Owners Perception of Changes in Behaviors Associated with Dieting in Fat Cats

Fifty-eight obese cats were fed 1 of 3 equicaloric diets for 8 weeks: a high-fiber (HiFi) diet, a control diet formulated to maintain weight in adult cats, or a low-carbohydrate and high-protein diet. The cats' changes in weight at 4 and 8 weeks were compared with baseline weights. Behaviors at 4 weeks were compared between diet groups. Whether the cats differed in behaviors compared with baseline was compared at 4 and 8 weeks without regard to diet. The behaviors were recorded by the owners and analyzed for direction of the change (if change occurred). The behaviors were prefeeding begging, following, meowing, and pacing. Those recorded postfeeding and similarly analyzed were jump in lap, purr, rest, sleep, and use litter box. The owners were also asked whether the cat's affection toward them had changed since the diet was fed. Most of the cats (38 of 47; 81% of those with data for that time) lost weight during the first 4 weeks, irrespective of the diet; there was no difference in percentage of original body weight lost at 4 weeks between the diets (P = 0.36). However, the HiFi group lost relatively more weight across the entire 8 weeks than did the low-carbohydrate and high-protein diet group (P = 0.0075). Overall, 38 of 50 (76% of cats with data for that time) of all cats had weight losses at 8 weeks.