Obesity affects an estimated 40-45% of cats in the UK, causing significant welfare consequences including diabetes, hepatic lipidosis, orthopaedic pain, and reduced lifespan — with effective management available but underutilised.
Obese cats experience orthopaedic pain from joint loading, difficulty grooming, skin fold infections, and reduced quality of life from inability to exercise and play. Diabetic cats require twice-daily insulin injections — a significant welfare intervention that imposes stress on the cat and demands sustained owner commitment. Hepatic lipidosis triggered by inadequate food intake during illness or dieting causes rapid liver failure and death without intensive treatment. The welfare cost of feline obesity accumulates over years and is preventable through appropriate feeding management from early in the cat's life.