American cat owners largely are unaware their feline companions are overweight, and the country's largest pet food company, Nestlé Purina PetCare, is focusing attention on cat health with a new pledge effort.
The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimates 58 percent of owned cats in the U.S., or 50 million cats, are overweight, and less than 12 percent of cat owners are aware their cats have a weight problem.
"The obesity issue is a big deal for cats because that's the single largest cause for diabetes and it's completely preventable," said Ernie Ward, a veterinarian in Calabash, N.C., and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.
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Americans spent $55.7 billion on their pets in 2013, a figure that's expected to rise to nearly $59 billion this year, according to the American Pet Products Association, an industry trade group. Most pet expenditures are on food – totaling $21.57 billion last year, compared with $14.4 billion spent on veterinary care.
Ward recommends that cat owners consult with their veterinarian about how much their cat should eat each day, and owners should set aside five minutes a day for active play time with their cat. "A lot of the over eating has to do with boredom, and from anxiety issues," Ward said.
St. Louis-based Nestlé Purina, maker of Purina Cat Chow, is striving to get 100,000 cat owners to sign a pledge before May 2 promising to assess their cat's weight to determine if their cat is heavier than advised by vets. If 100,000 pledges are logged, Nestlé Purina will donate $50,000 to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.
The pledge is available on the company's website www.catchow.com/whyweight. Those who sign the pledge receive a free sample of Purina Cat Chow Healthy Weight, a low-calorie weight management cat food that debuted in 2012.
"It's a major health issue for cats and most people don't recognize it," said Vincent Biroscak, Purina Cat Chow's director of marketing.
Lisa Brown is a business reporter at the Post-Dispatch. Follow her on Twitter @LisaBrownSTL and the Business section @postdispatchbiz.
