Obesity is a disease! Obesity is one of the biggest health threats to pets. Although chubby cats are cute, the risk of cat obesity is related to many diseases and short lifespans. Owners, please take it seriously!
Fat cats are “cute” in the eyes of their owners, but “dangerous” in the eyes of veterinarians! When a cat is overweight, the risk of suffering from diseases will increase, and it will even shorten the life span of the cat, cat owners must not be careful!
Come! First, evaluate whether your cat is fat?
- The lower abdominal line cannot be seen from the side
- Fat can be seen from any angle
- The waist is difficult to identify
- Tummy sagging
- I don’t like to move and don’t move often.
- Easy to breathe
Studies have shown that obesity makes cats susceptible to arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, urinary disease, skin problems, anesthesia complications and tumors. Overweight cats are twice as likely to develop diabetes as normal cats, and obese cats are four times more likely to develop diabetes. Surprisingly, the problem of cat obesity has swept the world. Many scientific studies have pointed out that more than 50% of cats in developed countries are overweight or obese. However, most owners are not aware that their pets are overweight.
Where does the meat come from? The causes of obesity revealed!
The reasons that make cats obese include breed, age, whether they are neutered or not, lifestyle, feeding methods and food content, etc. Even the owner’s lack of knowledge about the degree of obesity in cats may make cats obese without knowing it. Getting fat like a balloon.
The strong emotional attachment between owners and pets is a major cause of obesity. The following feeding behaviors of owners can easily lead to overweight pets:
★As long as pets beg for something, 54% of pet owners will often provide food.
★22% of pet owners sometimes overfeed because it makes their pets look happy.
★87% of pet owners do not accurately measure food portions and give their pets roughly the amount they think they need.
★Breaking air will make you gain weight. Dietary management after sterilization is key.
“It doesn’t eat a lot! Why is it still fat?” Many owners often wonder whether cats can get fat if they breathe air! ? The owner’s interpretation is not unfounded. Research has confirmed that neutered cats are 24% more obese than unneutered cats.
Say goodbye to fat, this is how fat cats lose weight!
●Adjust your cognition and understand the standard weight of cats:
The ideal weight range for cats proposed by the Institute of Zoologists is similar to the BMI body fat value of humans and is only a reference standard. Each cat may be different due to individual physiological conditions or disease history. Please ask a professional veterinarian to help evaluate your cat’s ideal weight goal.
●Losing weight is not a diet, it is dangerous not to eat:
If a cat does not eat for two consecutive days, it will be at risk of suffering from life-threatening fatty liver disease. Accurately calculate the calories needed by the cat at home, and provide a fixed amount of food every day, neither too much nor too little.
●Get rid of bad habits and manage your diet well:
Human food, too many snacks, or an all-you-can-eat lifestyle are the main reasons why cats can easily absorb too many calories. Please stop doting on your cat and help your cat establish new healthy eating habits.
●Balance and expenditure need to be balanced, and interaction between humans and cats is essential:
Fat cats usually have low energy and play interest, but if they continue to consume it without consumption, they will not be able to effectively lose weight. Make good use of your cat’s hunting instinct and use various games to keep your owner active!
●Continue to monitor your weight and adjust your plan:
When starting a weight loss program, be sure to monitor your weight at least once a month. If there is no significant decrease, try adjusting the amount, content, or amount of exercise you feed, and discuss weight loss strategies closely with your veterinarian.
●Family with multiple cats should pay attention to:
During the period of weight loss, obese cats may engage in behaviors such as grabbing food or hiding food. It is recommended that if you keep multiple cats, you need to feed them regularly and quantitatively, and make sure that fat cats cannot access the food bowls of other cats. For example, you can feed them in separate rooms, or let the cats eat at different heights. Make sure that there is no food left at home before going out.
Helping cats lose weight is a difficult but important challenge. It requires the joint efforts of veterinarians, owners and cats, and perseverance! I also remind the slaves who have not yet become parents of fat cats that good diet management and more exercise are still the constant ways of health!
3 myths about diet debunked
Is it okay for cats to eat some human food? This is very nutritious!
It’s miserable to only eat the same food every day, so help it change its taste from time to time!
Humans eat three meals a day, and cats should do the same to be healthy.
etc! Be careful! Your thoughts are probably just wishful thinking as a slave. Cats and humans are different species, and their habits and nutritional needs are naturally different. Regarding your master’s dietary needs, have you applied too many human viewpoints?
The following are common myths about the cat diet. Cat lovers, please put aside your prejudices and take a look together!
Picture: Eating picture: Cats eat on average up to ten times a day.
★Myth 1: Do cats love sweets? What a huge misunderstanding!
Have you ever had the following experience: your cat particularly likes the cakes, caramel puddings, and biscuits on your hands, and may even compete with you for food?
Animals can use taste receptors to judge whether food is worth ingesting. For many animals, bitterness represents a poison warning; sourness represents immaturity; sweetness is rich in sugar, which is associated with “calories” and “nutrition” in cats’ brains. ” and “food that can be eaten” are equated. Furthermore, delicious desserts in the hands of humans often add ingredients that cats like, such as cream, eggs, milk, etc., which are rich in meat protein and high fat, and cats are actually attracted to them.
In fact, scientific research has long proven that not only cats, but also large carnivorous cats such as tigers and cheetahs have no taste for “sweet” food. Therefore, the cat is not a sweet tooth because it cannot taste sweetness at all and just happens to be attracted to other ingredients. It should be noted that cats, as carnivores, cannot metabolize excess carbohydrates. If cats are fed sweets for a long time, it is likely to lead to periodontal and digestive system-related diseases. Afternoon tea, please keep it to yourself!
★Myth 2: Cats should stay away from high-fat diets? There is no such thing!
For humans, a high-fat diet may lead to obesity and increased cholesterol, which may lead to cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia, endangering health. But will cats do the same?
Cats are better able to process fat than you think. Healthy cats can tolerate diets containing up to 66% fat without affecting blood lipid concentrations. A high-fat diet does not necessarily cause hypercholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia in cats. However, excess fat may still make cats obese.
★Myth 3: Three meals a day is best for cats? Not necessarily!
How many meals does your master eat a day? Because cats are raised by humans, their eating frequency must also change to match human life schedules. However, if you think that three meals a day meets the dietary needs of cats, you are wrong.
Cats eat many times a day, but many times they only take a few bites and then leave. Cats eat on average up to ten times a day, and the largest amount of food is concentrated at dusk. This is related to the habits of the original ancestor of cats, the African wild cat. Primitive African wild cats mainly hunt alone. To survive, they will go out to hunt, eat, and rest multiple times a day in a continuous cycle. They are more active at dusk or night and eat more frequently.
In addition, cats like to eat small and frequent meals, which is closely related to their body structure. Another study found that compared with animals such as humans, dogs, and horses, cats have shorter large and small intestines, and food is retained in the stomach for less time, so they need to eat again within a short period.
So, don’t misunderstand that a cat is arrogant if he runs away after just a few mouthfuls, or that he is greedy if he complains of hunger just after eating. According to the nature and physiological structure of cats, cats do need a diet of small and frequent meals. It is recommended that if you can feed your cat 2 to 5 meals a day, it is a more appropriate frequency. If the living conditions cannot be met, prepare a fixed daily portion for the cat, so the cat can eat freely.
