Vet P.O.V. Your pet’s body image...and YOU

No, your pet does not have a hang-up about his burgeoning mirror image. She does not hide at home in embarrassment when she could saunter saucily down the street in all her Rubenesque glory. Nor will he shrink under your critical gaze as you consider his striking resemblance to that ottoman you saw at Pottery Barn.

No, pets are not like us. They do not suffer the slings and arrows launched by the enemy of all humans: comparison.

The problem, however, is that you’re largely in charge of her food supply and activity level. And you do experience the stress of the inevitable analogy...

Which is why I abhor media depictions of fat pets in the media...as if this were the accepted norm we should all aspire to. As if it’s OK to have a Lab that looks more like a refrigerator than a dog. As if it’s funny that your cat weighs more than your six month-old infant.

I can certainly understand how humor can be helpful when it comes to weight loss in pets. I use it often, as it helps disarm clients who just know they’re about to hear their vet rail against their irresponsibility. But I always turn it around at the end, twisting the humor into constructive points...just so everyone gets it...just so no one gets off the hook with a chuckle when there’s a health imperative to ponder.

The problem with pics like these (I wish I could have found the more egregious ones in the veterinary magazine I was reading yesterday) is that they use the humor and leave it on the table for you to enjoy at will. I find it gives the impression that, “Hey, it’s funny because it’s true.” But doesn’t take the problem to it’s logical conclusion: Weight hurts and fat kills.

Sure, that wouldn’t make much of an ad campaign for Pedigree, but it’s what I’d like to see on every bag or can of food in the land.

October 6th, 2009

Add Comment47 Comments

I'm not sure if a health warning would make a difference. Does it stop smokers from smoking? (And, I'm not trying to start a smoking debate.)

But I have to admit that if there were such a health warning on the food, it would just serve to make me more frustrated. (And yes, I realize I'm probably one of the few.)

My female cat is massively obese. I'm seriously beginning to wonder if she has some hidden food source in our house because the more I limit her food, the fatter she gets. Our vet merely offers the standard advice - don't leave the food out, use high quality food, no treats, exercise, etc.

We feed her a mix of Evo and Royal Canin (indoor, weight loss), measure it out, monitor consumption, etc. I even try to force her to play because she's extremely lazy. Forcing her to play entails isolating her from the other cat & the dog and chasing her with various toys until she runs around. After two minutes, she typically plops down on the floor and watches me.

The last time I had her in to the vet, one of the techs made me very angry by criticizing her weight - with the pointed implication that I'm failing as an owner (complete with a very dirty look). I bit my tongue and told myself that she probably deals with owners who find the fat amusing or just don't care. But, I'm not one of them.

Posey October 6th, 2009 09:50:48 AM

Fall Hunger: getting more hungry as winter approaches. Is that true or a myth? (Love the pic of the spread eagle cat :)

PJBoosinger October 6th, 2009 09:54:37 AM

Posey: If you are practicing good diet control with your kitty (sounds like you are) and she still is seriously overweight: maybe there is an underlying medical cause? But I am no vet...

I do remember this very disturbing story of a Wisconsin woman who let her collie get so fat, the poor dog's hanging belly froze to the sidewalk.

http://www.wisn.com/news/18214694/detail.html

Moongirl October 6th, 2009 09:58:48 AM

I'd never thought of the 'comparison' idea to explain that a cat is too heavy. I mean, really, once you say - and show - that the cat weighs more than the baby...it's less of an abstract than an obvious issue.

I'm in the odd position of having no problem limiting my dog's food portions (being unemployed is also causing treat limitation now), but having trouble getting weight off me. But then again, even now, my dogs are getting sensible portions of a higher quality food than the mac-n-cheese, tomato soup, and Pringles I'm eating. Go figure.

KateH October 6th, 2009 10:36:05 AM

Moongirl - I'm wondering the same thing about her health. The vet didn't seem to think that was it, though. I just don't get how the already chubby cat gained 3 lbs in 6 months without any diet/ lifestyle changes.

Posey October 6th, 2009 11:04:09 AM

Ascites?

Will October 6th, 2009 11:14:05 AM

I think animals do have a self image, but that it is not based on vanity such as ours.

When I put 'clothing' on the goats, they obviously react to each other.

I draped a saddle blanket on them, and each one would lift his head a bit higher, and the other goats would come over and push the one wearing it.

When we would trim our ShiTsu he would behave differently, partly because he could see for a change, but I believe there was more to it.

Nearly every animal has some sort of visual cue for interacting with others of it's kind. I think it would be rather sadistic of nature to allow them into encounters where they didn't have a self image to compare against what they were seeing and maybe avoid a thrashing. Perhaps our vanity is a remnant of our animal nature.

The goats are eating up all the apples that they can sink their teeth into, and a bit of fat certainly will help them in our below freezing weather.

So I think most animals think fat is beautiful and are actively working against your imposed diets.

Some argue that Renaissance paintings indicate that we humans also once thought fat was beautiful. However, posing for a painting like that took a long time, and it is more likely that the girls with ample winter reserves had more time for it since the others had dates...

