Research Communications of the 24th ECVIM-CA Congress

The study was financially supported by The Swedish Veterinarian Federation, The Companion Animal Research Foundation, and The Foundation of Thure F. & Karin Forsberg. Feline weight-loss programs are often hindered by compliance issues and sedentary lifestyle. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a new dietetic weight management food (NDWMF)* in achieving weight loss in overweight/obese, client-owned cats. The objectives were 1) to evaluate weight loss parameters in cats fed the NDWMF* and 2) to describe the owner's perception of the cat's quality of life. Overweight/obese, otherwise healthy, client-owned cats (>3/5 body condition score -BCS) were enrolled in the study (n = 132). Initial veterinary evaluation comprised a physical examination, nutritional assess-ment, determination of ideal body weight (IBW), and development of weight loss feeding plan. Daily energy requirement (DER) for weight loss was calculated as DER = 0.8 x (70 x IBW kg 0.75 ). Initial and follow-up evaluations (monthly for 6 months) consisted in determination of body weight (BW), BCS, body fat index (BFI), muscle condition score (MCS), and current feeding practices. Quality of life assessment by owners included cat's level of energy, happiness, appetite, begging behavior, flatulence, stool volume, and fecal score. Statistical analysis encompassed scatterplots, regression analysis, summary statistics as appropriate for the type of analyses (continuous or categorical variables, distribution), a mixed model ANOVA was used to assess changes over time (statistical significance at p < 0.05). Eighty three percent of the cats (n = 110) lost weight with an average weight loss of 11% (SEM, 1.8%) over 6 months and an average weekly weight loss rate of 0.45% (SEM, 0.03%). A significant decrease in BCS from week 12-24 and in BFI from week 8-24 compared to baseline was observed. MCS did not change. Average duration of weight loss was 134 days (SEM, 4.8 days) with 32 days (SEM, 0.5 days) between visits. Fourteen percent of cats achieved IBW (0.14, CI: 0.08-0.22). Seventy nine percent of cats ate more than the recommended DER (median fed above DER=6%), and the majority of these cats still lost weight. Owners perceived a significant increase in energy and happiness (>week 12) compared to baseline in the cats that lost weight without changes in appetite or begging behavior. No significant changes were seen in scores for flatulence, stool volume, and fecal score. In conclusion, this clinical study showed that feeding the NDWMF* to client-owned, overweight/obese cats resulted in weight loss. Owners reported significant improvements in cat's quality of life without negative side effects.