Are fat cats less likely to engage with their humans???
It stands to reason fat cats might be less active than lean cats. But does a fat cat engage less with their person? A new study in the Dec edition of Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery explores this dilemma (http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098612X17694252)
Feline obesity is an epidemic. In America, almost 60% of our cats are overweight or obese. When our cats are as little as 2 pounds overweight, it is not a question of if they will get sick, but when they will get sick. Obesity related diseases in cats include diabetes, urinary disease, kidney disease, heart disease, liver disease, arthritis and more. And now, we can add lethargy to the list.
This study shows that overweight cats had “daily voluntary physical activity of 47% of the total activity of the lean cats.” What’s more, overweight cats may be less likely to interact with their humans!
It is more important than ever to return our fat cats to a healthy weight. Now you know that their health, their activity and maybe even their relationship with you depend on it!