Ducking for cover..... ;-)

Bob Jones October 6th, 2009 11:33:47 AM

Bob: Yeah, your goats react to each others' clothing but any old goat will react to anything with a sense of overreaching curiosity and self amusement as the primary goal. That's just being a goat...but then you knew that. ;-)

Dr. Patty Khuly October 6th, 2009 12:16:03 PM

My dog has a distorted body image. He clearly looks in the mirror and sees a solid husky, king of the dog park, where everyone else sees a 15 pound lapdog. Funny enough, other dogs seem to treat him as if his self-image were accurate. Reality only smacks him in the face when he tries to hump a fellow husky, and can't reach.

amused October 6th, 2009 12:18:58 PM

It would really help if pet food manufactures put kcal on the label-- not the mumbo jumbo 1/4-3/4 cup day which is not useful. I realize they don't know how active your pet is but your vet could give you a realistic range.

At my last appointment my vet actually gave out a measuring cup and explained how much my cat really needs. So concrete and helpful!

Sami October 6th, 2009 12:48:29 PM

Using an actual (dry weight) measuring cup is a great way to let people know how much they're really using. It's funny (ha, ha) how people think the large plastic cup from the very back of the cupboard is 'a cup' measure. Usually it's more like 2!

KateH October 6th, 2009 02:45:47 PM

amused, my Shiba is like that too; worse since I've gotten her weight down to the appropriate level. Somehow her ego and projection grew during weight loss :)

Everybody saw the SNL "Mostly Garbage Dog Food" commercial skit recently?

PJBoosinger October 6th, 2009 03:00:21 PM

We got a set of plastic measuring spoons from Target and keep the 1/4 cup one in the storage container with the cat food. It's easy enough to keep track of the amounts the cats are getting. For sure the amounts suggested on the food labels are vastly too large for our two.

Will October 6th, 2009 03:02:29 PM

My cat Neko has body image issues, believe it or not. She eats like a bird, and we have to keep telling her she's cute and skinny in order for her to eat. When my boyfriend calls her "fat", she will bring her dinner back up... Odd coincidence, perhaps?

Note: we already had tests done on her for the periodic vomiting, but the vet couldn't find anything wrong with her. She's just got a sensitive stomach.

Mitsu October 6th, 2009 03:19:59 PM

I'm not sure what you said, but I think you called me an old goat ;-)

Bob Jones October 6th, 2009 03:28:05 PM

Bob: From one goat lover to another, can you think of any higher praise?

Dr. Patty Khuly October 6th, 2009 06:31:07 PM

I run a weight loss program at our clinic, and I am passionate about this subject. A lot of my patients have successfully lost weight, and others have not. Usually the ones that don't are the ones that either have a health issue, or the owner isn't really sticking to the weight loss plan. Posey, it sounds like you need more advice than you are getting, and perhaps some diagnotic tests. Suggestions I can make online, not seeing you or your cat, is, first are you feeding dry food or wet food to your cat? I've seen good results with feeding wet food as the majority of the diet. You are feeding good quality food, but Evo is very calorie dense, so keep that in mind. Your cat won't need as much of it as it would of another food. Your vet should be able to work with you to figure out a calorie consumption per day, which should be adjusted depending on results.

Secondly, exercise with cats if very different than with dogs. Two minutes of exercise is great for an obese cat! Five minutes a day would be better, but two is good. Cats are do best with short bursts of activity. A fishing pole toy is good, and a laser pointer works with a lot of cats. One cat I've worked with, got some dry food each day, along with canned, but the owner made him work for it. She would toss the food across the room, and the cat had to run for it. Only three or four pieces at a time before the cat was done, but she would do it several times a day.

It is not easy to take weight off a cat, but it can be done! I'm sorry you had such a bad encounter with the tech. Not everyone is that judgemental. If you can't get your vet to run some diagnostics, and work with you on weight loss, rather than assuming you are not trying, you should maybe find another vet.

One of my feline weight loss patients was in today for a weigh in (every 2-4 weeks in our program). She started at 21#, and is down to 18#! She is still HUGE, but she is heading in the right direction. The client was happy, and so am I!

Sassy October 6th, 2009 09:17:02 PM

Seriously - my French Bulldog thinks he is a very small dog! Dogs his own size make him nervous and he loves to play with little dogs. The problem is, he's a fattie who is always hungry. I mean it -- he acts like he is constantly starving. It is a battle to keep him from stealing food from our other dog, who is larger than he is but more polite. And he KNOWS he is not supposed to eat from that bowl. All I have to say is "no..." as he starts walking in the general direction of the wrong bowl and he turns course.

I've cut his portions, reduced the fat content drastically (so he can eat a little more) and added vegetables to make him feel fuller. I'm trying to make him walk more (he's a lazy lump!) but it is going to take time and patience. All I have to do is leave the room having forgotten that the other dog's bowl isn't empty (he's a slow eater) don't ever question it, the food WILL be gone. Can you say Oink?

