Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in companion cats, causing pain, reduced mobility, and significantly shortened lifespan — yet it remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in veterinary practice.
Feline obesity causes chronic pain and reduced quality of life that is often invisible to owners who interpret a fat cat as simply comfortable or healthy. The association between obesity and arthritis is direct — excess weight increases joint loading in a species that evolved as an agile predator. Obese cats groom less effectively, play less, and show behavioral changes that are often attributed to personality rather than pain. The welfare problem is compounded by the cultural normalization of overweight cats and the reluctance of veterinary professionals to address weight in consultations. Effective weight management requires dietary transition to measured portions of more nutritionally appropriate food, environmental enrichment that increases activity, and regular weight monitoring. The weight loss itself must be carefully managed to avoid triggering hepatic lipidosis.