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Many owners find their pets a welcome source of comfort and support during the current pandemic. Lockdowns, social distancing, and home-working mean pets have enjoyed increased company and attention from their doting owners. While this increased quality time may benefit their mental wellbeing, increased owner attention may have some detrimental effects on pets’ physical health.   

Dogs might receive less exercise as their owners endeavour to limit their own contact with the outside world. In addition, the large, hungry eyes of a begging pet might encourage more than the occasional extra treat, resulting in unhealthy overfeeding.

A recent survey by Cats Protection, looking at over 2,000 cats, found that 28% of owners reported overfeeding their cat since the March 2020 lockdown1. Also contributing to feline obesity is the tendency by owners to underestimate their pet’s weight, often considering them to be a healthy weight when they are actually clinically overweight or obese.

A PDSA Animal Welfare report in November 2020 also observed an increasing prevalence of obesity in companion animals that has been worsened by the COVID-19 lockdown measures2. It is suspected that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 50% of UK pets were clinically overweight, a figure that is estimated to have increased during the 2020 lockdowns.

Increasing obesity in companion animals raises long-term concerns for both pet charities and veterinarians. Obesity predisposes pets to a number of diseases, such diabetes mellitus (DM). Obesity and inactivity are considered significant contributors to the development of insulin resistance in cats. Many overweight cats remain non-diabetic due to a compensatory increase in pancreatic insulin production. However, DM will develop when this compensatory insulin hypersecretion fails.

There is a well-established link between feline obesity in the UK and the increasing number of cats diagnosed with DM. A diagnosis of DM can be extremely challenging for both cat and owner. Diabetic cats require frequent hospital visits and treatments; whereas owners can face emotional and financial burdens, as treating their pet will require daily commitments and significant veterinary fees. These treatment costs, and compromised quality of life, mean many cats are euthanised at the time of diagnosis – and up to 30% survive less than a year following diagnosis.

However, current research into human type 2 DM offers encouraging outcomes. When obesity in diabetic people is managed with therapeutic diets encouraging weight loss, they often achieve ‘diabetic remission’ and no longer rely on daily antihyperglycaemic medications. While remission is not considered a cure, and diabetic patients can still relapse, the improvements to their quality of life and life expectancy are considerable.

Clinical Trial   

Diabetic remission is already observed in feline patients with type 2-like DM, although reported remission rates are highly variable. The Diabetic Remission Clinic team is currently recruiting cases for a one-year clinical study that will use a novel therapeutic diet to encourage safe weight loss, and hopefully increase the chance of remission, in overweight diabetic cats. The study will also investigate if the feline gastrointestinal microbiome exhibits the same compositional changes seen in people achieving diabetic remission.

We are welcoming enquiries to participate in the above trial. Eligible cats must be overweight and have been diabetic for up to six months. Suitable cats will qualify for underlying disease assessment at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, several re-examination appointments, 12 months of ultra-low carbohydrate diet, and dedicated DM care – at no cost to owners. Enquiries can be submitted using the details below:

Email: fdrc@rvc.ac.uk or cic@rvc.ac.uk

Tel: 01707 666605

References

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