Wednesday 16 April 2014

Our Obese Cats


Gosh, there’s a real problem with obesity in cats these days isn’t there? 

Or is there?

You’d certainly think so, given how many articles are published in various cat and pet magazines and on line, and the number of vets who seem to be turning into the feeding police. 

As with people, obesity is an important health problem and there does need to be awareness, and it does need to be addressed.  I really don’t want to belittle the problem. 

But this overkill approach, I think, is not the right way.

I’ve started to write an article on this subject a few times now, it’s something that really bothers me, but I’ve stopped.  It’s felt a little too contentious, and who am I, a mere pet sitter, to be having a view on this issue?  Perhaps now is the time to be contentious though.  Some of you may not agree with me, but I think that many probably will.  I welcome any and all thoughts on the issue, it needs to be discussed.

What prompted me to put pen to paper finally on this issue, was a metaphorical nudge I received last week. 

This week I’m visiting a cat I’ve visited a few times now, I know her very well.  She’s never been overfed, she’s always had a small appetite, she’s not particularly food motivated, she’s not fat, she’s not even slightly big.  Yet when I texted her person a few days ago to ask if there was anything I needed to be aware of while they’re away (I always do this), I was told she was on a diet.  Just 20g of dry food and half a pouch a day.  He commented that she always seems hungry now…….   I’m not surprised!!!

My mind goes back to when Bella was little.  Her first year check up came around and she was weighed.  3.8 kg, I remember it.  I was told that it was about right, but she didn’t need to get any bigger.  Ok, I thought, she doesn’t eat much, she’ll be fine.

The following year she was 3.9 kg.  About the same.  A different vet this time who made me feel that I was being so told off!!  He didn’t have a problem with the weight as such, but as his colleague had done the year before, cautioned me that she didn’t want to get any bigger.  In a very unfriendly and unhelpful way.

I remember asking – out of curiosity, because I wanted to do my best for her, and because he was the expert (!) – how much she should be eating.  That threw him.  Told me to go by the manufacturer’s recommendation.  Which, for the brand she was eating, was 3 pouches per day.  She’s never eaten anything like that amount ever in her life!! 

Which I told him.  Well, you might need to cut it down a little then, was his response.  Still not very helpful.  Bella isn’t food motivated, never has been, and you should see her eat, kisses her food, gets bored very quickly and leaves it.  She just doesn’t have a big appetite.  I don’t think I could get her to eat less than she does eat, and to be honest, I wouldn’t want to.  I’ll open one of those little 85g tins, and give her about a third of it.  Which she doesn’t finish. 

To be honest, my worry might actually have been that she wasn’t eating enough, but she’s always been fit and healthy, so I’ve never been concerned about this.   But it was ridiculous that I was being encouraged to cut down a little.  And said this to the vet. 

My memory is that he just didn’t believe me.  Oh well…………..

I came away feeling quite shocked.  He had given me no useful information at all, in fact it was minus useful information.  This was the expert (or so I thought back then), and he had no idea what he was talking about. 

And this is the problem. 

In recent years I have made quite a study of feline nutrition and feeding.  Aided by spending almost every day for the last seven years actually feeding cats, hundreds of them by now, and getting to know exactly how much they eat, what their lifestyles are like, and what their weight does.  So I’m much much more clued up than I was back then. 

And one of the things I learnt was that vets receive very little instruction on feline nutrition during their training.  Most of what they know comes from the pet food manufacturers’ marketing literature and reps.  I should point out here that some are much more knowledgeable, I’ve even come across one myself – but in my experience the majority aren’t.

Yet, they continue to put all these varied and diverse beings into boxes.  So a small one year old cat should weigh this much, should eat this much (which itself varies wildly depending on which pet food manufacturer you read).  And if they’re more than this, they’re overweight, and are very likely to become obese.

The last time I took Bella to the vet was 2-3 years ago for an annual check up.  A different vet again.  Weighed her and she was 4kg.  I took a breath and waited for the pronouncement on my cat caring abilities.  She looked at me and smiled, said it was all good, she’d been pretty much the same weight all through her life to that point.  I could have hugged her.  She was being sensible.  Bella was Bella, not other cats.  She was the right weight for Bella. 

