needs.

It is also important for your person to schedule regular weight checks with your veterinarian. Weighing cats at home on human scales just doesn't work because cats are too small for an accurate reading. Helping cats lose weight requires patience-not a strong suit for many humans. Most safe weight loss efforts for cats take a year. Commited cat owners must stand firm and be patient but the results are well worth it!