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Using Environmental and Feeding Enrichment to Facilitate Feline Weight Loss
Author(s) -
Clarke D. L.,
Wrigglesworth D.,
Holmes K.,
Hackett R.,
Michel K.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2005.00611_1.x
Subject(s) - cats , overweight , weight loss , medicine , zoology , obesity , body weight , biology
Obesity is regarded as the most common form of malnutrition seen by veterinarians. An estimated 25% of cats are described as overweight or obese and this condition is a known risk factor for other diseases. It is crucial to find effective and practical ways for veterinarians and pet owners to achieve safe weight loss in cats. The objective of this 4–week trial was to promote weight loss by increasing the activity levels of 18 cats through feeding enrichment, food motivated play, increased intensity play sessions, and the introduction of new enrichment structures. The body condition score (BCS) of the cats was determined by one veterinarian (normal, 4; slightly overweight, 5; overweight, 6; obese, 7). Group 1 was composed of eight cats, which were considered to be overweight or obese (median BCS: 6; range: 5–7), while the remaining 10 cats (Group 2) were normal or slightly overweight (median: BCS 5; range: 4–5). The cats were weighed weekly to monitor for safe weight loss in Group 1 and weight maintenance in Group 2. The change in weight from baseline was evaluated with a paired Student t test. Both groups of cats were fed individually to meet maintenance requirements; with Group 1 being fed a weight reduction dry formula and Group 2 fed a feline maintenance canned diet. The cats were exercised three times daily. Two of the exercise sessions (10 min each) used food as motivation and reward for physical activity. The third session (15 min) consisted of intense play using a variety of new toys and enrichment structures, such as tunnels, large paper bags, boxes, and a custom‐built play tower. The cats’ participation in all play sessions was voluntary. The cats were fed twice daily. Half of their ration offered was in an enriched feeding container that required effort and activity to access the food and the balance was offered in a standard dish. The relative amounts of food consumed from either the enrichment container or the dish was recorded. Group 1 cats lost an average of 62 ± 26 g from baseline (−1.1 ± 0.06% body weight) (p = 0.0003) through exercise and feeding enrichment alone. The Group 2 cats did not experience a significant change in weight from baseline, with an average loss of 64 ± 106 g (−0.9 ± 0.7% body weight) (p = 0.09). Despite the short duration of this trial, environmental and feeding enrichment resulted in a small but significant weight loss in Group 1.