Freqüência e fatores de risco da obesidade em uma população de gatos domésticos na rotina cirúrgica na região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro.

Abstract

Obesity is a condition of positive energy balance and excess adipose tissue formation with adverse effects on morbidity and mortality. This study encompasses a survey of the frequency of obese cats during the period of June to November of 2010.The aim of this study was to evaluate frequency of overweight and obese cats, identify risk factors for this sample and perception of the owners about the body condition of their cat. In Brazil, this is the first study related to epidemiology of the obesity condition only in the feline species. For this, 106 feline animals (Felis catus) were selected, male and female sterilized or unsterilized, with or without defined breed, randomly selected amongst the cats sent to surgical interventions. These animals were seen in a private clinic specialized in treating cats, located in Botafogo. These cats were arising from thirteen districts and five different counties in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The cats were analyzed through a questionnaire answered by their owners about the routine of the cats and demographic information about the owners, besides the subjective and objective evaluation for obesity. In this study, the subjective analysis was performed using five-point score and the objective analysis was performed by calculating the feline body mass index (FBMI). Diseases related to obesity have been also observed and described. It was considered 50.9% (54) males and 49.1% (52) females with average age of 5.4 (± 4.39) years. As concerns the reproductive status, there were found 72.6% (77) neutered animals and 27.4% (29) non-neutered ones. The domestic cats were majority with 93.3% (98) and only 6.7% (7) were “outdoor”. The access to free food to the food was superior to 83.8% (88) compared to 16.2% (17) of animals with controlled access to their diet. The average weight of our sample was 4.80 (± 1.98). It can conclude that the frequency of overweight in the population of cats from surgical routine was 60.4% and 23.6% identified as overweight and 36.8% obese through evaluating the body condition score. Obesity was found in half of the population studied by the method of feline body mass index. The risk factors for obesity were evidenced in the middle-aged cats, neutered, especially males domiciled with free access to food. The underestimation of the score by their owners was also a predisposing factor for feline obesity. In addition, the association of subjective method (BCS) with the purpose (FBMI) are the ways to determine an appropriate and concise assessment of obesity.