Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition advances understanding of factors influencing body weight in cats

New research by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition marks an important step forward in the fight against cat obesity

13th June, 2011 – A collaborative team of researchers has shown that adding moisture to a cat's diet slows down the rate of weight gain. This finding, at least in part, appeared to be driven by increased activity. This research was conducted at the WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition, the fundamental science centre supporting Mars Petcare brands such as WHISKAS® and ROYAL CANIN.

In a series of studies conducted in partnership with the University of Aberdeen, WALTHAM® scientists found that cats fed a dry diet with a total of 50 percent moisture had a slower rate of weight gain and were more physically active than those cats fed the dry diet alone containing 10 percent moisture. This is the first time a hydrated diet has been associated with a lower rate of weight gain and increased physical activity in cats.

"These findings advance our understanding of the factors that influence body weight in cats and provide a strong basis for further research," commented study author and WALTHAM® scientist Dr. Penelope Morris.

"Obesity is a growing problem in the cat population, recent figures indicate that up to 50 percent of cats are either overweight or obese," added Dr. Morris. "These findings could have important implications for developing feeding strategies for cats that modulate weight gain." This work also provides a clear rationale for including wet foods in a cat's feeding regimen as an easy way of increasing dietary moisture level.

WALTHAM® is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of companion animals. This research forms part of a wider programme of ongoing collaborative research into the effect of food and nutrition on body weight in both cats and dogs.

The research has been published in the June edition (Volume 95, Issue 3) of the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition and is available in print and online: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0396.2010.01107.x/abstract

The WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition is a leading scientific authority in pet nutrition and wellbeing and has been advancing the frontiers of scientific research into the nutrition and health of companion animals for nearly 50 years. Located in Leicestershire, England, the renowned state-of-the-art science institute focuses on the nutritional and behavioural needs of companion animals and their benefits to humans, enabling the development of innovative products which meet these needs in a practical way. WALTHAM® has pioneered many important breakthroughs in pet nutrition, and in collaboration with the world's foremost scientific institutes, supports leading Mars brands such as WHISKAS®, PEDIGREE®, NUTRO®, TRILL®, CESAR®, SHEBA®, KITEKAT®, AQUARIAN®, WINERGY® and the ROYAL CANIN brand.

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the philosophy of a "mutuality of benefits" for all stakeholders – this vision serves as the foundation of the Mars, Incorporated we are today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience. More than 65,000 Associates worldwide are putting our Mars Principles in action every day to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.

Mars brands include: Chocolate – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN®; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA CO.™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience –SERAMIS®, CIRKU™ and COCOAVIA™.

For more information, please contact: Dr. Abigail Stevenson, Head of Value Transfer, WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition Tel: +44 1664 415 409 Email: Abigail.Stevenson@effem.com

I think most commercial cat food sucks. Even the best contains ingredients that many cats become allergic to over time.

This happened to my boy cat and he rapidly lost weight and had chronic diarrhea due to food allergies. My girl cat was overweight and slept all the time.

After researching, I developed my own cat food recipe, as so many others have done before. Cats need about a 40/60 calcium to phosphor ratio, which is determined by the amount of ground bone vs. the amount of ground muscle meat in their diet. They also have a very high need for taurine, which is obtained from animal hearts. Calories should come mostly from protein, with some coming from fat, and none from carbohydrates.

After feeding my cats the following food for several weeks, my boy cat gained weight, my girl cat lost weight, both quit shedding so much, their coats became shiny and sleek, and they both became very energetic.

My Cat Food Recipe

12/10/2010

Ingredients

34 lbs chicken thighs (skin, bone and all)
8 lbs chicken hearts
4 lbs chicken liver

16 cups purified (R.O.) water
84 gms salmon OR fish oil (42 x 2 gm capsules)
16 x 400 IU Vitamin E (Jarrow E-400 “dry E” works well)
16 gm Taurine (16 x 1 gm capsules)
1600 mg Vitamin B complex (4 Jarrow B-Right capsules)
4 TB Lite salt (50/50 sodium/potassium chloride with iodine)
3/4 cup Psyllium husk powder
32 capsules raw glandular supplement (Nutricology ImmoPlex Glandular)
8 Trace Mineral capsules (Thorne Trace Minerals)

Note that this recipe is based on recipes by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, Anne at catnutrition.org, and tcfeline.com. The amount of trace minerals was calculated based on a total weight of 864 ounces for this recipe, and assuming an average cat eats about 5 ounces a day, and that an average cat’s trace mineral needs are 1/20th the needs of a human based on average weight ratio of the two. As it turns out, this is completely consistent with the amounts of the other supplements specified in the source recipes. I’ve also doubled the Salmon oil from those recipes and also left out the egg as I believe that egg can be an allergen for many cats and its not something that they eat that much of in the wild.

I have been unable to find a bulk Psyllium husk powder free from artificial flavors and sweeteners, so I use Swanson’s capsules. I process these and all the other capsules by chopping them up in one of those little “whirlybird” coffee grinders and then separating the capsule contents from the capsule fragments by shaking everything in one of those screen-type kitchen strainers that have a handle. This takes just a few minutes to do for a heck of a lot of capsules.

I put the Salmon oil capsules in a small ramekin, cover them with water and heat in a microwave 30 seconds or so. The gelatin capsules melt/dissolve and sink to the bottom while the Salmon oil floats to the top. After cooling, I put this in the freezer and the Salmon oil solidifies and can then be scraped off the top. This is a quick and non-messy process as well.

I actually have a custom butcher make this for me. After double-grinding (first coarse and then as fine as he can) and then mixing, he uses a sausage stuffer to fill and tie 1-2 pound plastic sausage tubes. I get him to freeze everything too before I pick it up so as not to over-tax my home freezer.

Preparation for feeding consists of slitting and removing the plastic wrapper and thawing in a microwave on a defrost cycle. I then partially cook the food and add even more water (about a cup per 2 pounds) and let this water soak into the food. After cooling, I refrigerate and serve small meals throughout the day, sometimes reheating the meals in the microwave. One package lasts about 1.5 days for two cats.

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