Dylan’s first year check up was similar to Bella’s previous check up (different vet again).  He’s a big big lad, size of a small horse!!  Big long strong bones – legs, back, tail – and solid muscle.  First year he was 5.8kg.  Yes, it was a lot, but look at him, he’s huuuuuge!!  But then I’d stopped listening well before that point.  He’s still big, he still weighs around the same, it’s the right weight for him.  He runs around lots, loves his garden, and like Bella, doesn’t eat a great deal.  Eating style is different, he shovels it up, but then stops when he’s had enough.  There is always food left. 

And that’s what I find for most of the cats I visit.  Very few are not able to moderate their intake.  Most cats, in my experience, are really good at stopping when they’ve had enough.  Leaving dry food out to graze on?  And that’s what they do, they graze, they don’t hoover it all up.  Little and often, or not so often, depending upon their appetite and metabolism.  Most of the cats I visit do not demand feeding as soon as I arrive, they know and trust that it’s coming.  And a good few won’t actually eat when it’s put down, but will wait until they’re ready, often after I’ve gone. 

Now, there will always be a few who do overeat, and these are the ones that need the attention, and this is a serious problem that must be addressed.  In the right way.  Is there something causing the desire to overeat?  What are their lifestyles like?  What is their weight and eating history, has it been consistent and reasonable, or has a change happened recently?  So rather than just limiting food, get to the bottom of the problem.  Perhaps it’s boredom and more enrichment and playing are needed.  And in fact the question of exercise is an important one, especially for indoor cats.

Vets see cats for just a few minutes at a time, and know very little about them, their emotions, their lifestyles, yet with this mere snapshot they will only look at and treat the overeating symptom, and only then by recommending a diet.  Could there be another condition causing the problem of either weight gain or overeating?  And if they’re not overeating anyway, then why recommend a diet, look further.  And how exactly, would they define overeating?  I get so frustrated. 

I know that there are good vets out there, who will take the time to properly get to know a cat, and take steps to find the right solution.  But just not enough, and I’m talking here about those vets. 

Among all the cats I’ve got to know over the years, there have been a small number (very small) who were obese.  One in particular comes to mind.   He didn’t eat much.  At all.  So overeating isn’t always the problem. 

Another old lady cat I knew very well was overweight, and her person was encouraged to reduce her food intake to prevent possible future health problems.  The vet recommended that she eat more than she was actually eating.  Her person did take steps to reduce her food intake nonetheless, but felt that she was taking away her one pleasure in life - even though she didn’t actually eat that much.  The cat developed diabetes, and passed away not long after – sadly my client couldn’t shake the feeling that if she’d cut down her food intake even more she might not have become ill.  She felt guilty, when in fact she had nothing to feel guilty about.  She had done her absolute best, and more, yet the discussions with the vet had left her feeling that she wasn’t a good cat guardian. 

I suppose that around half the cats I care for might be considered by vets to be overweight.  They aren’t slim.  Yet they are what they are.  They are the right weight for them.  I can’t think of one who gets too much food, or who eats too much.  I can’t think of one where their weight has noticeably gone up in the time I’ve been taking care of them.  Some are active, others less so.  There are a few I look after who might be considered to be on the way to becoming obese – and these cats are on diets where they get very little food.  And which actually seems to make very little difference.  And they always seem to have been the same in the time I’ve known them.

As I was writing this I was wondering, is it just me who thinks like this?  So I asked other pet sitting friends, all of whom agreed with me.  One said “Excellent read, sensible points backed with knowledge and experience.  Like you I’ve rarely come across cats whose weight causes me concern/discomfort/an urge to say something to the client.”

She went on to explain about an exception: 

a lady with three cats, all of them huge, all of them fed bucketloads of wet food, all of them indoor cats who from what I can tell were frequently kept in a large utility room when owners were out of the house - and with no evidence of toys. They were bored, never played and therefore they ate. I told her that her cats were overweight, she reluctantly agreed. One was so old and obese she could barely walk as her belly dragged across the floor and her legs were struggling to bear her weight. Cruel and very difficult for me to challenge as she clearly loved them all very much.

