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Fat felines- is your cat overweight or obese?
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Veterinary professionals estimate that greater than 35% of cats in the united states are overweight or obese.
If a cat is greater than 15% over its’ ideal body weight, then the cat is considered overweight. If the cat is greater than 25% over the ideal body weight, then the cat considered obese. As there is no standard size for a cat, nor one ideal body weight, it is difficult to apply this concept to our cats when determining if they are overweight.
In my clinical practice, I take into consideration they patient’s body weight and give a Body Condition Score (BCS). I use the BCS scale of 1-9, with 1 being the extremely thin and 9 being the extremely fat. The ideal BCS is 5. Cats with a BCS over 5, yet less than 7, are considered overweight. A BCS greater than 7 classifies a cat as obese. The cat seen in this picture, unfortunately, appears to have a BCS of 9!
Your cat has a BCS greater than 5 and is overweight or obese if you the following conditions apply:
Fat over the ribs- A thick layer of fat over the ribs that inhibits easy palpation of the ribs.
Lack of waistline- Lack of visualization of a narrowing “waist” just behind your cat’s last (13th) rib when looking down on your cat from above.
Pendulous abdominal fat- Pendulous fat hangs down from the underside of your cat’s abdomen and will swing when your cat walks or runs.
Overweight and obese cats are prone to a variety of health conditions, including:
Diabetes Mellitus (Type II)
Constipation
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)
Arthritis and Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)
Poor skin and hair coat
Cardiac disease
Liver disease
Kidney disease
If you are concerned about your cat being overweight or obese, please schedule a consultation with your veterinarian to determine a weight loss plan. Do it now, as many of the above health conditions can permanently affect your cat’s quality of life.
Thank you to YahooNews for posting this picture: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Most-Emailed-Photos-PDSA-veterinary-nurse-Jennie-Keen-Tinks-13-year-old-cat-Gillingham-current/ss/1756/im:/081117/photos_ts/2008_11_17t122524_300x450_us_britain_pets_fat/
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