skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Nestlé Purina PetCare is focusing attention on cat health, specifically obesity, with a new pledge effort.
test
The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimates that 58% of owned cats in the US, or 50 million cats, are overweight, and less than 12% of cat owners are aware that their cats have a weight problem. Nestlé Purina is striving to get 100,000 cat owners to sign a pledge before May 2 promising to assess their cat's weight to determine if their cat is heavier than advised by vets. If 100,000 pledges are lodged, Nestlé Purina will donate US$50,000 to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.
The pledge is available on the company's website, www.catchow.com/whyweight. Those who sign the pledge will receive a free sample of Purina Cat Chow Healthy Weight, a low-calorie weight management cat food.
Pet supply chain Petco is hosting, and Blue Buffalo pet products is sponsoring, the "Pounds for Pounds" weigh-in challenge through January 26.
test
The goal of the challenge is to educate pet parents on what a healthy weight is for their pets and to raise funds for animal groups across the country, according to Petco. Pet owners can bring their dog or cat to any Unleashed by Petco location across the USA to be weighed using a special in-store pet scale. Store associates will track the number of pounds weighed from January 4 to January 26, 2014, and once a store reaches 5,000 pounds, it will donate $500 to a local animal group of their choice. With 103 stores, that's over $51,000 of potential funds nationwide, according to the company.
Unleashed by Petco's associates will also offer advice on weight management and nutrition to participating pets:
- Before starting a weight-loss program, visit a veterinarian to find out a pet's ideal weight.
- Pet parents are usually unaware that their pets' food portion sizes are too large, so portion control is key.
- Break down meals into two to four small portions throughout the day to trick pets into feeling like they're eating more.
- Serve high-protein and low-fat food to keep pets full, and remember that treats should be no more than 10% of caloric intake.
- Pets should exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
- Keep an eye on pets' behavior when on a weight-loss program.
New research from an experiment with wet and dry cat foods may explain the reason some cats are so picky about their petfood.
The study, published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology B, offered different petfood options to cats. When given the choice, cats selected a mixture of wet and dry foods that provided them with a consistent intake of protein, fat and carbohydrates in their diet.
Cats in the experiment were offered a combination of wet and dry foods: one wet and three dry, one dry and three wet, and three wet and three dry. The food choices were offered first all at once, and then in a three-day cycle.
In all trials of the experiment, cats selected foods that provided close to 52 percent calorie intake from protein, 36 percent from fat and 12 percent from carbohydrates. The study's authors noted that the cats' choice of foods was similar to what has been observed about feral cats' diet choices in other studies, indicating that house cats may have retained an instinctual ideal diet from their wild ancestors. In fact, the only major difference observed in the study was that feral cats have been previously observed to consume about 2 percent of their calories from carbohydrates; however, the study's authors noted this may be due to the formulation of the petfoods used.
"This research has important implications for owners as it shows that cats are able to select and combine wet and dry foods to achieve their target intake of protein, fat and carbohydrate,” said lead author, Adrian Hewson-Hughes of the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition. “In terms of products currently on the market, wet foods typically have higher proportions of protein and fat, while dry foods have a higher carbohydrate content."
A growing number of American Veterinary Medical Association members are recommending a "Catkins" diet for pet owners to help their overweight cats lose weight.
According to one veterinarian's website, the Catkins diet involves providing a wet diet for cats, rather than feeding dry kibble. “(Cats) have a better chance at optimal health if they are fed a wet food diet instead of dry kibble,” says the veterinarian, Lisa Pierson.
The Catkins diet may help obese cats not only lose weight, but also may aid with a variety of health problems that cats may develop from not having enough moisture in the diet. Pierson says that in the wild, a cat's typical prey contains 70 percent to 75 percent water, which is similar to the moisture content of many wet cat foods; however, she says dry cat foods typically contain only 10 percent moisture.
Another veterinarian, Dr. Travis Einertson, also recommends the Catkins diet and wet foods for obese cats. He says that while these wet cat foods can cost more than a dry petfood, lower-cost brands with a label that says the food is approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials are just as good. Einertson also says that some pet owners do not feed wet food because of the belief that dry food is better for the cat's teeth or because wet food is messier than a dry food. But, he says that research has shown the belief to be a myth, and that the tradeoff for the cat's health is worth it.
The first rule, according to Dr. Patty Khuly, is that regardless of which pet food brand, be sure to invest in a diet that is nutritionally balanced. For cats, Dr. Khuly says to add moisture to the feline food because a 2010 UK study found that at the end, cats fed moistened diets were more active and weighed less. She says pet owners must measure out their pet's food with a proper measuring tool to ensure the right portion. Pet owners should be consistent about the pet food brand and formula they feed or the way home-cooked petfood is prepared. Dr. Khuly also says pet owners should ask their vet to provide their pet's body condition score, which is an indicator of the need to lose weight if it is high. It may also be necessary to increase or decrease the petfood amounts over time, until reaching the perfect portion.
Pet owners should not forget that treats contain calories too, which also affect a pet's weight. Also to ensure a healthy weight, pet owners should consider the amount of exercise their pet receives in determining the proper amount of food to feed. As pets age, their metabolism slows down, so pet owners should watch for these changes, Dr. Khuly says. Finally, she says that pet owners need to remember that all animals are different, and so, will have different nutritional needs.