So, I use these poor souls as a barometer if a client says the line "the vet has said my cat is overweight so I've reduced/changed their diet". I totally agree that most cats self-regulate their food intake, very few wolf down food like you'd see a dog do - and those that do are generally the ones where food is very strictly rationed and they don't have dry food to graze on. They are, therefore, starving.”

Obesity is a problem, but in any population of cats, there are only a very small number who are truly obese.  And even then does reducing food intake always work?  Especially when some cats are clearly on starvation diets, and it’s not having an impact.  Apart from making them miserable. 

If vets really want us to take obesity in cats (or other domestic animals) seriously, then they need to change their approach.  They must properly get to know the cats they pronounce to be overweight, everything about them.  And then consider the whole animal, and explore all options to ensure optimum health.  Because this is really what it should be about.  The overall health of the animal, rather than focusing on one aspect of health, which doesn’t always tell the whole story. 

What I’d love is to have some clearer information as to how many cats are considered to be obese.  And how this is measured.  And is this consistent?  I’ve seen the little diagrams, but they aren’t very helpful.  How many are consistently a regular weight, even if it’s considered to be overweight?  How many have been on diets where nothing has changed?  I’d like vets to properly explore the animal’s eating habits, lifestyle and overall health on a holistic level before pronouncing, and I’d like them to consider their overall metabolism, their eating and weight history, are there any emotional issues, and much much more before deciding on what needs to be done.  If anything.  And I’d love to get involved in any studies on this important topic.  Those of us who spend their lives working closely with animals, and in particular feeding them, have so much useful information to share. 

Post script….. 

The little cat I mentioned at the beginning - my first visit this time was yesterday and I was shocked to see her.  Her back end reminded me of some of the older cats who come into the sanctuary with thyroid problems that haven’t been picked up.  Very bony around the hips, and very sunk in around the waist.  I could easily get my fingers into the gap behind her hip bones.  And her coat looked to be in poor condition.  She looked quite malnourished, and I was worried about her.  A text to her person elicited agreement to increase her dry food intake from 20g per day to 30g, with still one half pouch.  It’s something but it’s not enough.  I am keeping a close eye on her these few days, and will be encouraging him to take her back to the vet, or perhaps a different vet, as soon as they’re back.   If it were any longer I’d be taking her to the vet myself.  I can’t in all conscience sit back and let something like this happen, it’s almost animal cruelty.

And one final point.  My client is a sensible, intelligent, professional person.  Who trusts other professionals, so although he was surprised to hear the vet claim she was overweight, he trusted him.  I can tell he has his concerns too, but we’re not used to challenging those who we see as experts in their field, whether they actually are or not.  Meaning that very few vets are nutrition experts, they’re generalists, they don’t know everything, they can’t do, and that's fine.  But say so then.   

The key point the vet seemed to be making was that the cat had a little swinging belly.  Well, she’s very skinny now, too skinny, and still has her little belly.  Most cats do.  Some don’t.  Vets actually don’t know what causes this, although there are plenty of theories  – a holistic vet I spent some time discussing cat nutrition with is convinced it’s to do with a dry food diet.  But they are all just theories. 

In my experience of feeding cats, it is impossible to tell.  I look after cats who have only ever eaten dry food and they have no bellies, and others who only eat wet food and have hanging bellies.  There’s a school of thought that thinks it’s likely to be connected with the eating of processed diets, rather than natural raw food.  I’m not a fan of processed diets (subject for another post I think), but nearly all our cats eat this way, so that doesn’t explain why some cats tend to hanging bellies and others don’t.  That’s not the answer. 

And why do some cats who eat loads always look slim and never put weight on, while others who eat little always look to be heavier?  Part of the answer is bound to be to do with lifestyle, and exercise, but even then, when thinking about the cats I care for, that’s not the whole answer either. 

The truth is they’re all as different as we are.  And we don’t really know.  Lots more research needed into this important subject, and would love to help.

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