Answer:
For many people, "Food = Love." One way pet owners give love, is by giving more and better tasting food. This is an example of "killing with kindness." Many cat food companies compete on taste instead of quality. Why? Because pet owners tend to ignore obesity and buy what their cat "likes the most." This is like feeding a child only what he "likes the most." Focusing on taste appeal instead of nutrition almost always spells trouble.

All animals have an "appetite control center" in the brain. It is located in the lower part of the brain next to the areas that control body temperature, heart rate and other basic body functions. Because of poor breeding, an animal may have a substandard appetite control center that does a poor job of regulating food intake. This is partially because animals evolved in a constant state of near starvation with an evolutionary dictum to stock up on food anytime it became available.

Those animals that do have well functioning appetite control centers routinely refuse to eat all the food provided. This animal's instinct is smarter than the owner who describes this cat as "finicky" and sets out trying different foods. If the pet owners can't find a cat food their pets will overeat, they often begin offering "people food." I remember one owner of an incredibly fat Persian cat. She was quite distraught when I suggested a dietary reduction, and exclaimed, "But Doctor, he is already so finicky he will only eat ice cream and steak!" In reality, the cat's internal systems were attempting to reduce weight by refusing additional food. The taste bud stimulus simply caused an override of the appetite control center.

Any cat that is obese will likely respond to a simple formula: No free choice food, increase exercise (like playing with cat toys), and find a healthier but less tasty food and let the cat eat as little as it wants at each mealtime, 2-3 times a day. If this doesn't work, veterinarians can prescribe diets that are extremely high in quality and low in calories to do the trick.

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