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Vet warning on fat cats

Posted on June 18, 2008, 5:05pm and updated on June 26, 2008 at 12:46 pm

Fat cat
Alarming new statistics on animal obesity show cats and dogs are following in their owners’ footsteps.
According to the RSPCA, 33pc of cats and 4pc of the nation’s dogs are either overweight or obese, with poor diet and lack of exercise the main concerns.

Meanwhile, 41.2pc of Australian adults over the age of 25 are obese, which suggests unhealthy human lifestyles are being mirrored in pets.

South East Vet Services veterinarian Dr Leander McLennan said she had seen a large number of overweight animals come to the surgery.

“I think the human obesity epidemic is causing overall family obesity, which transfers to our pets,” Dr McLennan said.

“But it is not just cats and dogs. We also see a lot of overweight birds, rabbits and horses.”

Dr McLennan said there were many reasons why obesity in pets was increasing, but the amount they were fed seemed to be the key factor.

“You look at the amount we are feeding our pets and we don’t take into consideration how much smaller they are,” she said.

“People also think that giving treats is showing affection, but there are many other ways to show affection rather than feeding them.”

Dr McLennan said there were many health risks associated with animal obesity including osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, type two diabetes and some cancers, which made the issue even more serious.

“Seeking the best nutritional advice for your pet so they lose a safe amount of weight is the best option and always remember to provide your pet with exercise,” Dr McLennan said.

“People often think you can’t exercise cats because they can’t go for walks but there are options for all animals such as spending time to play with them or buying them toys that enforce activity.”

Mount Gambier resident Benito Lupinelli’s cat Ben is 8.5kg overweight.

“I used to feed him lots of gourmet food, like veal, all the time,” Mr Lupinelli said.

He now buys low calorie pellets from the vet and Ben has lost half a kilogram since starting his diet.

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