As we come into 2024, it might be that many of us humans are looking at weight loss… and sadly, a lot of our pets could benefit from it as well! So in our New Year’s Day blog this year, we’ve asked highly qualified feline vet Sarah Elliott BVetMed MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats) MRCVS to look into “Metabolic Diets”, with their promise to make dieting easier for our feline friends…

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What is a ‘metabolic’ cat food?

Metabolic cat food is a type of cat food designed to help cats maintain a healthy weight. These diets are typically lower in calories and higher in protein than other commercial cat foods. They are a weight loss diet. But in addition, these diets also aim to shift the cat’s metabolism towards that of a leaner, healthier cat. 

The claim is that the combination of ingredients contained in a metabolic diet can change gene expression in the overweight cat; making it more like the gene expression of a lean cat that has never been overweight. This might help keep the weight from returning, by stimulating the cat’s natural ability to burn fat. 

That all sounds great, but what is in it?

These diets are similar to other weight loss diets; they are calorie restricted and contain more protein and fibre than traditional cat foods. Metabolic diets also include specific ingredients such as L-carnitine, coconut oil and flaxseed, which are believed to alter the cat’s metabolism.  

Do metabolic diets for cats actually work?

If the above all sounds a little vague to you, I’m with you! How can a diet change the metabolism of a cat, and alter their genes? 

Well, it’s early days in this field of study, but there is evidence to show that what we eat can affect the way our genes are expressed. For example, we know that by adding omega 3 fatty acids to our diet we can affect genes related to inflammation, helping to reduce pain and inflammation in the body. 

The science on metabolic diets is still in its infancy. The pet food companies have carried out research which suggests keeping the weight off your cat might be easier if this diet is fed as a maintenance diet after weight loss. In most weight loss studies, pet owners are given a recommended amount to feed. But only about 10% are successful in getting weight off their pet. In this study, 80% of the animals lost weight with the recommended feeding amount, without telling the pet owner they were using a weight loss product. Promising stuff, although we still need more data to confirm these findings.

Conclusion

There is no magic food that will automatically cause overweight cats to lose weight without calorie restriction. ‘Metabolic’ diets for cats are a low calorie, nutrient-fortified food (like other weight loss diets) adequate for weight loss and can be fed long-term. Research carried out by pet food companies suggests that keeping the weight off your cat might be easier if this diet is fed as a maintenance diet after weight loss. We need more facts and statistics to prove this. But for now, we can say that metabolic diets might be a good option to support weight loss in cats with a slow metabolism that are struggling with calorie restriction alone. 

If you are concerned about your cat’s weight, talk to your vet about an ongoing weight management plan that can be specially tailored to your cat’s needs.

If you would like more information about how to manage your cats’ weight, further reading can be found here:

Further reading: