How to Guide Your Cat Back to a Slim Figure

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Estimates are that 61% of cats in the U.S. are overweight or obese; obesity is both a primary disease and the root cause of many other debilitating diseases
• Researchers recently published a study in which they looked at the effect of overeating and weight gain on cats’ GI transit time and fecal microbiota, and learned that as cats ate more and gained weight, GI transit time was reduced, and so was digestive efficiency
• The study co-authors observed that when the cat’s body gets less food, it is more efficient in extracting nutrients, but when the amount of food increases, it passes through the digestive system faster and fewer nutrients are extracted in the process
• To help cats lose weight, they should be fed a portion-controlled, nutritionally complete, fresh, meat-based diet formulated for less active cats, offered limited treats, and encouraged to engage in daily physical exercise