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Is Your Cat Overweight, Underweight or Just Right?

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This article is part of a series on how to spot signs of a healthy cat. You can learn more about the key signs here.


Assessing your cat’s body condition is an important step in evaluating their overall nutritional well-being. Particularly in cases where your cat appears to be obese or thin, it is important to evaluate their total health before consulting a vet for a proper nutritional management program. Look for the following signs that your cat is overweight, underweight or just the right size.

 

thin cat i

underweight cat i

ideal weight cat i

overweight cat i

obese cat i

 

Thin Cat

  • Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones are easily visible
  • Thick neck and narrow waist
  • Obvious abdominal tuck
  • No fat in flank folds; folds are often absent

 Underweight Cat

  • Backbone and ribs can be easily seen or felt
  • Minimal fat covering
  • Minimal waist when viewed from above
  • Slightly tucked abdomen

Ideal-weight Cat

  • Ribs are easily felt, but not visible
  • A slight waist can be seen behind the ribs when viewed from above
  • Abdomen is tucked up and flank folds are present

 Overweight Cat

  • Slight increase in fat over ribs, but still easily felt
  • Abdomen is slightly rounded and flanks are concave
  • Flank folds hang down with moderate amount of fat — you might notice a jiggle when your cat is walking

 Obese Cat

  • Ribs and backbone aren’t easily felt under a heavy fat covering
  • Abdomen is rounded; waist is barely visible or absent
  • Prominent flank folds sway from side to side when your cat is walking

  • How Nutrition Can Help Manage Your Cat’s Hairballs
    How Nutrition Can Help Manage Your Cat’s Hairballs
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    How Nutrition Can Help Manage Your Cat’s Hairballs

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    Why Make a Hairball Management Formula?

    • Most cats are susceptible to hairballs due to continual ingestion of hair during regular self-grooming.
    • Cat owners have told us that hairballs are one of their top concerns.
    • According to IAMS™ consumer research, a number of cat owners and their cats have found hairball treatments to be an unpleasant experience.

     

    How Were the IAMS Hairball Formulas Developed?

    IAMS nutritionists were looking for a way to control hairball formation while maintaining optimal feline health and well-being. They evaluated risk factors for hairball formation in cats fed diets that varied in fiber source and content.

    • 98 cats were studied.
    • Nine groups were fed test diets and three were fed control diets.
    • The test-feeding period was six to seven weeks, following a five-week control-feeding period.
    • Total cat-days of testing = 9,968.

     

    Researchers found that feeding diets that contained a blend of beet pulp and cellulose was more effective at moving hair through the digestive tract, compared with the same diets containing beet pulp as the only fiber source.

    • There was an 80% to 100% increase in fecal hair excretion with beet pulp/cellulose-blend diets, compared with the beet-pulp-only diet.
    • By promoting the passage of hair ingested by the cat during normal self-grooming, an important risk factor for hairball formation is minimized.
    • Hairballs were not evident in cats fed the beet pulp/cellulose-blend diets.

     

    How Do IAMS Hairball Formulas Work?

    • The fiber system (blend of beet pulp/cellulose) gently moves hair through the gastrointestinal tract while maintaining healthy digestion.
      • Beet pulp, a moderately fermentable fiber, promotes optimal intestinal health.
      • Cellulose helps to enhance the passage of ingested hair.
    • An optimal fatty acid ratio enhances skin and coat health, which decreases the likelihood of excessive shedding, a factor related to hairball formation.

     

    How Do IAMS Hairball Formulas Compare with Other IAMS Cat Food Formulas?

    IAMS hairball formulas provide high-quality nutrition and taste, like our other adult formulas, with the added benefit of reducing the risk of hairballs.

    • High-quality nutrition for adult cats
      • Optimal protein and fat levels
      • Higher fiber content due to added cellulose
      • Excellent stool quality, skin and coat condition, and taurine status
    • Great taste
      • Similar acceptability and palatability test results as other IAMS adult formulas

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