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If you gain a few extra pounds, you will likely be worried about it if you are already on the rather heavy side. Our cats can gain weight rather easily too! You would be surprised by the number of overweight cats there generally are!
The average weight of a cat can be rather difficult to estimate just by looking at it alone. You may not even know that your cat is overweight. Therefore, the causes of weight gain in cats can be a rather confusing topic. To the public eye, chubby and fluffy cats are cute but this can put your overweight cats at a health risk.
So what causes cats to gain weight? Among the risk factors for obesity are…
Genetics
One of the main causes of cats to gain weight is in its genetics. It can vary greatly from. Uncontrollable factors, from the point of view of a cat owner, such as age is one of the biggest factors of cats weight gain.
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Middle-aged cats, typically five to 11-year old cats, and adult cats have a lower metabolic rate and typically have reduced physical activities compared to younger cats. Thus, the food the cats consume is not converted into energy but rather stored as fats, resulting in weight gain.
Neutered Cats
Several studies have shown that neutered cats are more likely to gain weight. Neutering will cause both male and female cats to have a decreased metabolic rate, hence requiring lower calories in their food intake.
Unfortunately, it has been reported that neutered cats, especially females, have a higher food intake compared to sexually intact cats. Naturally, cats will gain weight after neutering.
Diet
A cat’s diet is one of the top factors that cause weight gain among cats. Each cat owner has a specific method of feeding their cat. Two of the common methods are ad libitum feeding and meal feeding.
Ad libitum feeding is when the food is constantly available for the cat whereas meal feeding is the feeding of a cat at specific times daily.
Ad libitum fed cats are more likely to be overweight or obese compared to cats that are meal fed.
Unfortunately, treats are found to be one of the weight-gaining factors among cats. Studies have shown that overweight cats tend to be fed more with treats in comparison to normal weight cats.
Cats fed with unhealthy diets are also more likely to gain weight. Cats are obligate carnivores and having sufficient protein in their diet is essential to ensure they receive sufficient nutrients.
The Petcubes cat food diet is one of the best raw food diets available in the market to make sure your cats are balanced with the right amount of proteins.
Environment
Just like most animals, an inactive lifestyle can increase in their body weight for our feline friends. Cats that are reared indoors with very few companions have fewer physical activities, which leads to a minimum energy expenditure.
In return, excess food intake that does not convert into energy is generally turned into fats, eventually leading to weight gain.
Breed of Cat
It has been suggested that the breed of a cat could be a factor in the overweight cat issues. Some breeds are just naturally bigger than others so they are not really overweight but are bigger in size.
Illness
Some cats are already suffering from a few concurrent conditions and illnesses such as hypothyroidism. Other conditions such as feline hyperadrenocorticism or Cushing’s disease can also lead to weight gain in your cat.
There are several health issues such as diabetes that may be a cause of weight gain in cats.
Conclusion
Maintaining or helping an obese cat lose weight can be as simple as feeding it the best diet cat food and encouraging the cat to exercise. Of course, regular weight checks are important so make appointments at your vet to get the best advice on its diet. Consulting a vet can be an insightful experience indeed. The idea of having a pet cat is fun but the effort that goes on behind the scenes in making sure that they live healthily is something that goes unseen to most but is very important.