The title describes one interesting aspect of study into normalising overweight and underweight cats (and dogs) which I address below. Unfortunately, it happens too often, nowadays. Caregivers tend to overestimate their cat’s weight if they are underweight and underestimate their cat’s weight if they are overweight. This is normalising cat weight. It’s a blind spot if you like. And often the problem concerns overweight cats because people are too often overweight as well and they therefore normalise their weight and normalise their cat’s weight.
Disagreements with vets
A study (see reference at base) found that almost 37% of cat owners disagreed with their veterinarian’s assessment of their cat’s body condition i.e. weight and overall appearance. This disagreement increased when the cat was overweight.
Can’t tell their cat’s weight
It is perhaps unsurprising to know that, as per this study, about six in ten cat owners (60%) are able to tell their cat’s weight (40% can’t). I don’t think this finding is very important. The important point is that cat owners should be able to observe their cat’s appearance and decide whether they are a good or ideal body weight with a good body condition. In human terms a good BMI. Very few cat owners weigh their cat so it is down to a visual assessment.
Here is a nice guide:-
Misconceptions
But clearly many cat owners don’t have this ability. The study states that, “Unfortunately, when it comes to assessing body condition, there is a substantial level of misperception among pet owners, which aligns with the findings from previous studies.”
Big and small cats
It is easier for a cat owner to assess if their cat is overweight if the cat companion is small in size. It’s because with smaller cats excess weight is more easily noticed. The larger body size of male cats might present challenges for owners when they try and evaluate their cat’s body condition.
The problem is that “What was once considered overweight now tends to be viewed as about right”.
Moral worth
It’s important, the study scientists say, to instruct cat owners in a sensitive way and not imply that they are to blame for their misconceptions about bodyweight. The intention here is to avoid reinforcing the notion that excess weight in pets reflects low moral worth in cat owners as it may lead to cat owners rejecting the advice and it may hinder their ability to address the problem effectively.
Gradual change in body condition
Another reason why sometimes cat owners normalise the weight of their obese cat is because the cat has put on weight gradually. Perhaps the important thing here is to actually weigh your cat on a regular basis if you believe you have difficulty in assessing weight visually. On this topic, it is important for an obese cat to lose weight gradually to avoid fatty liver disease.
Awareness of health
Misconceptions about bodyweight can lead to health problems such as an increase in Type 2 diabetes which is closely linked to excess weight as is the case with people. Misconceptions have arguably contributed to an epidemic of pet obesity as stated by veterinarians.
Buying love with overfeeding
Another issue may be a lack of motivation by cat owners to actually care about their cat’s weight. And a further possibility is that cat owners sometimes like to buy their cat’s love with overfeeding. Their cat likes food because they might be bored, being a full-time indoor cat, and their owner likes to make them feel better by feeding them treats which lead to the cat putting on weight.
The owner accepts it perhaps partly because they don’t really know the health consequences fully. Feeding a cat is an act of affection. Cat owners can express their affection through feeding. And if a cat owner feels this way, it can lead to resistance in the acceptance of advice from veterinarians and it can be a barrier to effective communication with veterinarians providing advice.
Presence of children affects cat weight assessment
A very interesting finding is that if the cat owner in the study had children it was in some instances the only factor as to why the owner underestimated the weight of their cat; with about 2.5 times higher odds of underestimating their cat’s body condition.
The same scenario occurs when a parent assesses the weight of one child when they have two children. The presence of the second child affects the way they assess the weight of the other child. It is once again a normalisation of body condition. This may, the authors state “result from unconscious habituation, given the routine exposure to their child on a daily basis, coupled with a self-preservation instinct aimed at avoiding feelings of guilt for their children’s overweight [condition]”.
Also, parents may resist labelling or stigmatising their children and in doing so fail to acknowledge their child’s overweight condition. And lastly, they don’t want to address their child’s overweight problems because it would mean instigating a weight loss routine which means a change in lifestyle that the child may dislike. It appears that these issues with children are transferred to companion animals because they are members of the family.
They say that “parents may unconsciously use their children’s body condition as a reference point for evaluating their pets, even though there are notable differences.”
And of course babies are always fat to a certain extent and therefore if you use a baby as a reference point you are going to be misled when assessing your cat’s body condition.
Cuteness is plumpness
Humans may perceive the plumper appearance of pets as cute. That’s another barrier to ensuring that a cat’s weight is correct.
Cats and dogs
Also interestingly, the study found that if a person owns a cat and a dog there is a high likelihood of “underestimating the dog’s body condition compared to dog owners without cats”.
Citation
Blanchard T, Hoummady S, Banuls D, Roche M, Bynens A, Meunier M, Dos Santos N, Tissaoui E, Rouch-Buck P, Fantinati M, Priymenko N. The Perception of the Body Condition of Cats and Dogs by French Pet Owners and the Factors Influencing Underestimation. Animals (Basel). 2023 Nov 25;13(23):3646. doi: 10.3390/ani13233646. PMID: 38066997; PMCID: PMC10705725.