Susan October 6th, 2009 10:06:30 PM

@ Posey-

I totally sympathize.

One of my parents' cats has always had weight issues. She was chunky at birth, and she's been chunky ever since. I remember taking her in for vaccines at three months (delayed schedule because she'd had ringworm)... the receptionist asked if I had any concerns about her health, and I said "just her weight." She assumed I meant Zoe was too thin, and started inquiring about what she was eating, how often she was eating it, and whether or not she'd ever been tested for parasites. I was like, "no... I'm concerned about the fact that she's obese." Receptionist was shocked when I brought her out. She'd never seen fat pads like that on a three-month old kitten before. Four of the five littermates have a tendency to gain easily, but nowhere near as easily as she does. (Her brother once packed on three pounds in two months from just the extra teaspoon of kibble he scored at every meal cleaning up after our CRF cat. And taking it off was a royal PITA.)

We've tried everything, but Z- now seven- is and always has been a big girl. She's not grossly obese (14.5 lbs on roughly the same frame as my healthy-sized 10-pounder), but that's a lifetime of work in action. If we allowed her to free-feed, she would easily be in the 30-plus range in very short order. I totally understand how a cat can get that big. Sometimes, if the metabolism's off, it doesn't take much laxity to wind up with a serious problem. Have you tried using canned instead of kibble? Z's brother has a really hard time with dry food... he either gains or maintains even on tiny amounts of the prescription diet stuff. Transitioning to high-protein, low-carb canned was the only way I was able to get the weight off of him. Unfortunately, he's always had a really sensitive system and manages to throw up pretty much anything that comes in a can... but we found a couple brands we were able to rotate and use on a temporary basis, and now that he's at a healthier weight and loss isn't as issue, we've been able to find a kibble that he maintains on.

3 Fabulous Felines October 7th, 2009 05:33:07 AM

@ Sassy - thanks for the advice. I use a measuring cup to feed her & the other cat but am wondering if I've been giving too much Evo. I didn't think about quite how calorie dense it is when we switched. The food throwing/ exercise game sounds like it might help, too. She doesn't like the fishing pole, but she will play with catnip mice. So, we leave several out for her.

I do want to clarify that we like our vet. It was just the tech that I had a problem with. I probably need to push the matter a little harder next time we have her in. Part of the disconnect may have been that we moved twice within a short period of time and haven't been taking her to the current vet for very long. So, she wasn't as familiar with the situation (yet) as the vet that had seen her for the past few years.

Posey October 7th, 2009 11:11:11 AM

I have an cat who's gained more weight than I like-he was intact and erratically fed when I got him. He loves eating regular meals and isn't wandering(and fighting!) as much as he did, so he's porked up. I'm working on giving attention and encouraging play when he plops down on my feet and asks for food but he remembers he wants food soon enough. So it's going to take work to get him to a good weight.....

rheather October 7th, 2009 12:13:01 PM

Thank you, Dr. Khuly. One of my biggest pet peeves = fat cats are NOT cute.

I had a morbidly obese cat, not from the lack of trying to get him to lose weight. He weighed 25lbs after YEARS on presciption weight loss diets and counting kibble to no avail. Then diabetes. That's when I learned what I was doing wrong. Cats are carnivores, not cows and need a meat based, moisture rich diet (ie canned food).

Currently, he is at roughly 13 lbs and a decent weight for him. It took us nearly 3 years to get that much weight off. It's been 4 since we started and he's maintaining now. Realistically, if he didn't have so much extra skin from being a stretched out beach ball, he'd weigh less.

You can find our story here with before/after photos: http://www.felineoutreach.org/Heather.html

Heather October 7th, 2009 01:33:46 PM

FYI - I tried the toss the kibble game last night, and it worked - kind of. She doesn't want to work too hard; so, I had to throw it pretty close to her. But, our male cat loved it. Then, I started coming up with other ways to get the female to work for the food, such as making her sit & beg (a little bit of movement, not as effective as running, but better than her usual laziness). She seemed to like it given how much she was purring.

Posey October 8th, 2009 10:51:23 AM

I, too, recommend the throw-the-kibble trick. If they're hungry enough, they'll usually play. Owners tend to like it, too, since it looks more like play than torture. The truth of the matter, however, is debatable.

Dr. Patty Khuly October 8th, 2009 02:18:22 PM

That last bit was a joke. Just in case my humor should elude you.

Dr. Patty Khuly October 8th, 2009 02:19:03 PM

Posey, glad the game is working! As she gets used to it, she may go farther for the food. I like the idea of having her beg for it! Every little bit of movement helps.

Our clinic kitty is constantly gaining - I weigh him weekly, and then let everyone know they have to cut out the treats! But they sneak him to him when they think I'm not looking. I've had some success getting them to throw the treats (if they insist on giving them!). He will run the length of our lab (about 30 feet) chasing treats, and come running back to ask for more. The funny thing is that our other clinic kitty is in great shape, but has so much hair, everyone comments on what a big cat he is! I'm keeping the greedy guy almost to his ideal weight, but it's a struggle.

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