Obesity is certainly one of the most prevalent diseases affecting the pet population today.
For years, the frequency of this health disorder was skyrocketing at an alarming pace, owing primarily to improper feeding practices and inadequate time spent exercising due to owners’ perceived lack of time.
Sounds a lot like the cause of most obesity in humans, doesn’t it? In fact, cats are not much different from us in this respect. The problem, however, is that most overweight pets were made that way not by themselves, but by their owners!
Unfortunately, few owners realize that by encouraging their pet to get fat, they are at the same time endangering its health and unfairly reducing its quality of life.
The health-related ramifications in cats are the same as in people. Although pets don’t suffer from atherosclerosis and “heart attacks” as we do, obesity does place a great strain on their cardiovascular systems.
Other internal organs suffer the consequences as well. For instance, obesity promotes liver disease in cats. In summary, it is safe to say that the overall quality of and length of life for these pets is reduced, owing to these side effects of obesity.
The average adult cat weighs anywhere from 8 to 15 pounds. Not only will fat cats tip the scale to the heavy side, but they will usually appear round and their bellies may sag under the weight of their excess adipose tissue.