By Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado
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Last year I told you about a study that found that feeding cats a SureFeed microchip feeder helped cats lose weight beyond just following a weight management diet. The most likely benefits are preventing cat-to-cat food theft and allowing cat guardians to weigh the amount of food they feed their cats (some SureFeed models include a scale).
Other commonly cited challenges with feline weight loss are the ability of cat guardians to “stick to the diet” of their cat and begging behavior on the cat’s behalf. A 2016 study I discovered that cats on a diet don’t get angry, they cuddle! Thirty out of 32 cats on a diet became more affectionate when placed on a weight loss program. That said, most cats have gotten more into begging for food, which can be hard for some humans to resist and can lead to more food in the bowl!
A new study, Evaluation of an Automatic Animal-Separating Feeder and High-Frequency Feeding for Weight Loss in Multi-Cat Households, revisited the topic of pet technology and weight loss, removing humans from the diet picture. The study had two objectives:
- To see if cats would stop begging if they were fed from an automatic feeder with access to an RFID tag (meaning only the cat with the correct tag can open the feeder) and programming capabilities (the PortionPro) – will cats beg from a robot?
- To determine if there was an effect of meal frequency on weight loss: Do more frequent and smaller meals lead to greater weight loss?
How did they conduct the study?
All cats in the study were at least one year old, lived indoors only, lived with other cats, and were overweight. The cats were free of any other health conditions that could impact appetite or metabolism. All cats received the same diet during the study (Hills Metabolic) and were assigned to one of the following three conditions:
- Fed twice daily from a regular food bowl (5 cats)
- Fed twice daily, distributed by PortionPro (9 cats)
- Fed six times a day, distributed by PortionPro (6 cats)
The cats were examined and weighed before and during the study to monitor their health and weight loss and ensure they were receiving the appropriate amount of food. The study lasted for 26 weeks, or until the cats reached their weight loss goal, whichever came first. The cat guardians also completed several questionnaires about their cat’s behavior during the study as well as their satisfaction with the weight loss program.
What did the study reveal?
There were no differences between the three groups on questions such as “How hungry is your cat?” or questions about activity or behavior problems. Overall, cat guardians felt the same level of satisfaction regardless of which group their cat was in. Ironically, they found using the automatic feeder more difficult than feeding the cats in a bowl.
When comparing cats’ begging behavior, cats fed from a bowl were more likely to meow at the bowl, follow their owners before being fed, and were also more likely to paw at their owner before feeding. be fed. Removing humans from the food equation does seem to reduce begging.
More cats fed via PortionPro reached their target weight (40% when fed twice daily and 83.2% when fed 6 times daily). None of the bowl-fed cats reached their target weight. Although the sample size was too small to find statistically significant differences, cats fed the automatic feeder also lost a higher percentage of their body weight (15.2% when fed twice daily). and 17.1% when fed 6 times a day) compared to cats fed with the automatic feeder. bowl-fed cats (9.7%).
What does it mean?
This study was small, so we must be careful in interpreting the results. But it supports a small but growing body of evidence that technology can be our friend when it comes to feeding our cats. All cats were fed the same diet, so if how It doesn’t matter which cats are fed, we expect similar weight loss patterns in all cats.
RFID tag technology allows cats to eat what they like, when they want, and prevents cats from obtaining unintentional snacks by stealing from other cats in the house. This led to greater weight loss in cats using the PortionPro. The technology also had the secondary benefit of reducing begging behavior.
Researchers were less convinced that feeding PortionPro six times a day provided a greater benefit than twice a day when it came to weight loss. The PortionPro closes when the cat with the correct label walks away, so it is also possible that cats fed twice daily may have chosen to graze and eat PortionPro more than twice daily, even if the food is not was deposited only twice a day. Many studies support that cats are natural grazers and will eat between 8 and 15 meals per day when given free choice.
If you notice begging behavior in your cat or need help with your cat’s weight loss program, be sure to work with your veterinarian and… why not consider help from a technician for pets?
The references
Levine, ED, Erb, HN, Schoenherr, B., & Houpt, KA (2016). Owner perception of behavioral changes associated with weight loss diets in large cats. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 1137-41.
Witzel-Rollins, A., Murphy, M., Springer, C.M., Moyers, T.D., & Albright, J.D. (2022). Evaluation of an automatic pet-separating feeder and high-frequency feeding for weight loss in multi-cat households. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery1098612X221105046.