Obesity affects over a third of cats in developed countries and causes significant welfare compromise through pain, reduced mobility, and shortened lifespan.
Feline obesity is a preventable welfare crisis shaped primarily by owner feeding practices and environmental design. Cats evolved as predatory animals consuming multiple small prey items daily; free-access bowls of energy-dense dry food bear no resemblance to this natural pattern. The welfare consequences of obesity are serious and chronic: joint pain limits play and grooming, diabetes requires daily insulin administration, and overall quality of life is measurably reduced. Weight management in obese cats requires veterinary oversight because rapid reduction is dangerous. Owner education about body condition scoring and energy requirements at neutering is the most effective preventive intervention.