Mary Allen
How can you tell if a cat is overweight? For this, not only the scales should be used, but above all a critical look at the cat.
General description
Obesity is often only derided as a small blemish, but obesity is a serious disease and reduces the life expectancy of cats. Being overweight promotes, among other things: diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders as well as cardiovascular diseases, and urinary tract problems.
The ideal weight for a European Shorthair cat is around 3.4 kg for a female and 4.3 kg for a tomcat. If the current weight is 10-20% over the ideal weight, one speaks of overweight, if over 20% of obesity.
How do I know if my cat has gained weight?
The ribs can be felt easily but are not visible and are covered with a thin layer of fat? Seen from above you can see a clearly recognizable waist? Is there a small fat pad on the stomach? These are all easily ascertainable criteria for a cat of normal weight.
In an overweight cat, the ribs can hardly be felt, a waist can at best be guessed at from above, and there is a pronounced layer of fat on the stomach.
If you can no longer see a waist, but see a rounded belly silhouette from above, the ribs can hardly be felt and there are pronounced fat deposits on the belly in the form of a sagging belly, then the cat is obese. These cats have a “serious” problem.
Causes
The cause of obesity is easy to explain. The cat takes in more energy than it uses. But how does this happen?
Lack of exercise (especially in indoor cats), frequent administration of treats in addition to the actual daily ratio, and castration are some of the many reasons for obesity.
So how much energy does a cat need? The amount that an adult cat with 3.5 kg (ideal weight) needs as a daily requirement is approx. 0.97 MJ, i.e. approx. 231 kcal.
This corresponds to approx. 200-230g of commercially available wet food or approx. 100g of wet food and 20g of dry food or 50g of dry food.
Tips for the right diet
In order to achieve a healthy weight loss, it is not enough to simply reduce the amount of food. In general, wet food is more filling than dry food because it is more voluminous due to the water content. In cats, saturation occurs mechanically through stretching of the stomach; bulky food with a low energy density can achieve rapid saturation with moderate calorie intake. This is much better given with wet food than with dry food.
Dry food has a very high energy density and a maximum of 10 – 15 g should be fed per day if feeding wet food alone is not possible. It should be noted that when switching from dry food to wet food, the cat’s water intake is reduced, please do not be alarmed.
Small portions of food should be fed several times a day, this corresponds to the natural eating behavior of the cat. The feed portions should be weighed out or a measuring cup used, otherwise, the amount is often underestimated or overestimated.
A scale that also measures in 10 g increments is very helpful for weight control. Baby scales are well suited. A weight loss of 1-2% per week is ideal.
The goal is to gradually lose weight by reducing the daily calorie count by 30-40%. In the case of extremely overweight cats, the increase is only 20 – 30%, as otherwise the liver can be overloaded and liver failure can occur (hepatic lipo does) if the liver is flooded with too many fatty acids that are produced as a result of fat breakdown. It usually takes 6 months to reach the ideal weight.
It should be switched to a protein-rich and low-fat feed, otherwise, the breakdown of muscles instead of fat can occur. Fat contains twice as many calories as protein. The fat content of the feed should be less than 1%.
For orientation:
Conventional dry food contains approx. 390 – 430 kcal/ 100 g
Conventional wet food with a fat content of 3% contains approx. 83 kcal/100 g
Conventional wet food with a fat content of 0.8% contains approx. 60 kcal/100 g
By adding feed cellulose, the volume of the meal can be increased, which leads to faster saturation. Cellulose has a high water-binding capacity and is one of the dietary fibers. Roughage stimulates intestinal activity and leads to reduced digestibility of the feed. 0.5 – 1 g of cellulose per kilogram of body weight can be given per day. In general, you can say 1 heaped teaspoon of cellulose per meal. The amount should be increased slowly at the beginning to check the tolerability. It is advisable to mix the feed cellulose with water and then add it to the feed.
L-carnitine, a compound of the amino acids cysteine and methionine, plays an important role in fat burning. The addition of 50 – 100 mg L-carnitine per animal per day promotes fat burning and reduces muscle breakdown.
Last but not least: Sufficient exercise should be ensured, especially with indoor cats. Play times should be firmly planned, toys that just lie around are of no interest to cats. Clicker training also promotes movement.