Positive attitudes towards feline obesity are strongly associated with ownership of obese cats

Abstract

Overweight and obesity (O&O) is a risk factor for several health conditions and can result in a shorter lifespan for cats. The objectives of this study were to investigate (a) cat owners' attitudes towards feline O&O and their associations with O&O in their cats; and (b) the risk factors for feline O&O and underweight, particularly those involving owner practice. An online survey comprising questions related to cat owners' attitudes towards feline O&O, owner-reported body weight and body condition of their cat, and potential risk factors for feline O&O was conducted. Primarily targeting the Australian population, the survey attracted 1,390 valid responses. In response to ten attitude-related questions, more participants (percentage range among the ten questions: 39.1-76.6%) held a disapproving attitude towards feline O&O than a neutral (17.1-31.9%) or approving attitude (3.9-27.7%). A greater proportion of participants had a more disapproving attitude towards obesity than towards overweight. Cats belonging to owners with an approving attitude towards O&O were more likely to be overweight or obese than cats belonging to owners with a disapproving attitude towards O&O. The cats had particularly high odds of overweight or obesity if their owner agreed that 'being chubby says that the cat has a quality life' (OR: 3.75, 95% CI: 2.41-5.82) and 'being fat says that the cat has a quality life' (OR: 4.98, 95%CI: 2.79-8.91). This study revealed, for the first time, that begging for food was a risk factor for O&O in cats. Other important feline risk factors for O&O identified included being middle-aged, being mixed-breed, dry food as the major diet, the amount of feed not being quantified, and frequently spending time indoors. Being over 11 years, receiving no dry food and receiving measured amounts of feed were associated with an increased odds of underweight in cats. As specific attitudes often lead to certain behaviours, reducing approving attitudes towards feline O&O may potentially reduce the frequency of O&O and the risks of O&O-related disorders in cats.

Overweight in Domestic Cats Living in Urban Areas of Italy: Risk Factors for an Emerging Welfare Issue

“…However, in accordance with other studies [ 4 , 60 ], our findings highlight that giving cats extra food is a risk factor for overweight. Similarly, food-begging behavior is related to overweight in cats [ 70 ]. Furthermore, from our results, most of the cats that beg for food, once it is provided by the owner, may ignore it.…”

The General and Systemic Consequences of Obesity in Cats and Dogs

“…Genetic factors are tested and assumed to be related with early life and rapid weight gain, this association endangers the pet to develop obesity in its adult stage (Häring et al, 2011). Teng et al (2020) found out that mixed breed cats had higher probability of developing obesity or overweight than purebred cats (Teng et al, 2020), increased prevalence of obesity in mixed breed cats has been also observed in other studies (Teng et al, 2017). German et al observed high prevalence of obesity in breeds like Beagle, Golden retriever, Pug, Cavalier King Charles spaniel and Labrador retriever and that medium sized dogs were 1.4 times more likely to develop obesity than toy breeds (German et al, 2017).…”

“…Downs et al pointed out that it is an habit among owners to feed their cats during mealtimes or when cooking food (Downes et al, 2017). Food begging behavior is common with cats that can lead to overweight (Teng et al, 2020). Sometimes the signals can be misinterpreted by the owner when the cat is vocalizing or rubbing which shows a social interaction but the owner offers it food which can lead to increase in weight (Menchetti et al, 2018).…”

“…Sometimes the signals can be misinterpreted by the owner when the cat is vocalizing or rubbing which shows a social interaction but the owner offers it food which can lead to increase in weight (Menchetti et al, 2018). Teng et al (2020) in his study mentioned that about 61% of the cats were fed two times a day; the group of cats fed once a day had less chances of obesity and in contrast to that the group fed four times a day had higher chances (Teng et al, 2020). Other studies have also mentioned the effects of feeding frequency on weight of felines (Elizabeth Rowe et al, 2015).…”

“…Many studies have defined this lifestyle as a road to overweight and obesity (Rowe et al, 2017). Teng et al (2020) found out that the cats which spend more time outside the house had more than three times less chance of developing obesity than the cats which remain indoor (Teng et al, 2020). Indoor living has been related with increased BCS in pet mostly due to decreased activity (Elizabeth Rowe et al, 2015).…”