van Lent Denise, Vernooij Johannes C M, Stolting Marcellina M., Corbee Ronald Jan
Lekker in je Vacht, Feline Behavioral Health and Welfare Centre, Secretaris Runsinkbrink 6, 2731 AG Benthuizen, The Netherlands.
Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Dec 1;11(12):3434. doi: 10.3390/ani11123434.
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the suckling period length (SPL) on weight status among adult cats while taking into account putative risk factors. To this end, the body fat percentage of 69 client-owned cats was determined. A body fat percentage of >30% was used for overweight classification. Cat owners were interviewed using a standardised questionnaire to collect information about the SPL, age, breed, sex, feeding amount and frequency, daily playing and outdoor access. SPL was categorized into four groups (0-6, 7-11, 12-16, 17-24 weeks). Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between overweight and SPL after adjusting for identified risk factors. Of the 69 cats, 37 were overweight. The odds for overweight was three times lower in cats with a SPL > 6 weeks (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.10-0.99). This study identified a possible novel, modifiable early life risk factor for overweight in cats; the SPL. The results of this study indicate that allowing cats to nurse longer than 12 weeks might be a simple intervention to improve cat health and welfare.
本研究的目的是在考虑假定风险因素的情况下，研究哺乳期时长（SPL）对成年猫体重状况的影响。为此，测定了69只宠物猫的体脂百分比。体脂百分比>30%用于超重分类。使用标准化问卷对猫主人进行访谈，以收集有关哺乳期时长、年龄、品种、性别、喂食量和频率、日常玩耍及户外出行情况的信息。哺乳期时长分为四组（0 - 6周、7 - 11周、12 - 16周、17 - 24周）。在对已确定的风险因素进行调整后，使用逻辑回归来估计超重与哺乳期时长之间的关联。69只猫中，37只超重。哺乳期时长>6周的猫超重几率降低了三倍（比值比=0.33，95%置信区间=0.10 - 0.99）。本研究确定了一个可能的、新的、可改变的猫超重早期生活风险因素；即哺乳期时长。本研究结果表明，让猫哺乳超过12周可能是改善猫健康和福利的一种简单干预措施。
