Wall Meredith, Cave Nick John, Vallee Emilie
School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Front Vet Sci. 2019 Aug 19;6:266. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00266. eCollection 2019.
Feline obesity is a highly prevalent disease that poses an urgent and serious challenge. Attempted treatment by weight reduction is often unsuccessful; a new preventative approach that focuses on the role of the owner may be helpful. This study used data collected from an international survey of cat owners designed to assess owner personality and self-control, owner-pet attachment, feeding practices, and the cat's body condition. Owner-reported body condition scores (BCS) of cats were assessed using images adapted from a 5-point BCS system and categorized as a binary dependent variable: overweight/obese (BCS 4-5) and not overweight (BCS 1-3). Owner-reported BCS scores using a verbal BCS scale were also used as a binary dependent variable. Of the 6,835 respondents, 30.5% described their cat as overweight/obese using the visual BCS scale, and 32.5% using the verbal scale. Multivariable logistic regression models were built using stepwise-backward selection. A total of 8 variables were significant using the visual score as the dependent variable, while 11 variables were significant using the verbal score as the dependent variable ( < 0.05). Low owner conscientiousness was associated with an increased risk of feline overweight/obesity (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.10-1.38), whereas preference for delayed reward was associated with a decreased risk (OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.75-0.96). Contrary to expectation, indulgent (OR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.53-0.91) and inconsistent (OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.76-0.93) feeding practices appeared protective. Other significant variables ( < 0.05) included cat-related factors (age, gender, housing, source) and management-related factors (dry diet, supermarket dry diet, raw diet, stealing, hunting, and measuring food with a scoop). A third multivariable analysis was performed, using results from cats classified as overweight/obese using both scoring methods, compared with cats classified as a healthy weight using both scoring methods. A total of 10 variables were found to be significant ( < 0.05). There was significant overlap of results from all three analyses. The results of this study indicate that feline obesity is a complex problem, with many contributing risk factors. It is essential to recognize the importance of owner characteristics, and that the prevention of obesity in cats may require the development of a range of interventional strategies.
猫肥胖症是一种非常普遍的疾病，带来了紧迫而严峻的挑战。通过减重进行的治疗尝试往往不成功；一种关注主人作用的新预防方法可能会有所帮助。本研究使用了从一项针对猫主人的国际调查中收集的数据，该调查旨在评估主人的性格和自我控制能力、主人与宠物的依恋关系、喂养方式以及猫的身体状况。通过改编自5分制身体状况评分（BCS）系统的图像评估主人报告的猫的身体状况评分，并将其分类为二元因变量：超重/肥胖（BCS 4 - 5）和非超重（BCS 1 - 3）。使用言语BCS量表的主人报告的BCS评分也用作二元因变量。在6835名受访者中，使用视觉BCS量表时，30.5%的人将他们的猫描述为超重/肥胖，使用言语量表时这一比例为32.5%。使用逐步向后选择构建多变量逻辑回归模型。以视觉评分为因变量时，共有8个变量具有显著性，以言语评分为因变量时，有11个变量具有显著性（P < 0.05）。主人尽责性低与猫超重/肥胖风险增加相关（比值比[OR] = 1.23，95%置信区间[CI] 1.10 - 1.38），而对延迟奖励的偏好与风险降低相关（OR = 0.84，95% CI 0.75 - 0.96）。与预期相反，放纵的（OR = 0.76，95% CI 0.53 - 0.91）和不一致的（OR = 0.86，95% CI 0.76 - 0.93）喂养方式似乎具有保护作用。其他显著变量（P < 0.05）包括与猫相关的因素（年龄、性别、居住环境、来源）和管理相关因素（干粮、超市购买的干粮、生食、偷食、捕猎以及用勺子量食物）。进行了第三次多变量分析，将两种评分方法都分类为超重/肥胖的猫的结果与两种评分方法都分类为健康体重的猫的结果进行比较。共发现10个变量具有显著性（P < 0.05）。所有三项分析的结果有显著重叠。本研究结果表明，猫肥胖症是一个复杂的问题，有许多促成风险因素。认识到主人特征的重要性至关重要，并且预防猫肥胖症可能需要制定一系列干预策略。
