“Well-fed pets are so cute,” you say. It is not for nothing that there are so many videos and memes with fat cats on the network – sheer fun and “duck-ways”!
However, it is important to remember that behind the soft shapes and rounded muzzle can hide serious diseases caused by prolonged wearing of excess weight. Obesity is the number one problem among Russian cats – 26% of animals suffer from it. Experts at Royal Canin tell you how to recognize and what to do with your pet’s curvy shape.
Scientific Communications Manager Royal Canin, PhD in Veterinary Science
1. First you need to see the full picture of what is happening. Try feeling your pet’s ribs. If they are easily felt, but not obvious to the eye, but the waist is visible, your pet is at the ideal weight. If the ribs are difficult to see or feel, and the waist is barely visible, the cat is overweight. The ribs are not groped and the waist is absent – the pet is obese.
2. Find out how much your cat weighs. To do this, you can first weigh yourself, and then together with the cat – the difference in the readings will mean the weight of the pet. Based on this data, you can calculate the Body Mass Index (FBMI) on your own or during a visit to your veterinarian to find out the ideal weight for your cat. But since cats are very different depending on the breed, then It is recommended that you use the Body Condition Score (BCI), which is easy to find on the Internet.
What can you do to help your cat lose weight?
Be sure to contact your veterinarian for nutritional advice. After that, you can introduce several rules at home to help reduce the weight of the animal.
Weigh the food carefully on a kitchen scale. Remember: a few extra croquettes a day can seriously affect your cat’s weight. Choose a diet that matches her activity level and lifestyle.
Don’t give your cat a treat every time she asks for it. Often times, pets do not require food, but attention and play. If you do provide treats, remember to cut back on portions of your main feed or choose a reduced calorie diet food.
Divide the total daily feed intake into several feedings (ideally 1/3 of the daily feed in the morning and the remaining 2/3 in the evening). Cats, unlike dogs, eat in small portions, but quite often, up to 20 times a day.
Remember to play with your cat to help it move and use up more energy. You can buy “cat trees”, put a bowl of food in a hard-to-reach place, or purchase special feeding toys. It is important that there should be no sudden and prolonged physical exertion.
Weigh the cat regularly and monitor its fatness in order to take timely measures to normalize its weight if necessary.
The ribs are not groped and the waist is absent – the pet is obese.
Avoid standard bowls, especially large ones. Consider using a bowl with a raised bottom that slows down the feeding process, a smart maze feeder, or a dispensing ball. If you have multiple cats, individual food dispensers with a built-in microchip ID are a good choice.
All family members should follow these guidelines. If you follow all the rules, and someone still gives the cat extra treats, the effectiveness of the fight against excess pounds is significantly reduced.
Upon completion of the self-isolation regimen, Royal Canin conducted a study among owners of cats and dogs and calculated the waist index of pets: it was 5,3 points, which meets the criterion of a healthy norm. Interestingly, most Russians believe that the self-isolation regime and constant stay at home did not affect the shape of their pets in any way. Two-thirds are sure: the build was and has remained excellent. At the same time, 14% note that the pet has lost weight, and 19% admit the fact of gaining excess weight.
Also, in order to provide each owner with the opportunity to evaluate the shape of the pet and get a free consultation of a professional nutritionist for his pet, the company launched #TaliaChallenge – a social flash mob on Instagram, during which the user must assess the pet’s fatness on a point scale, share a photo and his rating on a personal account with the challenge hashtags. A nutritionist will assess the pet’s condition based on a photo with a hashtag and give his recommendations in Direct.