Prevalence of obesity in cats

Abstract

he aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity among cats in the Netherlands. Secondary aim was to identify risk factors for obesity in cats. Obesity is the most common nutrition induced disease among pets in Western countries. The body condition score and body weight was measured of 123 cats. Owners were given a questionnaire with questions related to possible risk factors for obesity, like the amount of food, type of food and the activity level of the cat. From all cats participated in this research, 111 have visited the veterinary clinic and the other 12 cats were examined at home. According to the results of this study a prevalence of 42.3 % is found for overweight and obesity among cats. Also several risk factors were found to be related with obesity. The results indicate that there is a significant relationship with obesity in being male, neutered and low activity level. Dry food and feeding once a day are associat ed with obesity. The prevalen ce of obesity in the Netherlands is quite high and several risk factors have been identified.