Background: Cats can be defined as being overweight if their bodyweight is 15% above optimum weight and classified as obese if they are more than 30% above their optimum weight. There is a general agreement among investigators that the incidence of excess body weight in cats is increasing. Obesity has considerable impacts on the health of cats and is linked to a variety of health issues including orthopedic disease, diabetes mellitus and non-allergic skin conditions. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between obesity and associated diseases in cats examined at some veterinary practices in Istanbul-Turkey.Materials, Methods & Results: Data of 2,272 patients examined at four private veterinary practices in Istanbul was studied to reveal the association between body weight and diseases. Information regarding sex, age and neutering status was also considered for each patient. Patients were classified according to their body weight to three groups as lightweight (female: 3.0 kg and under, male: 4.5 kg and under), optimum -weight (female: 3.0-4.5 kg, male: 4.5-5.5 kg) and overweight/obese (female: 4.5 kg and over, male: 5.5 kg and over). Accounting all adult cats treated by the clinics, diagnoses of osteoarthritis, heart diseases, dermatological diseases, hepatic lipidosis, metabolic syndrome - diabetes mellitus, lameness, gastrointestinal diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, neoplasia and urinary diseases were statistically evaluated. Considering data coming from 2,272 cats, which were referred to veterinary practices, 33.12%, were classified as overweight-obese, 40.04% were optimum-weight and 26.84% were lightweight. It was determined that overweight-obese cats were more likely to be diagnosed with osteoarthritis and hepatic lipidosis compared to other groups (P < 0.05). Overweight-obese cats were more likely to be diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease and neoplasia compared to lightweight cats (P < 0.05).Discussion: Obesity in cats is very common and the prevalence of combined overweight and obesity has been reported on a range from 20% to 40% in developed countries. Associated with the increasing welfare, as in humans, the incidence of obesity in the pet population is also increasing. The data studied for this research was evaluated with regard to diseases associated with obesity. It was determined that overweight-obese cats were more likely to be diagnosed with osteoarthritis and hepatic lipidosis compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). Overweight-obese cats were more likely to be diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease and neoplasia compared to lightweight cats (P < 0.05). However, an association between overweight or obesity and heart disease, metabolic syndrome - diabetes mellitus, lameness, musculoskeletal disease or urinary diseases was not found. A percentage of 19.95 of the patients over 2 years of age were classified in the overweight-obese group. These findings require that weight gain needs to be prevented before the animals reach obese status. Dietary management and physical exercise are essential for managing obesity in pets. In this study, it was aimed to explain the importance of weight management in preventing overweight or obesity associated diseases to cat owners by using the results, which demonstrate that overweight or obese animals are statistically more likely to develop associated diseases. Veterinary practitioners can also use this data to strongly advocate for the maintenance of feline patients at ideal body condition.
