Long Live FAT Cats? The data is in! Fat Cats DO live longer! So ‘size 6’ cats live longest, followed closely by the even chubbier ‘size 7 and size 8’ ! Now that WAS unexpected. Super-sized ‘9’ and super slim ‘3 and 4’ did not live as long. Dr Kim thinks it may be because cats don’t share – so when they get sick, they hide, and live on those reserves, so their relationship to ‘fat’ is different than for the social animals – humans, dogs, rats and mice.
Things that are NOT related to being a fat cat are – diabetes (it is mainly genetic with burmese and siamese being especially prone, and age-related as everyone’s pancreas declines by a variable percent each year), arthritis (cats as young as 2 years get arthritis, it is what happens to athletes and after car accidents when joints get damaged by excessive impact), nor high blood pressure, kidney disease or cancer.
So one more food treat might not be as bad as is popularly believed. And besides, most cats cannot be conned into eating more than they need – when they shout at you near the food bowl, your cat really only wants attention! Play with them, pat them or just stir the food to re-release the scents!
If you want to read the whole article on the relationship of Body Condition Score to Longevity – email us and Dr Kim can send it to you or find it here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1098612X17752198
And to follow that thought – the longer you live, the more problems you get – old age just ain’t for sissies as they say – but regular Senior Checks (August each year!) mean that Dr Kim can make Accurate Age-based recommendations so you can keep YOUR CAT comfortable and interacting (aka demanding) for as long as possible. It is so hard to learn a new cat’s rules so keeping your cat happy into their teens is a very manageable goal
Antioxidant dietary modifiCATions increase longevity – cats > 7 years
purinainstitute.com/science-of-nutrition/extending-healthy-life/longevity-study-in-cats
but only by 1 year (= 4 years humans), so sticking with the best food product you can afford (and that your cat will eat), is still the most effective therapy around. For more thoughts on feeding your cat see felinefriendlycare.com/cat-owners-guide-library where there are several great pdf’s including ‘what should I feed my cat?’
Top tip – cats’ weight is very indicative of their health. Weight changes – especially weight loss – are usually significant, so it is well worth the investment in getting a baby weighing machine see below … or a litter tray that weighs your cat… www.pet-tech.com.au/products/pet-tech-auto-cat-litter-box-65l some even know which cat is in the tray www.petivity.com , and whether they are peeing or pooing – now that is a great use of AI deep learning! Best start using it early, as a lot of cats get fixated on tray types, placements and litter preferences and sudden changes lead to ‘pee-mail messages’ – they stop using the tray.
